Doctor Who: The Axis of Insanity

Big Finish: Monthly Range #56

by Simon Furman, Peter Davison (Narrator), Nicola Bryant (Narrator)

What is... the Axis?

For The Doctor and his travelling companions, Peri and Erimem, it's a twisted playground, where reality, morality and sanity no longer apply. Stranded within a dimensional nexus, beset by the molten fury of the Firedbreed, they must unwrap a terrifying mystery of damaged timelines and dark science... before the corruption of the Axis spreads and reality itself crumbles.

Pitted against a warped and deadly mind, The Doctor faces his own past transgressions, and the very nature of what it is to be a Time Lord.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction

Audio CD

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Simon Christopher Francis Furman is a British comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro/Tomy's Transformers franchise, starting with writing Marvel's initial comic book to promote the toyline worldwide, as well as foundations for both Dreamwave Production's and IDW Publishing's takes on the Generation 1 minifranchise.

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fifth Doctor story with Peri and Erimem as the companions, and is #56 in the Big Finish main range.

The Doctor and his companions arrive in the Axis, a structure beyond space/time that contains broken bits of timelines and time loops mainly created through the activity of time travelers. It's looked after by the Overseer, but there's something dreadfully wrong as the Overseer looks to be in trouble.

This is a simple story centered around a clever addition to the Doctor Who universe/mythology. However, it's a little too simple as there's not much more to it than the idea of an evil madman imprisoned and trying to use the Doctor to escape. We've seen that many times before, from characters like Mawdryn, Morbius and Meglos.

Personally I found the jester to be an annoying character, cackling along more for the sound of his own voice and performance than anything useful to the plot. The voice morphing effects were very well done though.

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The lunatics have taken over the asylum!"

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it too hard to follow the storyline in this, I guess because I’m the sort of listener who needs some narration. I really only gave it two stars because I enjoyed hearing the characters voices.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might find it easy to love if you enjoy a circus/carnival vibe but it took me a little while to get into it. I did in the end really like this story.

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was proper bonkers in all of the right ways. It feels like something along the lines of The Mind Robber, however this being early days for Big Finish it means that the story is filled with quite a bit off well… insanity.

Our story takes place in a place which is beyond space and beyond time, yeah, it’s pretty far out there.
This Jester fella, the big baddie reminds me a lot of Drop Dead Fred, just a big silly billy.

Also, it’s lovely to give Davidson the chance to play a baddie role like classic who used to do.
One note of negativity, could I listen to story where Erimem doesn’t split up from the Doctor? I am three tales in with them but have no idea what their dynamic is like still.

The fifth Doctor on audio is so wonderful, really fell in love with him here. Should think about watching his tv seasons again.

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

This ends up being a good old-fashioned 'monster of the week' type of story, which is a shame since it was built on the rather unique and interesting setting of an 'axis' upon which many fractured and poisoned timelines are linked and contained.

I wish it had explored that concept further and maybe given us a couple of continuity nods with said timelines, maybe such as one where the Doctor fails to win in an alternate versions of televised episodes.

Instead, the fractured timeline aspect is basically ignored in favour of a rather run of the mill villain who just wants the Doctor's TARDIS so they can spread evil everywhere.

The worldbuilding is also really lacking for an audio script and the ending leaves a rather big loose end behind.

Overall, an average story which bizarrely chooses to go in a generic, overdone direction despite being built on a rather fresh and intriguing premise.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

ディメンションの隙間に呼び寄せられたターディス. 時間のない空間にドクターはペリとエミレムにターディスに残るようにいって外を探りにいく.

The overseaが仕切る世界でthe overseaが死ねば世界が崩壊する.その世界から脱出したいthe jesterがタイムロードを呼び寄せターディスを奪おうとしていた

the Jesterに殺された仲間のタイムロードを悼むドクターが切なかった. そのタイムロードのターディスをターディスの墓場へ持っていき、「いつか自分のターディスもここにくる」と黄昏れるドクターも切なかった🥺「タイムロードは時間に仕える種族」という定義はタイムロードの存在をわかりやすいものにするなぁと. 時間に仕え時間を守るためにターディスと共同しているみたいな.ターディスとタイムロード、片方が死ねばその片方は長く生きられないという設定も絆の強さを理由付けるのにmake senseでいいなと. あとさまざまな世界があってその世界に存在する時間を守る存在がタイムロードでっていうことでパラレルワールドに迷いこんでもどうにかしてくれるというのはわかりやすいなと.

[Kelly McCubbin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another sadly wasted opportunity with this surprisingly great TARDIS team. Erimem is so great, and yet they can't figure out how to use her.
It seems really odd to me to take this strange one-off concept and place it smack in the middle of an arc (Divergent) that actually weirdly resembles this concept already. It's kind of "Divergent-lite", but, you know, with ten times more clown!
Ugh.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem tangle with a crazed jester in the Axis of Insanity, which is (if I got the gist of it) a graveyard for broken timelines. Didn't really like the Doctor saying "don't spare the horses" but I suppose it doesn't matter if they weren't real horses. And why would the Doctor not know that Tardises is the plural of Tardis? It's an initialism, not Latin.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a SF idea hiding somewhere in this four-parter, but it’s overwhelmed by a soundscape of chaotic action scenes and a pointlessly cackling villain(ess). In partial mitigation, Peri and Erimem are granted some airtime. Peter Davison puts on his usual acting masterclass.

2.5★

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit surprised by the low ratings. I actually found this one to be quite gripping in its concept and execution.

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's lots going on here, which can make it a bit hard to follow at times. It was more fun than it had a right to be.

[Lachlan McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aight

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to listen to this play one more time because I barely remembered it (not its fault) and I had left no review here - nothing to stir my memory with.

The second time around, I can say I've appreciated the very concept of the Axis most of all. The place where all the mingled, broken, dead-end timelines go... Really, I do wish there was more of it in the story, more to learn, more to see, than it was. I would prefer that to all the squabbles with the Jester/Jarra To whom, frankly, I found to be a quite underdeveloped, generic, and more than a bit cartoonish villain. She seemed much more menacing in the beginning but then her part (yeah, mainly right after they were established as 'her') had diminished mostly to annoying bickering with Erimem. I did like Tog, though, - his was an interesting and tragic story.

Among the things that I also liked - the musings on the eternal theme of why the Doctor needs companions alongside him.

All in all, it was a good play. I do hope I'll remember it all better this time...

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skipped ahead to this because I was getting tired of Eight and Angst!Charley wandering around in the hazy interzone. This is much better - not outstandingly brilliant, but a good, engaging Doctor Who adventure. Erimem is just so likeable, and a lot of credit goes to the actress, one of the freshest and most expressive voices in this series. Peri is less well defined, but the Doc has a couple of great Time Lord and the villain/villainess chews up the aural scenery to great effect. Lots of timey-wimey stuff, but most of all a well paced, exciting tale in which the regulars are given a good showing.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

The TARDIS, along with its crew of the Doctor, Peri and Erimem, lands at the Axis, a mysterious realm where the Time Lords keep broken timelines, splitting them off from the rest of the universe, so as not to affect the rest of the space-time continuum. However, experiments in one of these timelines is causing the others to fracture, and the Axis's Overseer has just been replaced by The Jester in a coup. Soon, the whole of reality begins to disintegrate…

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Doctor, Peri and Erimem get dragged to the Axis. A place where altered time lines are controlled. Something has gone wrong and a jester is running the place. This is a creepy story, and the jester really steals the show. There is a feeling of time running out throughout the piece, that does add tension. A good listen.

[Nicholas Whyte]

I felt this one was a bit average, really. Peter Davison gets some very good moments, both as the baddy pretending to be the Doctor and as the Doctor reflecting on what it's like to be a Time Lord, but apart from that it didn't do a lot for me.

[Debra Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic 5th Doctor adventure with Perry and Erimim. They get stranded in a void that has an insane joker trying to obtain a tardis and a way to reek havoc on the universe. Can they stop him. Find out for yourself. Slightly reminanisent of THE MIND ROBBER.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't that great. Having heard the Gallifrey stories where they get stuck in the axis it was quite interesting to see this early version of the place. However, the extreme villains seemed more suited to Iris than Doctor who.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story started out well. But, the villain was not too interesting. He was a classic over the top Who baddie. But, he and the story were not too compelling.

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites. 5th Doctor, Peri, and Erimem.