The Emerald Tiger (Doctor Who) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story and it was one of the nearest experiences to Davison era television that I have had.

The story is rich in characterisation, diverse in themes explored, very intelligent with dialogue, particularly Davison's and well structured.

Barnaby Edwards is one of the most talented contributors to Doctor Who full stop. Here he both writes and directs a story and I believe that his vision of the story cannot be that dissimilar to how I have interpreted it.

This is the 159th monthly Big Finish audio and I am still constantly surprised and impressed at the originality of these adventures and the passion of all those that contribute.

It has a very strong Indiana Jones feel to it; probably hard to avoid given the settings and themes. The Doctor is perhaps more of an action hero than he might have been on screen, but I think that audio is a good opportunity for such things and the said action scenes were quite easy to visualise.

I am quite taken with this product. It would be in my top 10 monthly titles. So better than 150 before it; that's quite an accolade. Well done to all those involved; this was for me a very rewarding 100 minutes.

A welcome return for the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) and his triumvirate of youthful companions: Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa, sees the TARDIS crew arrive on the Indian sub-continent on the cusp of 1927; what follows is a boys-own style yarn featuring the titular crystalline feline, a dastardly British officer, an elegant Lady and another opportunity for Nyssa to become infected with a potentially life-threatening condition...
With characters named as homages to British writers scribing at the height of Empire (Major Haggard anyone?), lost worlds hiding weird and wonderful creatures, hot-air balloons, nefarious natives, and perilous train journeys, this adventure has it all - not to mention a great performance from everyone concerned; not least Neil Stacy's moustache-twirling villain - great stuff.

A new Doctor Who audio play. Start of a new trilogy of three stories which feature Peter Davison as the Doctor, plus Janet Fielding Sarah Sutton and Mark Strickson as his companions Tegan Nyssa and Turlough.

This follows on from two previous trilogies to feature this TARDIS crew. There is an ongoing story arc to them which involves Nyssa, who has just rejoined the TARDIS many years for her after leaving it, searching for a cure to a disease. But this is barely touched on here and the story stands pretty much on it's own. Thus casual listeners should be able to get into it quite easily.

It runs for four episodes, which vary in length from twenty six to thirty two minutes [approx] and is spread across two cd's.

It's set in India in 1926. But before the Doctor and friends arrive, there's a pre credit sequence which introduces us to some of the characters and the main threat. Some of the elements may seem a little familiar at first but it becomes a very scary scene that uses the audio medium to it's best to scare the listener.

When the TARDIS crew arrive, they are there intending to see a cricket match. Fun banter ensues as some are more interested in the game than others. This and good sound design and music really create a great sense of setting and make the episode very absorbing.

Various characters who are all well written and played then come into the story, which sends all of the participants off to a remote area where strange things lie in wait. All of the people involved have their reasons for heading there. But how will they cope when they meet the legendary Emerald Tiger?

This draws inspiration from adventure stories of the time at which it is set - and there are some clever homages to that kind of thing throughout. The first episode is superb as it really gets you involved in things and sets it all up superbly. The second isn't quite as good because it's a little overlong and contains a lot of exposition, but a superb action sequence does then make up for that.

After which things are pretty good, although the pace of the story does mean a lot of interesting things about the setting are only just touched on. Some of the main plot may feel a little over familiar but the characters do drive the action along nicely.

The aforementioned story arc of this run is touched on at the end. It develops in a very interesting manner. And it's not one that would confuse casual listeners.

It's not quite five star material but it's an enjoyable and original adventure. There's a lot to like about it. And it's a fun listen all in all.

You can hear just under ten minutes of the music from the story on the final track of disc one.

A trailer for the next story in the trilogy The Jupiter Conjunction (Doctor Who) on the track on disc two after the end of part four.

And fifteen minutes of interviews with cast and crew right after that.