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Big Finish: Monthly Range #59
Doctor Who: The Roof of the World
Tibet. 1917.
It's a time of great exploration, with intrepid teams of adventurers heading blindly into uncharted territory, determined to beat inexplicable odds and overcome any challenge they encounter.
But some things are not necessarily that easy to defeat.
An ancient evil, perhaps older than time itself, is stirring deep within the heart of the Himalayas. It has always known it will return and finish off what it started so many centuries before.
But the time has to be right.
As the TARDIS materialises, with the Doctor determined to take full advantage of an invite to a cricket match, the catalyst that the dark forces need unwittingly arrives.
It's a time of great exploration, with intrepid teams of adventurers heading blindly into uncharted territory, determined to beat inexplicable odds and overcome any challenge they encounter.
But some things are not necessarily that easy to defeat.
An ancient evil, perhaps older than time itself, is stirring deep within the heart of the Himalayas. It has always known it will return and finish off what it started so many centuries before.
But the time has to be right.
As the TARDIS materialises, with the Doctor determined to take full advantage of an invite to a cricket match, the catalyst that the dark forces need unwittingly arrives.
2 pages, Audio CD
First published July 1, 2004
87 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Rigelsford
16 books5 followersAdrian Rigelsford was born in Cambridgeshire. He is a writer and long-time fan of Doctor Who and has conducted interviews for periodicals including Radio Times, Film Review, Fantasy Zone and Movies and Doctor Who Magazine. He wrote the script for The Dark Dimension, an unproduced story intended to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Doctor Who. It would have starred all the surviving Doctors.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 18, 2017
A doctor that supports Colonialism? Seriously??? Just because a Doctor likes one particular sport doesn't mean that he looses all sense of right and wrong!
And the concept of "Elder Gods" for Egypt? Because Egyptian gods aren't ancient enough? Or interesting enough?
There are one or two quite major things seriously wrong with this audio. No foreigners in Tibet in 1917 for one thing. The fact that it used Tibet as a setting without any cultural references at all, except that Colonialists from India came there. There were of course no other women besides the two companions.
One of the most interesting things was the fact that the author was arrested and served jail time for stealing photographs from a picture library and re-selling them making himself about £75,000 and he also faked interviews that were published. I paused half way through reading this one and I can't say that having discovered this I have much desire to finish this. Erimen definitely deserved a better background!
And the concept of "Elder Gods" for Egypt? Because Egyptian gods aren't ancient enough? Or interesting enough?
There are one or two quite major things seriously wrong with this audio. No foreigners in Tibet in 1917 for one thing. The fact that it used Tibet as a setting without any cultural references at all, except that Colonialists from India came there. There were of course no other women besides the two companions.
One of the most interesting things was the fact that the author was arrested and served jail time for stealing photographs from a picture library and re-selling them making himself about £75,000 and he also faked interviews that were published. I paused half way through reading this one and I can't say that having discovered this I have much desire to finish this. Erimen definitely deserved a better background!
February 9, 2020
What I liked: the overall feeling that this story belongs to the Fifth Doctor era, the further development of the mythos of the Old Ones in Doctor Who, the way Peri and Erimem had integral parts in the story, the description of the Doctor by Peri (delicious and apt!), and the final monologue of the Doctor.
What I found lacking: the Old Ones... maybe because the unknown is always scarier. But even as the visions of the Doctor and Peri as shown to Erimem, they were... disturbing but not really frightening. And they lose almost any capability to invoke fear towards the end. Which, considering the aforementioned monologue of the Doctor, is either intentional and/or ironic.
What I found lacking: the Old Ones... maybe because the unknown is always scarier. But even as the visions of the Doctor and Peri as shown to Erimem, they were... disturbing but not really frightening. And they lose almost any capability to invoke fear towards the end. Which, considering the aforementioned monologue of the Doctor, is either intentional and/or ironic.
April 19, 2018
At this point in Big Finish's chronology, each of the big four Doctors (Five through Eight) has a companion that was created by Big Finish and who has never appeared on television. In many ways these new characters are the best things about the range and the TARDIS crew for this story featuring Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor, Nicola Bryant's Peri and Big Finish creation, Erimem as played by Caroline Morris, are no exception. Giving Peri someone to mentor stretches her character in a wonderful way and adds a depth that the television series never allowed her. The team works as does the double act of Sylvester Morand's General Bruce and his chronicler John Matthews' Alan Cox.
Dealing with the legacy of colonialism was a highlight off the Fifth Doctor's televised era and this story takes it's cues from stories like "Kinda" or "Black Orchid". It also tries to take on advancing Peri and Erimem's relationship while fleshing out the ex-Pharoah's backstory.
All well and good and it clips along at a nice pace for about two and a half episodes before becoming an almost incomprehensible melange of illusions, psuedo-religeous babble and cheap science fiction gimmicks.
It should have been better than it ends up being, but it's a lot of fun, occasionally.
Dealing with the legacy of colonialism was a highlight off the Fifth Doctor's televised era and this story takes it's cues from stories like "Kinda" or "Black Orchid". It also tries to take on advancing Peri and Erimem's relationship while fleshing out the ex-Pharoah's backstory.
All well and good and it clips along at a nice pace for about two and a half episodes before becoming an almost incomprehensible melange of illusions, psuedo-religeous babble and cheap science fiction gimmicks.
It should have been better than it ends up being, but it's a lot of fun, occasionally.
March 31, 2022
The Doctor takes Peri and Erimem to experience cricket at the (literal) height of British Empire. But as ever things go awry and Erimem ends up taking a Christmas Carolesque look back at her life. Listening to all my fifth Doctor audios in a row, they've felt quite repetitive, with lots of impostor Doctors and unreal worlds. Probably wouldn't have seemed like that to the original listeners, because these would have been interleaved with other Doctors' stories. But by this point I'd really like an adventure where the actual Doctor is having a linear adventure in the real world.
April 10, 2025
Have been away from these radio dramas for a long time now and that's kinda a shame cause I really do enjoy hearing these characters again. It's a little run I've been following off these three and while this story is bit out there with its mythological it's not bad. Not great either but it was a warm welcome back to this wonderfully strange world.
Can't wait to hear more.
Can't wait to hear more.
December 22, 2022
クリケット大会に参加するためにチベットにやってきたドクター。ペリとエリメムはクリケットに入れ込むドクターにうんざりしている。しかし暗雲と共に巨大な竜巻が発生し、嵐がおさまった時にはエリメムは消えていた。
正直面白くはなかった。ペリが絶対諦めない希望を捨てないドクターに強い信念を持っているという場面はよかったけれども。
ダークディメンションなるものが30周年記念で企画されていて、その前触れエピソードという感じだったようなのだけれども。
クリケットの参加者の将軍もなんかよくわからなかった。
メモアー云々のくだりとか別に実在の人物というわけでもなかったし...
正直面白くはなかった。ペリが絶対諦めない希望を捨てないドクターに強い信念を持っているという場面はよかったけれども。
ダークディメンションなるものが30周年記念で企画されていて、その前触れエピソードという感じだったようなのだけれども。
クリケットの参加者の将軍もなんかよくわからなかった。
メモアー云々のくだりとか別に実在の人物というわけでもなかったし...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2023
I like how this one was more focused on Erimem. She really goes through it here.
December 26, 2023
I enjoyed the development between Peri and Ermimem, as well as learning more of Erimem's past.
January 28, 2024
Jeez, give Erimem a break.
June 28, 2024
This just didn't seem like the Doctor at all
April 10, 2011
I gather that this isn't one of the well-liked Big Finish stories. I can't understand why people hate it so. The Roof of the World isn't as gripping as Chimes of Midnight(for example), but it's hardly at the bottom of the list.
I continue to enjoy the 5,Erimem and Peri TEAM TARDIS. I appreciate the way Big Finish builds up their original characters without slighting old favorites. The background we learn about Erimem is intriguing, and the friendship between she and Peri continues to shine.
For these reasons, I give The Roof of the World a solid three stars.
I continue to enjoy the 5,Erimem and Peri TEAM TARDIS. I appreciate the way Big Finish builds up their original characters without slighting old favorites. The background we learn about Erimem is intriguing, and the friendship between she and Peri continues to shine.
For these reasons, I give The Roof of the World a solid three stars.
Read
April 8, 2009I actually rather liked The Roof of the World; even though the good bits are all stolen from other Doctor Who stories (apart from the nods to Lovecraft) I liked the development of Erimem's character, and Davison and Bryant got good chances to do their stuff; plus the setting was on the whole very well depicted given the audio environment. I was rather astonished to find out the back-story of the author after I did a little googling...
October 29, 2014
The Doctor brings Nyssa and Erimem to Tibet in 1917 for a cricket match. Only problem is something evil and very old is interested in Erimem. The 5th Doctors companions do get taken over quite a lot in these audios. It is nice character study piece on Erimem, so you now know exactly who she is and her background. The setting was well done and sometimes I do wish the Doctor would actually get to play cricket now and again. A good listen.
June 21, 2015
Enjoyable but inconsequential story. It doesn’t perhaps have quite enough story to justify the length but the second episode, with Erimem being psychologically tormented, is the highlight (even if it’s hugely similar to Kinda).
August 30, 2014
The Doctor and friends arrive in Tibet, 1917 and investigate an ancient evil hidden in the Himalayas.
January 21, 2016
In the location of Victorian Tibet, Erimem gets possessed by a spirit that wants her to destroy the world. The Doctor and Peri try to fight to get her back. Will the world be destroyed.
May 7, 2024
6, Peri, and Erimem continue their adventures. Some good dialog. Fair story.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews