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Doctor Who: Short Trips Audio #2
Doctor Who: Short Trips - Volume 2
Get ready for eight fantastic new adventures in space and time with the Doctor and his companions, featuring stories from many of Doctor Who’s most popular authors from the worlds of television, print, comics and audio, as well as new talent and fresh voices... and read by your favourite Big Finish actors!
1963 by Niall Boyce
The Doctor takes Ian and Barbara back to Earth but the clocks have stopped and the city is silent.
The Way Forwards by Steve Case
Chaos ensues when a young boy discovers time travel for a science project.
Walls of Confinement by Lawrence Conquest
A young boy’s life is in danger as the Doctor comes face to face with a deadly predator.
Chain Reaction by Darren Goldsmith
One single coin can set off a fascinating sequence of events… if you’re a Time Lord.
Sock Pig by Sharon Cobb and Iain Keiller
The Doctor investigates why toy animals are mysteriously coming to life in a young woman’s house.
The Doctor’s Coat by John Bromley
One of the Doctor’s prized possessions goes missing on an alien planet.
Critical Mass by James Moran
Ghosts are appearing in the halls as a war machine is primed for devastation.
Letting Go by Simon Guerrier
Charley learns a lot about the Doctor when she visits the family of a dead hero.
1963 by Niall Boyce
The Doctor takes Ian and Barbara back to Earth but the clocks have stopped and the city is silent.
The Way Forwards by Steve Case
Chaos ensues when a young boy discovers time travel for a science project.
Walls of Confinement by Lawrence Conquest
A young boy’s life is in danger as the Doctor comes face to face with a deadly predator.
Chain Reaction by Darren Goldsmith
One single coin can set off a fascinating sequence of events… if you’re a Time Lord.
Sock Pig by Sharon Cobb and Iain Keiller
The Doctor investigates why toy animals are mysteriously coming to life in a young woman’s house.
The Doctor’s Coat by John Bromley
One of the Doctor’s prized possessions goes missing on an alien planet.
Critical Mass by James Moran
Ghosts are appearing in the halls as a war machine is primed for devastation.
Letting Go by Simon Guerrier
Charley learns a lot about the Doctor when she visits the family of a dead hero.
Audio CD
First published February 28, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 10, 2023
Another wonderfully entertaining anthology of short vignettes and character sketches about the Doctor and his companions spanning all of the first eight Doctors.
(1) 1963: The TARDIS arrives in London on 23rd of November 1963. Barbara & Ian have arrived back home, except something is terribly, horribly wrong. Wonderfully read by William Russell. In many ways a rather sad and melancholy tale of Barbara & Ian’s desire to return to their home. (4/5)
(2) The Way Forward: It’s 1986 and a boy in high school invents a working theory of time travel. That becomes of interest of the Doctor and Victoria (where’s Jamie?) and a slight correction on a 3x5 index card unravels all of the history of space-time. But it feels like it’s only HALF of the story. Good trip, but frustrating, very frustrating. (3/5)
(3) Walls of Confinement: The Doctor and Liz find themselves at the Zoo and in a terrible situation with the Brigadier’s pickpocketing godson and a tiger. At first I was puzzled with the story’s premise and resolution, and the huge plot whole it creates. But by the end of the tale, there’s clearly another layer to what’s going on that only viewers of the classic series will really grok. And it actually goes a long way to explain a lot of the Doctor’s behavior from the seventh season onward. (4/5)
(4) Chain Reaction: An bit of a character vignette for the fourth Doctor, passing time while he’s waiting for Sarah Jane. Even though this was wonderfully read by Louise Jamison, it was actually a bit disappointing. (2/5)
(5) Sock Pig: Well, that was ... weird. And silly. Entertainingly read by Peter Davison though. (3/5)
(6) The Doctor’s Coat: Colin Baker reads this delightful and silly little tale about just how attached the Doctor is to his coat of many colors. (3/5)
(7) Critical Mass: Sophie Aldred reads this seventh Doctor adventures that feels very much like the filmed stories that Ace appeared in. Nothing special though. (3/5)
(8) Letting Go: This was quite melancholy and touching. Rather sad. (3/5)
(1) 1963: The TARDIS arrives in London on 23rd of November 1963. Barbara & Ian have arrived back home, except something is terribly, horribly wrong. Wonderfully read by William Russell. In many ways a rather sad and melancholy tale of Barbara & Ian’s desire to return to their home. (4/5)
(2) The Way Forward: It’s 1986 and a boy in high school invents a working theory of time travel. That becomes of interest of the Doctor and Victoria (where’s Jamie?) and a slight correction on a 3x5 index card unravels all of the history of space-time. But it feels like it’s only HALF of the story. Good trip, but frustrating, very frustrating. (3/5)
(3) Walls of Confinement: The Doctor and Liz find themselves at the Zoo and in a terrible situation with the Brigadier’s pickpocketing godson and a tiger. At first I was puzzled with the story’s premise and resolution, and the huge plot whole it creates. But by the end of the tale, there’s clearly another layer to what’s going on that only viewers of the classic series will really grok. And it actually goes a long way to explain a lot of the Doctor’s behavior from the seventh season onward. (4/5)
(4) Chain Reaction: An bit of a character vignette for the fourth Doctor, passing time while he’s waiting for Sarah Jane. Even though this was wonderfully read by Louise Jamison, it was actually a bit disappointing. (2/5)
(5) Sock Pig: Well, that was ... weird. And silly. Entertainingly read by Peter Davison though. (3/5)
(6) The Doctor’s Coat: Colin Baker reads this delightful and silly little tale about just how attached the Doctor is to his coat of many colors. (3/5)
(7) Critical Mass: Sophie Aldred reads this seventh Doctor adventures that feels very much like the filmed stories that Ace appeared in. Nothing special though. (3/5)
(8) Letting Go: This was quite melancholy and touching. Rather sad. (3/5)
September 15, 2025
This was a beautiful but sad look at Charley and the Doctor visiting a family of somebody they'd worked with on an adventure who had died. India Fisher narrated it fantastically, and I think she leant it more of a sad feel.
June 22, 2021
Sock pig 😭
December 21, 2020
A collection of Doctor Who short stories—one each for the first eight Doctors—narrated by actors associated with the relevant era. For the most part these are short mood pieces. There’s little of note plot-wise, just a wistful appreciation of life.
★★★☆☆ 1963 by Niall Boyce
★★★☆☆ The Way Forwards by Steve Case
★★☆☆☆ Walls of Confinement by Lawrence Conquest
★★☆☆☆ Chain Reaction by Darren Goldsmith
★★★☆☆ Sock Pig by Sharon Cobb and Iain Keiller
★★★☆☆ The Doctor’s Coat by John Bromley
★★★☆☆ Critical Mass by James Moran
★★★☆☆ Letting Go by Simon Guerrier
★★★☆☆ 1963 by Niall Boyce
★★★☆☆ The Way Forwards by Steve Case
★★☆☆☆ Walls of Confinement by Lawrence Conquest
★★☆☆☆ Chain Reaction by Darren Goldsmith
★★★☆☆ Sock Pig by Sharon Cobb and Iain Keiller
★★★☆☆ The Doctor’s Coat by John Bromley
★★★☆☆ Critical Mass by James Moran
★★★☆☆ Letting Go by Simon Guerrier
September 15, 2025
This was a lovely collection of Short Trips. Some were more forgettable, like the Third Doctor, and some were better; personally, I liked the 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th Doctors stories, mostly the 1st and 8th Doctors which I thought had a more melancholy tone to them, which I appreciated.
September 15, 2025
This was a beautiful little short trip about the consequences of accidental time travel. Worth the listen, but nothing really of note.
March 1, 2025
1963 -
1963 was not a very plot heavy story. As the longest of the Short Trips in this set, it did seem like this story had the chance to tell a significant narrative; the story seemed instead, to go in more of a poetic direction. The lack of clear narrative did hamper my enjoyment somewhat, but there was the fact that I was able to visualise these moments of poetic description rather vividly. This meant that I did quite enjoy a significant amount of this short story. There’s not much characterisation because the characters don’t really get a lot to do and frankly there isn’t much dialogue, but if you put that to one side and instead focus on the imagery; and the way that time is almost treated like a piece of art in this setting, it really does give you something to enjoy. As probably the strongest story in the set I do think that that’s why I liked it but it didn’t really offer much to get too attached to, so there is that caveat. Thankfully it wasn’t too long, which stopped any potential for becoming tedious and overdrawn, allowing there to be something to focus on and love in this story which is great.
The Way Forward -
Personally I think this story was a little bit of a mess. The cool concept is really typical Doctor Who, somebody messes around with time there are repercussions, then doctor has to deal with it. There seemed to be some sort of embedded moral lesson here but it doesn’t really scan when nothing comes of it. It’s just someone making really stupid decisions and a significant amount of confusing events occurring. The Doctor seems to just fix things with the press of a button, and for a short story that is only about 16 minutes long, the necessity of an ex machina didn’t seem particularly undeserved. It did really detract from any potential artistic ideas though. This story could’ve been very differently as there was no nuanced take on time travel; there was no unique perspective demonstrated, it was just somebody messing around with time and then Victoria being a bit aghast about it. Much like the first story in this set the characters don’t get much to do and there is a surprisingly very little dialogue. All the exposition in this story is about two lines each and that didn’t exactly help to make clear what was happening given the repercussions of the time travel were a little different to what usually happens in Doctor Who. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was confusing but it was just a little bit silly. I think that some listeners who would struggle to grasp with the ideas, would be left really bewildered by what happened and not in a delightful way.
Walls Of Confinement -
Although there is more to this story, the main takeaway I had of this one was the really unsubtle metaphor. I mean the parallels between the Doctors exile on Earth, and a lion being trapped in a zoo is beyond self evident; yet still somehow there was quite a lot of the runtime afforded to poetic descriptions of the ideas of being trapped and out of your own environment. Although that is a very interesting take on the idea, it is ultimately just the doctor at a zoo, so it’s hardly going to be something excellent like Genesis of the Daleks. When that’s what your entire story is, it’s annoying that a lot of the things that occur of any dramatic note are only suspenseful; or to put it more accurately, dramatic, because of the fact that the story refuses to give you any context prior to events happening. It doesn’t feel like particularly clever storytelling when something happens of any kind of shock factor, and then is immediately okay because it turns out that something we weren’t told earlier is now just going to immediately rectify the drama of each situation. There was some nice dialogue in the story and I did love the stuff about the Brigadier and the Doctor bickering as it did give a bit more depth to their relationship, but beyond that there was not really that much to take away from this story. Liz Shaw is just more of an observer here so she doesn’t actually do anything, and there’s the stupid revelation that the child at the zoo was the doctor babysitting; which is hardly the most exciting thing in the world so there was not so much to be gripped by here.
Chain Reaction -
For some reason this story was the one that I really didn’t care for in the set. By that I mean some of the other stories were a bit derivative, but it’s the fact that this one was so uninteresting that put me off. It’s just one simple idea of cause effect that is perpetuated for, thankfully no longer than about 15 minutes, that really just drag and make the story so uninteresting. The doctor tosses a coin and all these events happen because of that fact, so what we’re faced with is a description of random ordinary people doing not particularly unordinary things from the result of that. Of course it’s a metaphor for the greater idea of the domino effect and there are the moments of the doctor describing that is effectively chaos theory, but else-wise just a sort of unsubtle science lesson. This isn’t really much of a story, let alone is it particularly engaging. There is that quaint charm where the Doctor’s just relaxing and doing a silly science experiment, but that was slightly wasted on me because I just felt like this story didn’t do anything significant; in either narrative or in character progression purposes.
Sock Pig -
If I’m being rather crass in my description of this story it would mostly be because I thought it was kind of stupid. Big Finish did literally do a full length story with the Fifth Doctor about inanimate objects, a sort of teddy bear coming to life and being evil but in this case, it’s more about the little girl and the Doctor. He is engaging with her because she is attached to what he is, in her eyes, killing. I mean there’s obviously that metaphor for the comparison of youth to the perspective of adulthood, and the parallels drawn between the adults perspective and the child’s was nice, but ultimately nothing comes of it. This is probably the second most dramatic of the stories in this set and still I felt like there was no drama or stakes. It is established rather early on that there is no risk to anybody here apart from the Doctor going ‘Oh this could be dangerous’ so there isn’t really any suspense. It’s more just the Doctor trying to comfort a child and kill a teddy bear. That is a rather crass description, however I feel a little bit less of an idiot when I describe the story with such simplicity; given what I have described is the entire sum of the story. The story seem to have the most characterisation of a Doctor, again probably second only to the penultimate story in the set. Here it is the charm of the Fifth Doctor and it doesn’t really go anywhere due to the story being so easily resolved and suddenly ending.
The Doctor’s Coat -
This story was ludicrously short, I mean 13 minutes is insanely short. Of course these short trips are never too long but this was just silly. Given that the entire narrative is the doctor loses his coat, confronts a teenage alien about it and then the doctors sympathetic to the alien; I wasn’t exactly expecting something gritty or dark. The problem is there isn’t really much done here. There isn’t any kind of action or drama, or comedy which is ironic given I think that this story really is going for a more comedic feel. There are the jokes about how salt is the currency on this planet and the Doctor is just lounging around on the beach, but I think there’s a little message about however far you are in the cosmos teenagers are always going to be the same. Still it didn’t actually go anywhere and was over before you know it. I mean how are you supposed to get any kind of perception of storytelling when the story being told is the length of about one page of a book? I’m not saying that I wish the story was longer because I don’t particularly like it, but it just seems to be a victim of its own constraints and its own ideas.
Critical Mass -
This story was definitely the one with the most drama and the most intensity, but the problem there was that it’s just really cliche for Doctor Who. There is the whole Seventh Doctor giving a dramatic speech and then the people on the planet realising they shouldn’t be at war. There are small things in this story unlike some of the others where I was able to actually derive some enjoyment, Ace features very heavily and her characterisation is just as lovable as she is on TV. I was able to fix in on that and actually take away something that really did engage me, so I was glad there. The Seventh Doctor doesn’t really do anything apart from his usual comedic presence and then sudden spurts of drama, but the side characters are just generic war council people. The balance of comedy and drama is very 1980s Doctor Who so that really did just ultimately pin it as textbook formulaic and with nothing particularly of note or even any kind of originality. Having only listened to this set yesterday I still can’t even remember what the actual threat was of the story, I just remember the aggrandising speech and Ace being lovely. That means even in my dismissive and forgetful take on the story there is something to not like and still something to like. That does seem that was a positive at least, and that is always great.
Letting Go -
I think this story was really undercut by the fact that it tried too hard to go for slight bits of comedy with the whole portrayal of an alien world and their customs. That is because at the core of the story there is something rather beautiful, the idea of the Doctor stopping his adventures to actually face up to the fact that somebody died helping him and being with the family of that person who died saving others. There is such a lovely and emotional aspect to that and those scenes are really well done. They are full of description and emotion but they’re so scarce because there’s just so much stuff about how weird alien culture is, and how they do things differently. This wasn’t really an Eighth Doctor story, It’s more about Charlie wanting to see them because obviously the companion is the one who provides the emotional and the compassionate aspect. The doctor is usually more about the drama and saving the world so those are nice parallels to be drawn. That makes this a nice unique story to be told, it just seemed to have been told in a rather confusing and mixed way. I don’t think that it came across as well as it could’ve but I think that maybe dropping the comedy could’ve made this an iconic short trip. The best stories are always the ones that focus on emotional depth rather than how cool and different alien worlds are and how weird their rituals are, so unfortunately did focus on the wrong thing somewhat.
Overall -
If I was to compress this set and reflect upon it as a boxset as opposed to individual stories, I would have to say that it was okay and I can’t really say more than that. It wasn’t brilliant. It wasn’t unbearable. It was just okay. I don’t think I’d listen to a good 80% of it ever again unless in marathons of different ranges such as the short trips or certain characters, but there were nice little elements in every story even if some of them were undercut or overlooked. That made this is a decent set and the fact that I picked this up for dirt cheap as it was on sale does make me thankful. Mostly that I didn’t get it for full price because I do not think this one was worth £15. The short trips are often a mixed affair and these stories really do highlight what I mean by that. You can go from one story that’s overtly comedic to another that is bombastically dramatic, and I think unless listened to in seclusion; you can get rather severe tonal whiplash. Perhaps listen to this one in chunks and you’ll enjoy it a fair bit more.
1963 was not a very plot heavy story. As the longest of the Short Trips in this set, it did seem like this story had the chance to tell a significant narrative; the story seemed instead, to go in more of a poetic direction. The lack of clear narrative did hamper my enjoyment somewhat, but there was the fact that I was able to visualise these moments of poetic description rather vividly. This meant that I did quite enjoy a significant amount of this short story. There’s not much characterisation because the characters don’t really get a lot to do and frankly there isn’t much dialogue, but if you put that to one side and instead focus on the imagery; and the way that time is almost treated like a piece of art in this setting, it really does give you something to enjoy. As probably the strongest story in the set I do think that that’s why I liked it but it didn’t really offer much to get too attached to, so there is that caveat. Thankfully it wasn’t too long, which stopped any potential for becoming tedious and overdrawn, allowing there to be something to focus on and love in this story which is great.
The Way Forward -
Personally I think this story was a little bit of a mess. The cool concept is really typical Doctor Who, somebody messes around with time there are repercussions, then doctor has to deal with it. There seemed to be some sort of embedded moral lesson here but it doesn’t really scan when nothing comes of it. It’s just someone making really stupid decisions and a significant amount of confusing events occurring. The Doctor seems to just fix things with the press of a button, and for a short story that is only about 16 minutes long, the necessity of an ex machina didn’t seem particularly undeserved. It did really detract from any potential artistic ideas though. This story could’ve been very differently as there was no nuanced take on time travel; there was no unique perspective demonstrated, it was just somebody messing around with time and then Victoria being a bit aghast about it. Much like the first story in this set the characters don’t get much to do and there is a surprisingly very little dialogue. All the exposition in this story is about two lines each and that didn’t exactly help to make clear what was happening given the repercussions of the time travel were a little different to what usually happens in Doctor Who. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was confusing but it was just a little bit silly. I think that some listeners who would struggle to grasp with the ideas, would be left really bewildered by what happened and not in a delightful way.
Walls Of Confinement -
Although there is more to this story, the main takeaway I had of this one was the really unsubtle metaphor. I mean the parallels between the Doctors exile on Earth, and a lion being trapped in a zoo is beyond self evident; yet still somehow there was quite a lot of the runtime afforded to poetic descriptions of the ideas of being trapped and out of your own environment. Although that is a very interesting take on the idea, it is ultimately just the doctor at a zoo, so it’s hardly going to be something excellent like Genesis of the Daleks. When that’s what your entire story is, it’s annoying that a lot of the things that occur of any dramatic note are only suspenseful; or to put it more accurately, dramatic, because of the fact that the story refuses to give you any context prior to events happening. It doesn’t feel like particularly clever storytelling when something happens of any kind of shock factor, and then is immediately okay because it turns out that something we weren’t told earlier is now just going to immediately rectify the drama of each situation. There was some nice dialogue in the story and I did love the stuff about the Brigadier and the Doctor bickering as it did give a bit more depth to their relationship, but beyond that there was not really that much to take away from this story. Liz Shaw is just more of an observer here so she doesn’t actually do anything, and there’s the stupid revelation that the child at the zoo was the doctor babysitting; which is hardly the most exciting thing in the world so there was not so much to be gripped by here.
Chain Reaction -
For some reason this story was the one that I really didn’t care for in the set. By that I mean some of the other stories were a bit derivative, but it’s the fact that this one was so uninteresting that put me off. It’s just one simple idea of cause effect that is perpetuated for, thankfully no longer than about 15 minutes, that really just drag and make the story so uninteresting. The doctor tosses a coin and all these events happen because of that fact, so what we’re faced with is a description of random ordinary people doing not particularly unordinary things from the result of that. Of course it’s a metaphor for the greater idea of the domino effect and there are the moments of the doctor describing that is effectively chaos theory, but else-wise just a sort of unsubtle science lesson. This isn’t really much of a story, let alone is it particularly engaging. There is that quaint charm where the Doctor’s just relaxing and doing a silly science experiment, but that was slightly wasted on me because I just felt like this story didn’t do anything significant; in either narrative or in character progression purposes.
Sock Pig -
If I’m being rather crass in my description of this story it would mostly be because I thought it was kind of stupid. Big Finish did literally do a full length story with the Fifth Doctor about inanimate objects, a sort of teddy bear coming to life and being evil but in this case, it’s more about the little girl and the Doctor. He is engaging with her because she is attached to what he is, in her eyes, killing. I mean there’s obviously that metaphor for the comparison of youth to the perspective of adulthood, and the parallels drawn between the adults perspective and the child’s was nice, but ultimately nothing comes of it. This is probably the second most dramatic of the stories in this set and still I felt like there was no drama or stakes. It is established rather early on that there is no risk to anybody here apart from the Doctor going ‘Oh this could be dangerous’ so there isn’t really any suspense. It’s more just the Doctor trying to comfort a child and kill a teddy bear. That is a rather crass description, however I feel a little bit less of an idiot when I describe the story with such simplicity; given what I have described is the entire sum of the story. The story seem to have the most characterisation of a Doctor, again probably second only to the penultimate story in the set. Here it is the charm of the Fifth Doctor and it doesn’t really go anywhere due to the story being so easily resolved and suddenly ending.
The Doctor’s Coat -
This story was ludicrously short, I mean 13 minutes is insanely short. Of course these short trips are never too long but this was just silly. Given that the entire narrative is the doctor loses his coat, confronts a teenage alien about it and then the doctors sympathetic to the alien; I wasn’t exactly expecting something gritty or dark. The problem is there isn’t really much done here. There isn’t any kind of action or drama, or comedy which is ironic given I think that this story really is going for a more comedic feel. There are the jokes about how salt is the currency on this planet and the Doctor is just lounging around on the beach, but I think there’s a little message about however far you are in the cosmos teenagers are always going to be the same. Still it didn’t actually go anywhere and was over before you know it. I mean how are you supposed to get any kind of perception of storytelling when the story being told is the length of about one page of a book? I’m not saying that I wish the story was longer because I don’t particularly like it, but it just seems to be a victim of its own constraints and its own ideas.
Critical Mass -
This story was definitely the one with the most drama and the most intensity, but the problem there was that it’s just really cliche for Doctor Who. There is the whole Seventh Doctor giving a dramatic speech and then the people on the planet realising they shouldn’t be at war. There are small things in this story unlike some of the others where I was able to actually derive some enjoyment, Ace features very heavily and her characterisation is just as lovable as she is on TV. I was able to fix in on that and actually take away something that really did engage me, so I was glad there. The Seventh Doctor doesn’t really do anything apart from his usual comedic presence and then sudden spurts of drama, but the side characters are just generic war council people. The balance of comedy and drama is very 1980s Doctor Who so that really did just ultimately pin it as textbook formulaic and with nothing particularly of note or even any kind of originality. Having only listened to this set yesterday I still can’t even remember what the actual threat was of the story, I just remember the aggrandising speech and Ace being lovely. That means even in my dismissive and forgetful take on the story there is something to not like and still something to like. That does seem that was a positive at least, and that is always great.
Letting Go -
I think this story was really undercut by the fact that it tried too hard to go for slight bits of comedy with the whole portrayal of an alien world and their customs. That is because at the core of the story there is something rather beautiful, the idea of the Doctor stopping his adventures to actually face up to the fact that somebody died helping him and being with the family of that person who died saving others. There is such a lovely and emotional aspect to that and those scenes are really well done. They are full of description and emotion but they’re so scarce because there’s just so much stuff about how weird alien culture is, and how they do things differently. This wasn’t really an Eighth Doctor story, It’s more about Charlie wanting to see them because obviously the companion is the one who provides the emotional and the compassionate aspect. The doctor is usually more about the drama and saving the world so those are nice parallels to be drawn. That makes this a nice unique story to be told, it just seemed to have been told in a rather confusing and mixed way. I don’t think that it came across as well as it could’ve but I think that maybe dropping the comedy could’ve made this an iconic short trip. The best stories are always the ones that focus on emotional depth rather than how cool and different alien worlds are and how weird their rituals are, so unfortunately did focus on the wrong thing somewhat.
Overall -
If I was to compress this set and reflect upon it as a boxset as opposed to individual stories, I would have to say that it was okay and I can’t really say more than that. It wasn’t brilliant. It wasn’t unbearable. It was just okay. I don’t think I’d listen to a good 80% of it ever again unless in marathons of different ranges such as the short trips or certain characters, but there were nice little elements in every story even if some of them were undercut or overlooked. That made this is a decent set and the fact that I picked this up for dirt cheap as it was on sale does make me thankful. Mostly that I didn’t get it for full price because I do not think this one was worth £15. The short trips are often a mixed affair and these stories really do highlight what I mean by that. You can go from one story that’s overtly comedic to another that is bombastically dramatic, and I think unless listened to in seclusion; you can get rather severe tonal whiplash. Perhaps listen to this one in chunks and you’ll enjoy it a fair bit more.
November 6, 2018
This was another fine volume, but I'd still like more voices within each story. I guess that desire will keep on affecting how I rate these. The First Doctor story is probably my favorite of the bunch.
February 6, 2024
I'm actually going to go story by story for this one:
1963
I’m a sucker for stuff with Ian and Barbara that relates them back to the historical context of the 60s - especially appreciated the stuff about the Cuban Missile Crisis, plus it's just always a pleasure to get Barbara-centric things generally. Also shoutout to Barbara’s gay aunt reading The Price Of Salt in public, she rules.
The Way Forward
Jaunty kid-meets-Doctor story that gets briefly kinda horrifying before that’s dropped abruptly. I love Victoria but she doesn’t really need to be here (and is weirdly tactile about stroking a 15 y/o boy’s hair? You’d think especially early on she wouldn’t really deem it proper). It’s mainly just the Doctor needing someone to play off so surely it would make more sense to have Jamie, who is inexplicably absent.
Walls of Confinement
I loved the way this used the tiger as both a story element and a symbolic representation of the Doctor’s own captivity; there’s this fairly light plot that nevertheless has a sincere emotional weight to it (the Brigadier’s motivations) and which paved the way for a bittersweet ending which made the piece for me. Liz doesn’t do much but feels more necessary than Victoria did because the ending feels like it’s predicated on their relationship and the comparative closeness he feels for her at this point in his run.
Chain Reaction
Not my fave, but there’s something I find satisfying about this sort of cause and effect story (see also: last volume's Sixth Doctor story).
Sock Pig
Very sweet, actually. I love the Doctor becoming an accidental grief counsellor, and I love that the resolution is ever so slightly out of the ordinary.
The Doctor’s Coat
I find anything to do with the Sixth Doctor and his coat innately endearing. Love that it expands to a more serious meditation about his life at the end without feeling like it’s taken a flying leap from the starting point.
Critical Mass
Don’t think this does anything re: Ace and 7’s characterisation, his moral attitude, or anti-war stories that I haven’t seen before but it’s solid at all of them so it’s achieved that at least.
Letting Go
What a depressing implication this one’s ending has! It’s very effective as a short story in that sense because it recontextualises everything that went before it and makes it Way more grim.
1963
I’m a sucker for stuff with Ian and Barbara that relates them back to the historical context of the 60s - especially appreciated the stuff about the Cuban Missile Crisis, plus it's just always a pleasure to get Barbara-centric things generally. Also shoutout to Barbara’s gay aunt reading The Price Of Salt in public, she rules.
The Way Forward
Jaunty kid-meets-Doctor story that gets briefly kinda horrifying before that’s dropped abruptly. I love Victoria but she doesn’t really need to be here (and is weirdly tactile about stroking a 15 y/o boy’s hair? You’d think especially early on she wouldn’t really deem it proper). It’s mainly just the Doctor needing someone to play off so surely it would make more sense to have Jamie, who is inexplicably absent.
Walls of Confinement
I loved the way this used the tiger as both a story element and a symbolic representation of the Doctor’s own captivity; there’s this fairly light plot that nevertheless has a sincere emotional weight to it (the Brigadier’s motivations) and which paved the way for a bittersweet ending which made the piece for me. Liz doesn’t do much but feels more necessary than Victoria did because the ending feels like it’s predicated on their relationship and the comparative closeness he feels for her at this point in his run.
Chain Reaction
Not my fave, but there’s something I find satisfying about this sort of cause and effect story (see also: last volume's Sixth Doctor story).
Sock Pig
Very sweet, actually. I love the Doctor becoming an accidental grief counsellor, and I love that the resolution is ever so slightly out of the ordinary.
The Doctor’s Coat
I find anything to do with the Sixth Doctor and his coat innately endearing. Love that it expands to a more serious meditation about his life at the end without feeling like it’s taken a flying leap from the starting point.
Critical Mass
Don’t think this does anything re: Ace and 7’s characterisation, his moral attitude, or anti-war stories that I haven’t seen before but it’s solid at all of them so it’s achieved that at least.
Letting Go
What a depressing implication this one’s ending has! It’s very effective as a short story in that sense because it recontextualises everything that went before it and makes it Way more grim.
January 18, 2021
ドクターの短編集
“1963” by Niall Boyce
ターディスでのいつも通りの朝、バーバラは朝食を食べているとドクターとヴィッキーに呼ばれる。イアンとバーバラが揃うとドクターは誇らしげに1963年の11月ロンドンに到着したという。イアンとバーバラは喜んで外に出るが、2人が目にしたのは時間は完全に停止したロンドンの姿だった。
“The Way forwards” by Steve Case
15歳のシャーマンは母親にダンスクラスに入れられるのが嫌で渋々科学展の自由研究コンテストに出場することに。シャーマンは時間の謎を解く方程式を発見し、それを発表することにする。そこへたまたま訪れたドクターとヴィクトリア。ドクターはシャーマンの方程式を見て感心し、正しい式を書き足す。すると途端にシャーマンの姿が消えてしまった。シャーマンはドクターが書き加えた式を完璧に理解し、科学展に出なくてすむよう過去を変えようとし、その結果パラドックスを生み出してしまったのだ。
“Walls of Confinement” by Lawrence Conquest
ブリゲディアと大喧嘩をしたドクターを心配するエリザベス。その頃、ドクターは動物園で虎を見つめていた。心配したエリザベスが様子を見に来ると、園内で悲鳴があがる。小さな少年がどういうわけかケージの外に出た虎に腕をくわえられ動けなくなってしまっていた。エリザベスはすぐに動物園の飼育員を呼びにいく。このままでは虎が射殺されてしまう。ドクターは少年に自分の言った通りにディバイスを起動するよう説明する。この少年は実はドクターがブリゲディアから子守を頼まれた孫アンソニーでドクターのポケットからターディスの部品をくすねていたのだ。
“Chain Reaction” by Darren Goldsmith
サラ・ジェーンを待っている間、ショッピングセンターの同じ場所、同じタイミングでコインを鳩めがけて何度も転がしてみるドクター。
“Sock Pig” by Sharon Cobb & Iain Keiller
1人暮らしの女性の元に突然ドクターが訪ねてくる。女性の家にいるアニマと呼ばれる“危険な存在”を探しているといい、家に上がり込み探し出す。すると女性が靴下で作ったブタのぬいぐるみが怯えだす。
“Doctor’s Coat” by John Bromley
ペリと別れたドクターは骨休めに惑星ソンティのカフェを訪れる。しかし暑くてコートを脱いだため、いつの間にか盗まれてしまう。コートのポケットにターディスの鍵をいれていたため、ドクターはコートを探しまわる。コートを持っていったのは気のいい若いソンタイラだった。
”Critical Mass“ by James Moran
休暇の前に、軍の極秘研究室をおとずれたドクターとエース。倉庫についた途端、男の苦しげな悲鳴が聞こえ、男が2人に向かってきたかと思うとふつりと消えてしまう。ドクターとエースは責任者のルイーズ・ライアンに会いに行く。ルイーズは大量殺戮兵器であるエンプロージョン・ディバイスが自ら稼働し、警備員を殺したという。ルイーズが心配しているのはこのまま戦闘要員が消されてしまうと戦争が続けられなくなるということだった。
“Letting go” by Simon Guerrier
チャーリーの希望で戦いで命を落としたスタンという若者の家族を訪ねることに。ドクターが最初から最後まで乗り気でないのがチャーリーには理解できなかった。しかし、後年になって、ドクターの気持ちが理解できるようになったと感じるチャーリー。
感想
Volum1よりもわかりやすく、ドクターがしっかり絡んでくるお話が多くて⭕️。
“1963” by Niall Boyce
ターディスでのいつも通りの朝、バーバラは朝食を食べているとドクターとヴィッキーに呼ばれる。イアンとバーバラが揃うとドクターは誇らしげに1963年の11月ロンドンに到着したという。イアンとバーバラは喜んで外に出るが、2人が目にしたのは時間は完全に停止したロンドンの姿だった。
“The Way forwards” by Steve Case
15歳のシャーマンは母親にダンスクラスに入れられるのが嫌で渋々科学展の自由研究コンテストに出場することに。シャーマンは時間の謎を解く方程式を発見し、それを発表することにする。そこへたまたま訪れたドクターとヴィクトリア。ドクターはシャーマンの方程式を見て感心し、正しい式を書き足す。すると途端にシャーマンの姿が消えてしまった。シャーマンはドクターが書き加えた式を完璧に理解し、科学展に出なくてすむよう過去を変えようとし、その結果パラドックスを生み出してしまったのだ。
“Walls of Confinement” by Lawrence Conquest
ブリゲディアと大喧嘩をしたドクターを心配するエリザベス。その頃、ドクターは動物園で虎を見つめていた。心配したエリザベスが様子を見に来ると、園内で悲鳴があがる。小さな少年がどういうわけかケージの外に出た虎に腕をくわえられ動けなくなってしまっていた。エリザベスはすぐに動物園の飼育員を呼びにいく。このままでは虎が射殺されてしまう。ドクターは少年に自分の言った通りにディバイスを起動するよう説明する。この少年は実はドクターがブリゲディアから子守を頼まれた孫アンソニーでドクターのポケットからターディスの部品をくすねていたのだ。
“Chain Reaction” by Darren Goldsmith
サラ・ジェーンを待っている間、ショッピングセンターの同じ場所、同じタイミングでコインを鳩めがけて何度も転がしてみるドクター。
“Sock Pig” by Sharon Cobb & Iain Keiller
1人暮らしの女性の元に突然ドクターが訪ねてくる。女性の家にいるアニマと呼ばれる“危険な存在”を探しているといい、家に上がり込み探し出す。すると女性が靴下で作ったブタのぬいぐるみが怯えだす。
“Doctor’s Coat” by John Bromley
ペリと別れたドクターは骨休めに惑星ソンティのカフェを訪れる。しかし暑くてコートを脱いだため、いつの間にか盗まれてしまう。コートのポケットにターディスの鍵をいれていたため、ドクターはコートを探しまわる。コートを持っていったのは気のいい若いソンタイラだった。
”Critical Mass“ by James Moran
休暇の前に、軍の極秘研究室をおとずれたドクターとエース。倉庫についた途端、男の苦しげな悲鳴が聞こえ、男が2人に向かってきたかと思うとふつりと消えてしまう。ドクターとエースは責任者のルイーズ・ライアンに会いに行く。ルイーズは大量殺戮兵器であるエンプロージョン・ディバイスが自ら稼働し、警備員を殺したという。ルイーズが心配しているのはこのまま戦闘要員が消されてしまうと戦争が続けられなくなるということだった。
“Letting go” by Simon Guerrier
チャーリーの希望で戦いで命を落としたスタンという若者の家族を訪ねることに。ドクターが最初から最後まで乗り気でないのがチャーリーには理解できなかった。しかし、後年になって、ドクターの気持ちが理解できるようになったと感じるチャーリー。
感想
Volum1よりもわかりやすく、ドクターがしっかり絡んでくるお話が多くて⭕️。
October 19, 2020
Another set of stories for the first eight Doctors. Barbara and her Tardis crew get stuck in a bubble of frozen 1963, and we learn that Barbara had a lesbian aunt. The second Doctor and Victoria investigate a boy who has reinvented time travel for a science fair. The Brigadier forces the third Doctor to take a break from work, and a visit to the zoo gives Liz Shaw an insight into the Doctor's feelings about being trapped on Earth. Louise Jameson reads a fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith story, where he watches a pound coin roll around on its way to destiny. Peter Davison reads a story about a depressed widow who finds a dancing horse in her home; she quite likes it but it's a sign of a serious problem. A post-Peri sixth Doctor loses his coat, but, unfortunately, finds it again. Sophie Aldred reads a seventh Doctor and Ace adventure, where they try to stop a deadly weapon from being unleashed. She often sounds like Susan Calman when she does the Doctor's voice. Charley and the eighth Doctor visit the family left behind by someone who died during an adventure. This is a more downbeat collection than the first volume, but still enjoyable, and well-read throughout, with era-appropriate incidental music.
December 31, 2020
Some thoughts:
- I can't listen to India Fisher narrate something without thinking of Masterchef.
- Katy Manning is surprisingly good at voices and accents. I find it so interesting to hear companions voicing other companions, I thought her Liz was very good and distinct from her Jo voice.
- The Fourth Doctor coming up with a convoluted chain reaction involving a pigeon and £1 coin so that he can buy a packet of jelly babies without leaving his comfy spot was very on brand and I loved it.
- However, the First Doctor story was by far my favourite. Something about the short trips and companion chronicles set during the Hartnell era just perfectly capture the setting and classic sci-fi-ness of 60s Who.
- I can't listen to India Fisher narrate something without thinking of Masterchef.
- Katy Manning is surprisingly good at voices and accents. I find it so interesting to hear companions voicing other companions, I thought her Liz was very good and distinct from her Jo voice.
- The Fourth Doctor coming up with a convoluted chain reaction involving a pigeon and £1 coin so that he can buy a packet of jelly babies without leaving his comfy spot was very on brand and I loved it.
- However, the First Doctor story was by far my favourite. Something about the short trips and companion chronicles set during the Hartnell era just perfectly capture the setting and classic sci-fi-ness of 60s Who.
January 27, 2021
Another great collection of short stories featuring the doctor and his companions!
June 23, 2021
The final story is the best one imo
July 13, 2025
For me, the Short Trips are always hit or miss. These are well performed, but not very satisfying. Especially when compared to the much better other series for Doctor Who.
December 30, 2021
1963 - A nice character piece about Barbara and Ian, and I just love William Russell's voice. The frozen London is an excellent location, and reminds me of that one episode in The Sarah Jane Adventures. 4/5
The Way Forwards - I listened to this one at about 3am before a school day as I couldn't sleep and I remember really enjoying it. I'm surprised David Troughton doesn't do more with Big Finish. 3.5/5
Walls of Confinement - Wow, this volume of Short Trips has got a pretty good track record. One thing (I can't really call it a complaint) I hear often about the Third Doctor, is that he is a Doctor quite lacking in character development, a fact that I agree with. This shows some great insight into Three's head during his time stuck on Earth. A great companion-piece to the Short Trip Landbound. 4/5
Chain Reaction - Another hit. This is the kind of antics I just expect the Fourth Doctor to get up to when he's bored. Lovely, whimsical, and perfectly encapsulates the silliness of 3.5/5
Sock Pig - I can definitely tell what this one was going for. A creature that turns inanimate objects into living creatures is a fantastic premise, and I can't really tell you where Sock Pig falls short. Maybe it's Peter Davison's narration, I don't know. 2.5/5
The Doctor's Coat - A nice little side-quest of a story. Fun whilst listening but doesn't stay with you afterwards, evident by the fact it took me a long time to remember what happened in it. 3/5
Critical Mass - This one had the same shortcomings as Sock Pig for me. I can see what it's going for, but I think Sophie Aldred really missed the mark. Sorry Soph. 2.5/5
Letting Go - When I listen to these volumes, the stories starring Eight and Charley always seem a little out of place, but that doesn't mean they're at all bad. Letting Go is a bittersweet little piece, showing the other side of the Doctor's adventures, apologizing for all those he's failed to save, and having a rather naïve Charley really comes to this story's advantage. 3.5/5
Overall, a really strong collection of stories, highlights being 1963 and Walls of Confinement. I'm really looking forwards to listening to Volume III
The Way Forwards - I listened to this one at about 3am before a school day as I couldn't sleep and I remember really enjoying it. I'm surprised David Troughton doesn't do more with Big Finish. 3.5/5
Walls of Confinement - Wow, this volume of Short Trips has got a pretty good track record. One thing (I can't really call it a complaint) I hear often about the Third Doctor, is that he is a Doctor quite lacking in character development, a fact that I agree with. This shows some great insight into Three's head during his time stuck on Earth. A great companion-piece to the Short Trip Landbound. 4/5
Chain Reaction - Another hit. This is the kind of antics I just expect the Fourth Doctor to get up to when he's bored. Lovely, whimsical, and perfectly encapsulates the silliness of 3.5/5
Sock Pig - I can definitely tell what this one was going for. A creature that turns inanimate objects into living creatures is a fantastic premise, and I can't really tell you where Sock Pig falls short. Maybe it's Peter Davison's narration, I don't know. 2.5/5
The Doctor's Coat - A nice little side-quest of a story. Fun whilst listening but doesn't stay with you afterwards, evident by the fact it took me a long time to remember what happened in it. 3/5
Critical Mass - This one had the same shortcomings as Sock Pig for me. I can see what it's going for, but I think Sophie Aldred really missed the mark. Sorry Soph. 2.5/5
Letting Go - When I listen to these volumes, the stories starring Eight and Charley always seem a little out of place, but that doesn't mean they're at all bad. Letting Go is a bittersweet little piece, showing the other side of the Doctor's adventures, apologizing for all those he's failed to save, and having a rather naïve Charley really comes to this story's advantage. 3.5/5
Overall, a really strong collection of stories, highlights being 1963 and Walls of Confinement. I'm really looking forwards to listening to Volume III
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2022
The first and eighth Doctor stories in this collection were truly excellent. I had a hard time getting into the seventh Doctor story—Sophie Aldred’s impression of Sylvester McCoy threw me a bit—and the sixth Doctor story didn’t feel right for his character, to me. Overall, however, each tale worked really well. I was surprised by the ability to present such well thought out and moving stories with such brevity.
October 5, 2023
Review by story…
1963: very interesting and weird. Honestly not sure how I feel about it. 3/5 stars
The Way Forward: the minute they named the kid “Sherman”, and said that his theory was based on the work of “Peabody”, I was sold. 4/5 stars
1963: very interesting and weird. Honestly not sure how I feel about it. 3/5 stars
The Way Forward: the minute they named the kid “Sherman”, and said that his theory was based on the work of “Peabody”, I was sold. 4/5 stars
April 26, 2023
Some of these stories are dull but some live up to the title Doctor Who. Strange listening to short stories on 1 long audio file when your used to listening to long stories with one doctor.
March 4, 2021
Letting Go - 4/5
A Star is Born - 3/5
1963 - 3/5
The Way Forwards - 2/5
Walls of Confinement - 4/5
Chain Reaction - 4/5
A Star is Born - 3/5
1963 - 3/5
The Way Forwards - 2/5
Walls of Confinement - 4/5
Chain Reaction - 4/5
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews