Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles, Volume 5: Everywhere and Anywhere

The Doctor Chronicles #11.5

by Georgia Cook, Max Kashevsky, Alfie Shaw

Travelling in the TARDIS is filled with unimaginable delights. You can visit every wonder in the universe, meet the founders of a civilisation in the morning and their descendants in the afternoon. You get to witness the best of everything history has to offer. However, when you can go everywhere and anywhere, you also see the dark side of the universe. The cruelty and the hatred and the violence. The worst the universe has to offer must be fought.

That’s what the Doctor and Valarie do. They hold back the darkness, whatever the cost.

5.1 Spirit of the Season by Georgia Cook
It's a Christmas miracle! The Doctor and Valarie have finally found another Clara. Shame she wants to kill them both.

5.2 All's Fair by Max Kashevsky
Chicago's World's Fair, 1893. An ideal date for a pair of loved-up engineers.

However, there are certain things you don’t want to happen on a date. An impossible reunion derailing things. Abominations stalking the streets. Your date dying at the end...

5.3 Sins of the Flesh by Alfie Shaw
Is your child exhibiting sinful behaviour? Have they set themselves on the road of eternal damnation? Has everything you tried failed? Feel like you’re out of options?

Don't worry. We can help. Bring them to the Rebirth Organisation today. Bring them to be converted.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook

Audio CD

Published December 1, 2023

About the author

Georgia Cook is an illustrator and writer from London. You can find her work in such places as Baffling Magazine, Luna Station Quarterly, and Vastarien Lit, and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and Reflex Fiction Award, among others.
She has also written and narrated for the horror anthology podcasts 'Creepy', 'The Other Stories', and 'The Night's End'
She can be found on twitter at @georgiacooked and on her website at https://www.georgiacookwriter.com/

Reviews

[Jamie Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story 1: 4*
Story 2: 5*
Story 3: 4.5*

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Eleventh Doctor and Valerie are back and not only that but this third boxset has a story set at Christmas, the return of old friends and also some old enemies. Been excited for this set ever since it was announced. I can't wait to see the 11th Doctor against The Cybermen for possibly the last time.

Spirit of the Season:
The Doctor and Valerie are plucked out of the vortex and find themselves invited to a Christmas party hosted by a creepy little girl. They're not the only guests, however, for people have been plucked out of their individual time zones to play a deadly game set up by a sadistic creature. Not everyone will survive the night and those who do will have to deal with their past traumas.

Georgia Cook has written an incredibly clever script that is quintessentially Doctor Who. It's scary, it's fun, it's imaginative, it's heartbreaking and most of all it works wonderfully as a Christmas episode. A very creepy and emotional story that is both nightmarish and meaningful. The cast is all on fire here and the script is immaculate! 9/10

All's Fair:
Chicago's World Fair 1893, was the perfect time for a date between Valerie and Roanna. However an important and mysterious person from Valerie's future gatecrashes the party, her life is about to change forever. Abominations walk the streets and darkness lurks in the shadows. The Doctor and Valerie have a devastating future ahead of them.

Max Kashevsky has written a heartbreaking historical that is wonderfully timey-wimey. It's a story of love, it's a story of tragedy, it's a story of destiny. A beautifully written script with some very emotional scenes and an unexpected plot twist. 9/10

Sins of The Flesh:
The Rebirth Organisation has found an all-new way to make sure its children and fellow followers stay on the right path and don't find themselves on the path of temptation. The Cybermen have come up with their most diabolical plan yet and The Doctor with time running out is more angrier than ever with them.

Alfie Shaw has written arguably the most terrifying Cyberman story of them all. It's an incredibly bleak and hopeless story about homophobia, a corrupt religion, and unfortunately conversion therapy. This is a story dealing with some heavy themes and it's very dark, but Alfie manages to execute this story in a careful and well-meaning manner that's very well pieced together. This won't be an easy listen, so if you find the subject matter around this story extremely upsetting, please be careful. 10/10

Overall: 28/30

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been to long since I lasted listened to this Doctor and companion duo. Never know why the reason for that is. Been a while since I last listened to big finish in general.

SPIRIT OF THE SEASON 3/5

It feels like no time has past at all, two seconds in and everything clicks right away.

What I really like about these couple of stories is that yes, they could technically fit right after the Snowman but, and this is a big but. They’re actually quite experimental. We’re not talking like early days for Big Finish, but it feels like it’s a bizarre middle ground of what Big Finish is doing now and what they used to.

While this started off as a rather weird affair, I don’t really like how easy it was to have a happy ending for this one. Yeah, life sucks but not every time, it’s a solid message. A solid story but not a great one.

I really do wish these box sets where four stories again. I just feel 3 is just to little.

ALL’S FAIR 4/5

Is it a good idea to listen to all of these without a moment’s break to process the previous story? Probably not but I’m in the mood for this.

You would think that more people in the Doctor Who universe would attempt to use time travel to murder people JFK style. Always funny when a time travel murder happens, sure this one doesn’t succeed but it’s the idea what counts.

There is a second where the Doctor thinks that the Master is behind things and man it would’ve been so wonderful to have an Eleven / Master story, yeah, yeah, the Master is overused bla, bla this would’ve been great, not this story but in another story. I’m rambling.

This story goes quite deep, one should never know too much about one’s future.

I do think the ending overstays it’s welcome by about ten whole minutes, like it feels like the story is over and then it’s just the characters processing stuff which is great but too much of it is just people in a circle shaking hands and agreeing with another.


SINS OF THE FLESH 3/5

I don’t like constantly comparing things but after watching the show again in a bit of a random order man. The difference between Big Finish and the show is shown in the best with the way one handles the Cyberman. Let’s be honest here it’s no competition. When is the last time that the show had an actual good Cyberman story? Yeah, let’s think about that for a bit and be sad about.

Has there ever been a story where the people want to be converted and the Doctor and or Companion unable to stop them from being upgraded? Possibly, not sure but this is cool I like.

Story feels a bit light on the plot. Think it covers a lot of the same ground that that one story in the War Master Volume 1 set did. Which is a bloody great story.

The concept of the Cyberman being seen as a religion is one that’s been flown around for a good few years now, think I saw talk of one a good 7 years back on some fan sites, doesn’t matter.

This story doesn’t really do anything remotely interesting with that concept. It has this message of the like yeah, it’s just like religion because being gay is evil which is bad so the cyberman are evil!!

Like it’s what everybody already thinks isn’t it? Nothing is changed, nothing new is learned it just feels meh.

This isn’t gonna be on the top ten Cyberman stories list, doubt it will even reach the top thirty if I’m being honest here.

It feels like for me at least that this set wasn’t as great as the one before.

Having said all that being a bit negative of a fellow this time around.

Eleven and Valerie are so much fun together! Love their dynamic together and quite sad that the set after this will be their last one. Shame about that.

God hearing the Doctor talking about the Ponds is literally pulling at my heartstrings, it always make me tear up a bit.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new set of adventures with cyborg girl Valarie and the 11th Doctor.

First story- Spirit of the Season:
This reminded me a lot of the TV episode with the Minotaur and the ventriloquist dummies. Even down to the theme of the entity feeding on some kind of emotion.
Well performed, and parts of it were pretty emotional and tragic. Valarie is really put through a lot!
However, I found the villain slightly annoying.

All's Fair- Well, I will be honest, I found this story pretty confusing and was lost half-way through. I admit, I did not have my full attention to it, however.
All I took away from it was a bit of a timey-whimey run-around, where people die (or not?).
I think I have to listen to this again with more attention to it, to cast a final judgement.

Sins of the Flesh-
well, critisism out of the way first- I thought the metaphor of "curing" gay people by having them go though a religious cult conversion was very much on the nose. Some people might like this, but it is not my cup of tea. I am a bit tired of the "religious people are retards" card. And yes, I am aware of some extreme cases in the US- maybe this was meant to emulate that.
Right, that out of the way, the performances were great.
It is a well paced Cyberman story, but apart from the "healing gay people conversion" there is not much original about it, it plays out as the usual Cyberman story.

Concluding remarks on this set:
For me, this set was just good average, sadly.
None of the stories really thrilled me.
The performances of the leads however were excellent!

The best about this run of stories is indeed Valarie and her relationship with the Doctor. Her character and the banter (and serious discussions!) is what really makes this Tardis team work for me.
Even if these stories here were nothing to write home about for me, at least Valarie made up for it.
They should find a way to somehow keep Valarie on board with BF. They made it possible for Charley to pop up everywhere, and even Liv has shown her face in several places. There is to hope that Valarie has some more life beyond this series.

[ava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series 7V Xmas Special: Spirit of the Season - 4.5/5

A psychological horror story set during the festive season! Loved this ep and its exploration of the Doctor and Valarie’s guilt and fear. The image of the Tardis console room filled with the skulls of the Doctor’s former companions/friends is a haunting one, if rather cliché, but it works well enough (greatly appreciated Rory having multiple skulls, I love morbid humour about how many times Rory died 😭). Valarie’s storyline is the emotional core, however. She finally gets to say goodbye to her mother and is encouraged by her to pursue her relationship with Roanna further 🥹.

7V.8 All’s Fair - 3/5

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this story if I’m being honest. Valarie and Roanna go on their first date and it ends with future Valarie’s death and the reveal that she falls in love with a man called Hayden?? There’s also mutant monsters consuming energy?? And Arabella Hendricks is back, confirming that she and her mysterious partner want to kill the Daleks??? Yeah, there’s A LOT going on. Because this is such an arc-heavy story I think my ultimate feelings on this will depend on how this series ends. I’m not sure how I feel about the foreknowledge of where Valarie’s story ends up but hopefully I’ll be satisfied with how it plays out. Despite my reservations for the story itself, there are many great character moments and conversations in this which I loved and appreciated.

7V.9 Sins of the Flesh - 4.5/5

Cybermen are my favourite Dr Who villains so I was really excited for this story and it did not disappoint! This episode uses the Cybermen in a very unique way and shows them at their most cruel and strategic. By capitalising on people’s homophobia, the Cybermen help set up a conversion therapy centre to convert more people. It’s a horrifying concept for the Cybermen just as it’s a horrifying practice in real life. I also loved (hated) hearing the Doctor talk to Valarie about Amy and Rory 🥺.

Overall: A solid 4/5 stars. Really liked this set and it takes the story in an interesting direction.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.1 Spirit of the Season 4.5/5
This is an excellent start to the third Eleven & Valarie box set. The plot is essentially a better version of The God Complex. The dangers and themes that are explored fit right in where the characters are, both within the Eleven & Valarie series, and the Eleventh Doctor series as a whole. The cast does a fantastic job all around, every actor has their own moment to shine. All the emotional beats are met, or exceeded. This release is another reason that this has become, for me, one of the best things Big Finish have released.

5.2 All's Fair 4/5
A very good, middle entry, in the third Eleven & Valarie box set. The plot is a wibbly wobbly tale that has an interesting concept. The ideas expressed worked well for me, as well as the emotional beats. The only downside is that by the end I had to take a minute to sort it out in my head. This isn't an original concept, they even lamp shade that, but, for me, it has been done better elsewhere with less ambiguity. It makes sense, but it took me a minute to catch up. The voice acting is on point again, with everyone getting a chance to really show their range. This is a very good story that, by the sounds of it, sets up the rest of the series as a whole.

5.3 Sins of the Flesh 5/5
This is an excellent, almost perfect, ending to the third Eleven & Valarie box set. The plot is exceptional, and different from what I've experienced before when it comes to Cybermen. The machinations are very different from what has been portrayed before. The world building, and how it is put across to the listener, is beyond exceptional. There is a well realised imaginative edge to this one. The voice acting is magnificent as usual, with a special shout out to guest actress Alexandra D'Sa who gives a stellar performance. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, this one spoke to me on so many levels. I would highly recommend this story, and box set as a whole.

[Sam Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.1 Spirit of the Season by Georgia Cook
The story is about an evil entity which feeds on human misery. It traps people in memories that bring them pain. This results in great drama among all the characters, and we also get some insight into the character of the Doctor.

5.2 All’s Fair by Max Kachevsky
Valarie is on a date with Roanna at the world’s fair, and a man comes along claiming to be her husband. This results in some drama, of course. Another interesting thing about this story is how we learn about the Doctor.

5.3 Sins of the Flesh
This is the story I was most excited for. It’s about Cybermen promising children that they will be cured of their sins. “Sins” being that they are gay. That is not a real sin, but since the families of these children hate them for it, they think that it is, and so they agree to being converted anyway. The story deals with heavy subject matter, but does it quite well, because the real villains of the story are the parents who sent their kids to be converted, and they have no idea what they have really done. There is a great scene where a parent realizes what he has done, and the Doctor gives him a chance to become a better person. It’s quite a sad story, especially since it conveys problems that are very relevant in todays world.

[Thomas Sherlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This arc continues to be the best of Big Finish right now. It genuinely feels like a distillation of the best parts of Steven Moffat’s approach to Who. All’s Fair is the key turning point here and I can’t even begin to discuss how without spoilers. Under Alfie Shaw’s direction, this team is really crafting an excellent mini era.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first story was pretty good, if a bit messy sometimes. The second story was fantastic and emotional, but the third story was totally brilliant. Cybermen conversion as conversion therapy. Both a great and terrible idea.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but kind of a sad set of stories.

[Joseph S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the best contemporary cyberman story to date.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a slay doing a gay conversion camp cyberman story.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really good set. Interesting stuff one with Valerie. And nice to hear the creative team did sensitivity research when dealing with the homophobia issues the third story touches on.

[Zélicoptère · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purée, le run Valéria/11 est probablement le plus frais en termes d'originalité des histoires et des concepts mais aussi le plus rude pour mon petit cœur, hâte d'être encore plus traumatisé dans le dernier volume.

[Drew · Rating 1 out of 5]

BF's legendary obsession with inserting lesbians into every release gets turned to 11 here. We're well beyond parody now. Valarie's most obvious character traits: anger and hate. This does not make for a character who I am going to care much about. And I find I don't. Big Finish is now little more than a delivery system for "The Message," and I am exhausted by it.

The last episode in particular is a nasty, bigoted piece of garbage. BF frequently gets preachy, but "Sins of the Flesh" is the preachiest Doctor Who episode ever. It isn't even just BF's usual "yay homos!" message. Now BF directly attacks the church. Ironically, right after Valarie finishes one of her angry preachy sermons, she has the chutzpah to tell someone else they're being preachy. Shame on Alfie Shaw. But at least now I know whose episodes I can skip knowing in advance that they're going to be bigoted crap.