Doctor Who: Phobos

The Eighth Doctor Adventures #1.5

by Eddie Robson, Paul McGann (Narrator), Sheridan Smith (Narrator)

The TARDIS lands on Phobos, moon of Mars - where extreme sports nuts of the future indulge their passion for gravity-boarding and wormhole-jumping. But there's something lurking in the shadows, something infinitely old and infinitely dangerous. It's not for nothing that 'Phobos' is the ancient word for 'fear'...

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Fiction, Action, Science Fiction Fantasy

Audio CD

First published May 30, 2007

About the author

Eddie Robson is a comedy and science fiction writer best known for his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully and his work on a variety of spin-offs from the BBC Television series Doctor Who. He has written books, comics and short stories, and has worked as a freelance journalist for various science fiction magazines. He is married to a female academic and lives in Lancaster.

Robson's comedy writing career began in 2008 with material for Look Away Now. Since then his work has featured on That Mitchell and Webb Sound, Tilt, Play and Record, Newsjack, Recorded For Training Purposes and The Headset Set. The pilot episode of his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 5th July 2012. It starred Katherine Parkinson and Julian Rhind-Tutt.

His Doctor Who work includes the BBC 7 radio plays Phobos, Human Resources and Grand Theft Cosmos, the CD releases Memory Lane, The Condemned, The Raincloud Man and The Eight Truths, and several short stories for Big Finish's Doctor Who anthologies, Short Trips. He has contributed comic strips to Doctor Who Adventures.

Between 2007 and 2009, Robson was the producer of Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of products, and has contributed four audio plays to the series. He has also written books on film noir and the Coen Brothers for Virgin Publishing, the Doctor Who episode guide Who's Next with co-authors Mark Clapham and Jim Smith, and an illustrated adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10
Verdict: Optional

Thought I would hate this going in, and there are things to dislike here, but ended up enjoying some aspects. The racism subplot is pretty dumb but innocent enough. The Scooby Doo plot was pretty irritating throughout, even with the twist at the end. Actually quite liked the setting throughout as well. The ending felt really rushed though, and while it touches some interesting points, it's still a bit iffy overall.

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

2018 52 Book Challenge - 26) A Book Recommended By A Friend

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I love the relationship developing between the Doctor and Lucie, and I think that the both of them are narrated brilliantly. The plot itself was a bit cheesy, but still enjoyable. It was really good.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting DW story. I enjoyed the setting and thought the plot was interesting. Look forward to more in the series.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Doctor and Lucie land on Phobos, the moon of mars, which has become popular with extreme sports fans in the future, due to a wormhole  on the surface which is used for bungeejumping. The Doctor and Lucie listen to Kai Tobias's stories of monsters on the surface, although no-one takes him seriously. Later the monsters from Tobias's stories appear and begin attacking visitors. When The Doctor discovers that the monsters are just robots, Tobias reveals that an entity from another universe is in the wormhole and that it feeds on the pleasurable fear extreme sports fans feel.

It's ok not great looking forward to the next adventure

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Who adventure that ticks all the right boxes.
There is one corny line from the villain at the end, which was a groaner, but otherwise, all good!

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 *

"You're scarier than the monsters." Lucie to the Doctor.

Where the god of fear meets the Doctor and is terrified of him. Great dark Doctor moments in this.

[Cthonus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly less than the sum of its parts.

Taken individually the strands of the this murder mystery are strong: a well-defined location, disparate characters. strange goings on... Yet despite the first rate appearances of Nerys Hughes and Timothy West (or maybe because they're the strongest things here) it never quite gels into a compelling whole.

There's a whole subtext of gay man loves best mate running through it but with a massive unreveal at the end. Maybe it was a bit more radical back in 2007 but now it just seems like a cop-out.

Still it is an enjoyable romp if not entirely memorable.

[Nicholas Whyte]

On Phobos, the Doctor and Lucie find themselves in a leisure resort on the eponymous Martian moon, where there are peculiar things afoot. It turns out to be a bit of a mess of aliens, robots and conspiring humans, with Big Name Actors such as Nerys Hughes and Timothy West. It gets unpacked more or less convincingly, with a couple of lucky escapes and fortunate coincidences. Wikipedia sees links with The Fearmonger and The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit; it reminded me more of The Leisure Hive.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one despite the idea of extreme sports. There was a girl married to a giant monster, a gay couple, a mad old man, beings from another dimension. It was a different story and good to revisit the first series version of Lucie Miller again. She seemed much tougher and funnier. I also liked the scary doctor at the end. In many ways this felt the closest to a "new who" episode of any of the BF audios I've heard.

6 years later and I liked it even more.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was FUN, if not necessarily good? I'd have liked this a bit more if there was a crossover with the Xander Cage movies.

[Hasselhh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a let down. The plot felt like there was something missing somehow, like it just jumped ahead to get to the action before the time ran out.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was all right

[Melody Soundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Creative And Thrilling Adventure That Perfectly Explores Fear And How The Doctor's Mind Works When It Comes To Fear.

Another amazing entry in the 8th Doctor Adventures Range. Phobos is adventurous, mysterious as well as dark in the way it explores fear. Really love how complex and creative it is. Whilst giving us old threats we know from the series, this story gives a very mystical and creepy enemy. Once again I am mind blown, Phobos took many twists and turns I just didn't really expect.

The only thing that spoiled my enjoyment a bit was the pacing. It had so much payoff but dragged a lot. The build up took too long and I don't know it felt too slow paced for me, I was just waiting for the action to happen every time somebody was attacked. Apart from that though I really did enjoyed it.

There's so many things I could praise about this story including the heavily stacked cast that all gave amazing performances but here's a few things that stood out to me.

First the music. I've listened to quite a few stories but this is the best music I've heard so far. Andy Hardwick did an absolutely brilliant job making the music so atmospheric and mystical. The composition seriously rocked. Every piece beautifully matched the aesthetic of each scene. The best theme had to be the motif that played anytime the mysterious phobians were mentioned. Doctor Who is a hard thing to compose due to how unique every story is but Big Finish have handled it really well. The best part of sci-fi music is when it matches the atmsophere and tensity of the scene and Phobos does that perfectly. From its chilling and thrilling moments to its lighthearted fun moments, it's all composed perfectly in the right way that brings out the right emotions. If there's anything you want to get out of the story, listen deeply and closer to the music.

Secondly the twists and turns. Again this is another story that throws you in another direction when you think it's going elsewhere. Similar to Blood Of The Daleks this story has you guessing at every turn what might happen and what's really going on. It plays to some really dark themes and becomes instantly unpredictable as each minute passes. A good story often steers away from what's expected of it and builds a narrative that leaves you mind blown. The twists in this really allowed for Paul MacGann to shine and show off his Doctors darker side eloquently. All of the resolution is teased throughout the story but it comes as a massive shock to the point even Lucie is now doubtful about The Doctor and his character. It creates an interesting Doctor, Companion dynamic for the rest of this series of adventures.

Finally the creativity and inventiveness. I love how fresh this story feels from a typical doctor who story you'd get. It shows just how experimental Big Finish are and how willing they are to explore new concepts. Immortal Beloved perfectly showed the darkside of cloning whilst Phobos shows how powerful Fear is and how it has shaped The Doctor in his long life. It reminds me a bit of the Rings Of Akhaten even though this was done much earlier. It's nice that through the media of audio we get to listen to monsters more physiologically disturbing and mind bending. I also think the setting and whole concept of Phobos seems unoriginal being a holiday destination and all until you peel back the layers and discover the conflicts our side characters are facing. I hope other Big Finish Stories have this creativity and embrace being an exclusively audio medium like this one did.

Overall another fun and intriguing entry in the first series of the 8th Doctor Adventures. It really twisted from your conventional monster on the loose killing tourists story. The side characters were brilliant and Lucie and The Doctor got a whole lot to do here too, both shinning in their own ways. I heavily recommend this one as it's absolutely worth the listen.

The first series of the 8th Doctor Adventures are on Spotify for free. Definitely recommend giving it a try if your a whovian and have an account.

Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phobos took me slightly longer to get into than the previous 8th Doctor adventures, because at least to start with it jumps about a bit between various sets of characters, and is a completely alien setting; but don't let that put you off because this is another cracking story. Its set on Mars' moon Phobos in a leisure resort for 'Drenies' adrenalin junkies - We have the Doctor and Lucie Miller, Old man Kai and his girlfriend Eris who seem to run the place, Amy and Fahl a pair of lovers in hiding because Fahl's species object to interspecies marriage, and a couple of 'Drenies' Drew and his crush Hayden. There's a mysterious monster attacking the tourists - but when the Doctor unmasks the monster and it's manipulator something far darker is revealed.

The voice cast are fantastic on this. Sheridan Smith goes without saying - I love her portrayal of Lucie and she's such a wonderful contrast to McGann's slightly serious take on the Doctor. Timothy West and Nerys Hughes play the old couple and are both brilliant - but the other two couples are equally as engaging. Really good characters in this one - The Doctor and Lucie are actually overshadowed by the guest cast for a fair bit of this. However the Doctor comes into his own in the end, I love stories that touch on the Doctor's darker side and I thought this did a very good job on that front.

So big thumbs up from me - This embraces the show's LTBT fanbase; the subtle relationship with Drew and Hayden is quite sweet. It shows off the Doctor's dark side. It has really interesting and well developed supporting characters. I liked the weaving in of the Classical myth of Phobos, and this has a cool and interesting setting.

On the down side it is a tiny bit choppy, and it isn't particularly 'who'-y until the end; it doesn't feature any classic Who monsters or mythos. Otherwise though, I thought this was great.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

#langolobigfinish
L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “PHOBOS” (The Eighth Doctor Adventures 1.5)

Scritto da EDDIE ROBSON.
Con PAUL McGANN, SHERIDAN SMITH, TIMOTHY WEST, NERIS HUGES e BEN SILVERSTONE.

Il Tardis atterra su Phobos, luna di Marte, dove i fanatici degli sport estremi del futuro assecondano la loro passione per il gravity-boarding e il wormhole-jumping. Ma c'è qualcosa in agguato nell'ombra, qualcosa di infinitamente vecchio e infinitamente pericoloso. Non per niente "Phobos" è l'antica parola per "paura"...

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Un altro episodio tradizionale in cui il Dottore e Lucie devono salvare un gruppo di amanti dell'adrenalina da una serie di mostri che hanno già mietuto alcune vittime. Ma oltre alla solita caccia al mostro c'è anche qualcosa di più nascosto che dà alla storia uno spessore in più e che per certi versi ha alcune cose in comune con The Satan's Pit.
Ho apprezzato che Lucie stia diventando più autonoma e intraprendente, anche a costo di correre rischi stupidi. Ancora però non è stato esplorato il suo background e al momento non sappiamo molto al suo riguardo, se non che c'è qualcuno sulle sue tracce.
Il Dottore ha delle scene ottime che lasciano un po' trapelare il suo lato oscuro e le sue paure. Niente di eccessivo, ma ricorda un po' di più i temi della serie nuova, senza tuttavia portare l'Ottavo troppo oltre.
I personaggi secondari sono abbastanza generici, anche se per alcuni si può provare simpatia. Piacevoli da ascoltare sul momento ma dimenticabili. Così come l'episodio in sé, che anche se non ha particolari difetti e riesce nel suo intento di intrattenere, non lascia molto dopo l'ascolto.

[William Vaudin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is by far the most by the numbers Eighth Doctor story I’ve ever listened to. I’d say that this is just a bunch on cliches from the Tom Baker era, but this audio would be too lazy even for the Tom Baker era. There’s just too much of this one that’s hackneyed and uninspired, killed robots, mysterious places, evil gods returning, there’s nothing new here. Maybe if it was a companion’s first story it might have been excusable, but this was audio five in the first series of the Eighth Doctor audio adventures series with Lucie Miller. The only new think that’s here is the Wookey like alien married to a human woman, that’s it. There is no reason to listen to this and the only reason I “did” listen to it was because my Mum got it in a bundle. I guess the only good thing about it is that I didn’t have to pay full price for it. This one isn’t awful, but it “is” a complete waist of time.

[H.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty enjoyable. I wish there was more closure on the two characters at the end. Also, I like the twist that someone is after Lucie.
Even though Eight and Lucie bicker a lot, this story finally got some headway with their growing relationship. Lucie begins to realize that the Doctor might be scarier than he appears, and the Doctor is starting to be protective of her even though they do not seem to get along much. I like this dynamic. As for this story, I liked the concept of it even if it's a bit of an overused Sci-fi trope. Fear monsters? Not like we haven't seen that in Doctor Who before. I do like the element of the adrenaline junkies though on one of Mars's moons. Pretty enjoyable audio play.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

未来の火星の月に到着したターディス。行き先のしれぬワームホールでバンジージャンプを楽しむなどスリルをもとめるツーリストで賑わっていた。ワームホールに飛び込むとモンスターに襲われるという噂を誰も信じていなかったが犠牲者がでたことで俄に現実味を帯びてきた。

アナザーワールドから恐怖の感情を好物とするクリーチャーがワームホールに潜んでエクストリーマーらの恐怖を食べていたことが判明し、ドクターが自分の見てきたものを見せつけたことでクリーチャーが耐えきれず逃げてしまうというなにやらドクターが抱えているものがちょっと切なくなるおはなしでございました。

相変わらず追われているルーシー。
気になるところ。


“Was that supposed to frighten me, Farl? I've seen entire species destroyed, civilisations left in ruins. I've witnessed solar systems vanish in the twinkling of an eye. I've seen things that would freeze your blood. So don't threaten me, don't ever threaten me.”

“There's worse than that. There are the things that I am afraid that I might do one day.”

[ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

the first five stars i’ve given to a doctor/lucie story! this pleasantly surprised me, a really good concept with a great supporting cast and some incredible moments for both lucie and the doctor, especially the latter. i feel like there’s a significant shift that’s taken place in the doctor and lucie’s relationship now; they started off as unwilling travelling companions but now i think there’s a real sense of friendship/camaraderie and a deeper understanding of who the doctor is, and his much darker side, on lucie’s part. i’m excited to listen to the next story now.

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot isn't bad, but there's a lack of scene setting and contextualisation (when did humans set up a colony on Phobos, and why there instead of Mars itself?), as well as a supporting cast full of shallow characters.

The fakeout twist and the actual monster were good points too, but I wish they had inserted audio clips from past stories when the Doctor was showing the Entity his fears - Would've been some great continuity, but the way it stands he could really have been referring to any adventure.

[Kathryn Houghton · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I wasn’t crazy about the sports thing goin on in this. But my god we had some amazing speeches from the Doctor in this one. We further realize how the Doctor has a painful past and has seen so many things that have shaped him for better or for worse. I love seeing the darker side of him come out. And Lucie wondering whether she needs to worry about him being the bigger monster in the end. That was the wonderful bit, I thought.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to it over a month ago, so it's not fresh in my brain unfortunately.

But it was much fun, and kept me entertained while I was sewing.

Paul McGann is fabulous, and I'm so glad that he had the opportunity to shine as the doctor in these productions.

The story was fun. And definitely kept me entertained. I loved hearing voices that I was quite familiar with already.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before listening to this story the negativity around it (because everyone said this one was bad) but after listening to it I actually found it quite fun, its not anything massively special but there's some cool characters here and a bit of a mystery to hook me in.

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, briskly-paced story with queer male characters. Would recommend.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as enjoyable as the previous installments, but the voice acting was still good.

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heard this was like the worst story ever. Which really isn't the case, I quite enjoyed it a lot, previous one is miles better , but still had a good time with this.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first casualty of the shorter format... there's a lot that feels half done here, even if the story held a lot of promise.

[elise barber-wixtrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

did lucie call the doctor a "fop," a "fuck," or the f-slur? due to shitty audio quality and sheridan smith's accent, i fear we shall never know.

[Mike Rempel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul McGann 👍
full cast
Spotify

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too many characters and the story buckles under their weight.