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Big Finish: Monthly Range #84
Doctor Who: The Nowhere Place
2197. The fighter-carrier Valiant has just crossed Pluto's orbital path. Its captain is expecting trouble from alien raiders. She is not expecting the Doctor and Evelyn.
She does not believe members of her crew when they say they can hear an ancient bell ringing. A bell that strikes terror into their hearts.
1952. The Turret Class locomotive Ivy Lee is hurtling through the night. On board, there should only be two passengers: both of them carrying documents from the War Office.
But now, there are also two unexpected visitors on the train. One is the guard with ill-fitting trousers, the other is an excessively dotty old lady.
The Doctor and Evelyn have arrived and 'Time's End' is approaching.
She does not believe members of her crew when they say they can hear an ancient bell ringing. A bell that strikes terror into their hearts.
1952. The Turret Class locomotive Ivy Lee is hurtling through the night. On board, there should only be two passengers: both of them carrying documents from the War Office.
But now, there are also two unexpected visitors on the train. One is the guard with ill-fitting trousers, the other is an excessively dotty old lady.
The Doctor and Evelyn have arrived and 'Time's End' is approaching.
Audio CD
First published July 31, 2006
85 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Briggs
376 books133 followersNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs. Some of Briggs' earliest Doctor Who-related work was as host of The Myth Makers, a series of made-for-video documentaries produced in the 1980s and 1990s by Reeltime Pictures in which Briggs interviews many of the actors and writers involved in the series. When Reeltime expanded into producing original dramas, Briggs wrote some stories and acted in others, beginning with War Time, the first unofficial Doctor Who spin-off, and Myth Runner, a parody of Blade Runner showcasing bloopers from the Myth Makers series built around a loose storyline featuring Briggs as a down on his luck private detective in the near future.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 4, 2021
Decent
September 28, 2023
Some great ideas, but ends up just Decent
February 4, 2015
This was quite an enjoyable spooky story for Evelyn and old Sixie. A mystery that was very interesting and atmospheric. I found it all very absorbing and quite disturbing. It did however have quite bad gender ration for a Big Finish adventure, 8 men to 1 woman? But at least the woman was the Captain of the Starship and had the biggest and most interesting part of the guest stars (well apart from the villain). Likewise Evelyn had nothing to do at the end but sit back and watch the Doctor figure it all out on his home. That said I liked the mixture between the 22nd century and the 1950s. It was nice to see Evelyn both outside and inside her element in the same story. I also liked the way she took charge when they landed on the spaceship. A good adventure despite it's flaws. I'm very glad I picked it up in the sale as it's one I will most likely listen to again.
June 30, 2018
The mystery in the first 3 episodes is great. But the ending kills it sadly....
April 24, 2021
This is my kind of Who.
February 3, 2023
A really excellent spooky Six/Evelyn story.
August 28, 2024
I wanted to like it, but there was something off about it
December 5, 2025
This review is being written a couple of weeks after I finished listening to this audiobook. My instincts still feel the same about this audio - it’s exactly the kind of Doctor Who story I like.
It’s a space epic, with heroic characters such as Captain Oswin and her team, all being swallowed up by a mysterious door in their ship and fighting for their lives against an unknown terror. Of course, they blame the Doctor and Evelyn, who really have a battle on their hands to get the crew on side.
The story then goes ‘timey wimey’ and we’re on a train in 1952. I know I’m onto a good thing when I’m reminded of ‘Sapphire and Steel’ and that series’ sense of the unnerving and the creepy in a science fiction setting based around the world we know. Nicholas Briggs is wonderful as Trevor Ridgely and linking us into both environments, the past and the future, as well as taking us to Nowhere.
The concepts at the heart of the story, of a failed experiment and the desperation to build the technology needed to escape, feel urgent and real. Doctor Who doesn’t need to be about universal domination, it can explore themes of failure and righting wrongs, and exploring the consequences of those decisions, with real heart.
A fantastic story and I’m glad I found this and listened to it. A real winner for this listener!
It’s a space epic, with heroic characters such as Captain Oswin and her team, all being swallowed up by a mysterious door in their ship and fighting for their lives against an unknown terror. Of course, they blame the Doctor and Evelyn, who really have a battle on their hands to get the crew on side.
The story then goes ‘timey wimey’ and we’re on a train in 1952. I know I’m onto a good thing when I’m reminded of ‘Sapphire and Steel’ and that series’ sense of the unnerving and the creepy in a science fiction setting based around the world we know. Nicholas Briggs is wonderful as Trevor Ridgely and linking us into both environments, the past and the future, as well as taking us to Nowhere.
The concepts at the heart of the story, of a failed experiment and the desperation to build the technology needed to escape, feel urgent and real. Doctor Who doesn’t need to be about universal domination, it can explore themes of failure and righting wrongs, and exploring the consequences of those decisions, with real heart.
A fantastic story and I’m glad I found this and listened to it. A real winner for this listener!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2023
A few years ago I listened to The Nowhere Place, but at the time I couldn't fully appreciate what it was, due to the circumstances at the time. So I've been meaning to re-listen to this for a very long time. So today I've finally decided to give this another go!
Hearing a mysterious bell, The Doctor and Evelyn arrive on a spaceship above Earth. Something is very odd, The Doctor is terrified because his favorite planet for some strange reason doesn't feel familiar despite being the same. So when a mysterious door appears and people are attracted by its mysterious lure, it turns out the Earth is in danger, again.
Nicholas Briggs has written a very eerie and atmospheric story that sent shivers down my spine at multiple points. Who knew a door could be so terrifying?! This story felt like it was inspired by the works of H.P Lovecraft with themes on fear of the unknown and an entity from before humanity's existence. I love how fast-paced this adventure is, Part 3 is very different from the rest of the story with it being set on a train in the 1950s, but it still perfectly fits in with the overall narrative!
Overall: The Nowhere Place is a really underrated horror story and honestly I wish Nicholas Briggs still wrote stories like this, it was an exceptional audio! 9/10
Hearing a mysterious bell, The Doctor and Evelyn arrive on a spaceship above Earth. Something is very odd, The Doctor is terrified because his favorite planet for some strange reason doesn't feel familiar despite being the same. So when a mysterious door appears and people are attracted by its mysterious lure, it turns out the Earth is in danger, again.
Nicholas Briggs has written a very eerie and atmospheric story that sent shivers down my spine at multiple points. Who knew a door could be so terrifying?! This story felt like it was inspired by the works of H.P Lovecraft with themes on fear of the unknown and an entity from before humanity's existence. I love how fast-paced this adventure is, Part 3 is very different from the rest of the story with it being set on a train in the 1950s, but it still perfectly fits in with the overall narrative!
Overall: The Nowhere Place is a really underrated horror story and honestly I wish Nicholas Briggs still wrote stories like this, it was an exceptional audio! 9/10
January 29, 2015
Not outstanding, by any means, but better than any of the three Sixth Doctor audio plays that precede it. The central mystery of what the heck is going on is quite interesting, and Evelyn works well here, giving the pairing a good dynamic. The resolution is, however, not as quite as good as the lead up to it, and the path to get there can be a bit confusing at times.
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April 8, 2009The Nowhere Place manages to be both dull and incomprehensible, I'm afraid. Six and Evelyn are on a space freighter where the crew are mysteriously dying and there is a mysterious link to a train in England in September 1952. I didn't understand what was going on and I must say I didn't care.
August 30, 2014
A mysterious door and the sound of a bell ringing lead the Doctor and Evelyn from a spaceship in the year 2197 to a train in 1952. Why does Evelyn keep hearing the words "Time's End"?
January 21, 2016
The Doctor and Evelyn try to stop a run of suicides. All having to do with a train in 1952 and space travel in 2091. Can they stop the deaths?
March 15, 2015
Sixie and Evelyn at Time's End.
April 8, 2016
An enjoyable listen, but none of its settings feels particularly established.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews