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Doctor Who: Short Trips Audio #14
Doctor Who: Short Trips: A Feast of Steven
Two new Short Trips written by Jacqueline Rayner and narrated by Peter Purves.
A Forest of All Seasons - The Doctor, Steven, and Vicki arrive in a strange forest where time seems to stand still. When Vicki disappears, Steven must confront a baffling mystery involving an alternate version of himself and the inhabitants of a village trapped in an endless cycle.
The Doctor's Gambit - On an alien world, the Doctor, Steven and Dodo are drawn into a mysterious contest. With lives at stake and a hidden enemy in control, every move could be their last in the deadly game.
A Forest of All Seasons - The Doctor, Steven, and Vicki arrive in a strange forest where time seems to stand still. When Vicki disappears, Steven must confront a baffling mystery involving an alternate version of himself and the inhabitants of a village trapped in an endless cycle.
The Doctor's Gambit - On an alien world, the Doctor, Steven and Dodo are drawn into a mysterious contest. With lives at stake and a hidden enemy in control, every move could be their last in the deadly game.
Audiobook
First published June 23, 2025
About the author
Jacqueline Rayner
130 books169 followersJacqueline Rayner is a best selling British author, best known for her work with the licensed fiction based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Her first professional writing credit came when she adapted Paul Cornell's Virgin New Adventure novel Oh No It Isn't! for the audio format, the first release by Big Finish. (The novel featured the character of Bernice Summerfield and was part of a spin-off series from Doctor Who.) She went on to do five of the six Bernice Summerfield audio adaptations and further work for Big Finish before going to work for BBC Books on their Doctor Who lines.
Her first novels came in 2001, with the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel EarthWorld for BBC Books and the Bernice Summerfield novel The Squire's Crystal for Big Finish. Rayner has written several other Doctor Who spin-offs and was also for a period the executive producer for the BBC on the Big Finish range of Doctor Who audio dramas. She has also contributed to the audio range as a writer. In all, her Doctor Who and related work (Bernice Summerfield stories), consists of five novels, a number of short stories and four original audio plays.
Rayner has edited several anthologies of Doctor Who short stories, mainly for Big Finish, and done work for Doctor Who Magazine. Beyond Doctor Who, her work includes the children's television tie-in book Horses Like Blaze.
With the start of the new television series of Doctor Who in 2005 and a shift in the BBC's Doctor Who related book output, Rayner has become, along with Justin Richards and Stephen Cole, one of the regular authors of the BBC's New Series Adventures. She has also abridged several of the books to be made into audiobooks.
She was also a member of Doctor Who Magazine's original Time Team.
Her first professional writing credit came when she adapted Paul Cornell's Virgin New Adventure novel Oh No It Isn't! for the audio format, the first release by Big Finish. (The novel featured the character of Bernice Summerfield and was part of a spin-off series from Doctor Who.) She went on to do five of the six Bernice Summerfield audio adaptations and further work for Big Finish before going to work for BBC Books on their Doctor Who lines.
Her first novels came in 2001, with the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel EarthWorld for BBC Books and the Bernice Summerfield novel The Squire's Crystal for Big Finish. Rayner has written several other Doctor Who spin-offs and was also for a period the executive producer for the BBC on the Big Finish range of Doctor Who audio dramas. She has also contributed to the audio range as a writer. In all, her Doctor Who and related work (Bernice Summerfield stories), consists of five novels, a number of short stories and four original audio plays.
Rayner has edited several anthologies of Doctor Who short stories, mainly for Big Finish, and done work for Doctor Who Magazine. Beyond Doctor Who, her work includes the children's television tie-in book Horses Like Blaze.
With the start of the new television series of Doctor Who in 2005 and a shift in the BBC's Doctor Who related book output, Rayner has become, along with Justin Richards and Stephen Cole, one of the regular authors of the BBC's New Series Adventures. She has also abridged several of the books to be made into audiobooks.
She was also a member of Doctor Who Magazine's original Time Team.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 31, 2025
I don't know much about the First Doctor era, but this free short story collection was really interesting. I'd recommend it to anybody who is a fan of the First Doctor or Steven, and it was narrated fantastically.
June 23, 2025
A Forest for All Seasons - Lots of timey whimey stuff going on. In many ways, a typical (First) Doctor short trip, featuring Steven and Vickie. Interesting, entertaining, but nothing spectacular.
The Doctor’s Gambit - An odd one to be sure. Is it the Toymaker? That what it seems, but things are not always what they seem. An interesting pseudo connection to the previous tale as well. Well done.
This also includes the usual interviews with cast and crew that Big Finish does so well. This was made available as a free promotional download.
The Doctor’s Gambit - An odd one to be sure. Is it the Toymaker? That what it seems, but things are not always what they seem. An interesting pseudo connection to the previous tale as well. Well done.
This also includes the usual interviews with cast and crew that Big Finish does so well. This was made available as a free promotional download.
July 9, 2025
A Forest Of All Seasons: A beautiful story, regarding the TARDIS crew landing inside a computer simulation of a forest, which has been copying people's memories to show them their possible futures. Steven and Harla's romance is sweet and believable, and Vicki also gets some nice character moments, despite being absent from a significant chunk of the story. She is faced with the opportunity to see her late father again, but tragically fails to reunite with him, which really makes you feel for the poor girl.
The Doctor's Gambit: A very creative story in the Feast Of Steven Short Trips. It involves the First Doctor, Steven and Dodo arriving on an alien world where people are forced to partake in a game to the death. The reveal that it's a massive game of chess is very cool, and the Doctor being the King in the Chess game is a neat reveal.
As expected for 'A Feast Of Steven', The Doctor's Gambit is a great showcase for Steven Taylor. It shows his ingenuity, as he works out how to make it through the chess game without killing anyone, and also has a nice connection to the first story, with a woman who looks like his wife Harla from A Forest Of All Seasons.
The Doctor's Gambit: A very creative story in the Feast Of Steven Short Trips. It involves the First Doctor, Steven and Dodo arriving on an alien world where people are forced to partake in a game to the death. The reveal that it's a massive game of chess is very cool, and the Doctor being the King in the Chess game is a neat reveal.
As expected for 'A Feast Of Steven', The Doctor's Gambit is a great showcase for Steven Taylor. It shows his ingenuity, as he works out how to make it through the chess game without killing anyone, and also has a nice connection to the first story, with a woman who looks like his wife Harla from A Forest Of All Seasons.
July 1, 2025
The producers at Big Finish surprised everyone at Big Finish Day 2025 with a free two-hour release containing two short trips read by Peter Purves as Steven to celebrate 60s of the character. This very took aback me, but knowing Jacqueline Rayner wrote the stories, I knew it was going to be a very special release.
A Feast of All Seasons:
Landing on a mysterious but beautiful world full of fruit trees, The Doctor, Vicki and Steven are initially excited to have a picnic but when Steven explores more of the world and comes across a bizarre colony that refuses to acknowledge him, it soon becomes clear that something strange is going on. Steven's future is in the balance.
Jacqueline Rayner has written a very interesting story that is equally heartbreaking as it is unsettling. It's a story about potential future, potential pasts, grief and other such things. It's a story where Steven is very much at the centre of it and receives a glimpse into a kind of alternative future for himself. An enjoyable story with a very sci-fi twist. 8/10
The Doctor's Gambit:
The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive on a world where the peasants are desperately trying to enter a medieval castle. But why? Soon the trio are forced into a deadly game that they will never forget and unfortunately for Steven, he'll have to come to terms with a woman he's met before.
Jacqueline Rayner has written a great short trip that is action-packed and tense, but it's also a wonderful character piece that works superbly not just for Steven but for Dodo as well, as we get to hear a bit more about her past back on Earth. A really clever story with a satisfying conclusion. It does have a connection to the previous story, but only ever so slightly. 9/10
Overall: 17/20
A Feast of All Seasons:
Landing on a mysterious but beautiful world full of fruit trees, The Doctor, Vicki and Steven are initially excited to have a picnic but when Steven explores more of the world and comes across a bizarre colony that refuses to acknowledge him, it soon becomes clear that something strange is going on. Steven's future is in the balance.
Jacqueline Rayner has written a very interesting story that is equally heartbreaking as it is unsettling. It's a story about potential future, potential pasts, grief and other such things. It's a story where Steven is very much at the centre of it and receives a glimpse into a kind of alternative future for himself. An enjoyable story with a very sci-fi twist. 8/10
The Doctor's Gambit:
The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive on a world where the peasants are desperately trying to enter a medieval castle. But why? Soon the trio are forced into a deadly game that they will never forget and unfortunately for Steven, he'll have to come to terms with a woman he's met before.
Jacqueline Rayner has written a great short trip that is action-packed and tense, but it's also a wonderful character piece that works superbly not just for Steven but for Dodo as well, as we get to hear a bit more about her past back on Earth. A really clever story with a satisfying conclusion. It does have a connection to the previous story, but only ever so slightly. 9/10
Overall: 17/20
January 22, 2026
A Forest of All Seasons -
It was very odd when Big Finish just dropped two short trips for free last year, but hey ho! Free Big Finish isn’t a bad thing. In terms of reviewing the story though, it hardly means I am forced to like them, and I will obviously be honest about what I thought of them. The first of the two stories was A Forest of All Seasons, and ehhhh. Peter Purves is my favourite actor when it comes to doing 1st Doctor stuff given he does such an amazing impression of William Hartnell, even at the age he is at now. From a narration perspective there isn’t anything all too bad, it’s only that it does heard struggle to keep the way he performs some of the stories consistent. Other than that I found myself as engaged as I could be, because this story was really not impressive.
The Tardis team land is this place where time is going weirdly, Steven falls in love with a side character after thirty second (yeah, bit odd) and then the Doctor fixes everything and they go away; with the story having had no effect on these characters and the universe. Of course they try to carry over the idea of Steven’s sort of love interest into the next short trip, but I really don’t see what in this story is supposed to ever make me go ‘ooh I want to listen to this one again’. Some stories are forgettable but fun, whereas this one is just slow and unremarkable. About two thirds of the story is scene setting, given that even the settings and interesting, not very memorable. The other third is plot, the Doctor vanishing, fixing everything ‘off screen’, and making every that happens unimportant as a result.
I just don’t see what there is to like about this one bar a few small things it sets up for the next story. I think the only thing I liked was the odd small mention of events that happened in Big Finish stories, like Oliver Harper being a companion of the 1st Doctor. Being honest though, I do think that happens in this story but it just be the following story; and my brain is so desperate to find something to like that it’s transplanted that onto this story. If that doesn’t say the story deleted itself from my memory immediately, what does?
The Doctor’s Gambit -
Considering the last short trip in this odd release was so lame, I really did expect to have to just endure thirty minutes more, little did I expect to actually enjoy them. It is hardly the best thing ever, more just a fun silly this story parodying a book, and sometimes that is enough! I really loved the charm of the story which makes it very odd to me that both stories are written by the same person, when I was actually able to see warmth and charm in this one. The theme here is chess, with Steven and Dodo competing against others in this mysterious place just to survive. A fairly strong premise and the execution isn’t too bad at all, plus what I really love is that this one has the Doctor disappear working in the background; yet here it isn’t some lazy ex machina that that resolves everything in about twenty seconds. There is a point to him not being there with his companions and it is clever, plus it means that we get to have fun with Dodo and Steven.
I don’t think all that much of the side characters/antagonists here, partially because they’re just effectively caricatures, but they serve their purpose, so what more could I ask for? I think that the story is well paced but I do also feel like each scene has an unnecessary minute or two in it, which ultimately just is wasting part of the story and stopping it from being a neat succession of clever and fun ideas. It is a strange disparity given the last story really did overstay its welcome whereas here we are having fun in our chess themed scenario, but having a quarter of it be stupid stuff like repeating scene setting and exposition that we’ve already had at this point. Peter Purves does a great job here, and I feel like he has more energy narrating the story which could be because he enjoyed it more than the last one; that could just be me reading too much into it but either way it made this short trip more fun.
Bringing back Steven’s uninteresting love interest from the last story was an odd decision given they do very little with her, and that it in no way creates some characterisation with depth for Steven. It feels more like having introduced her, Jacqueline Rayner had to find some way to conclude her ‘arc’. Bar the weaker aspect of the story I talked about though so far, I really do recommend this one for a listen because; it’s quaint, it’s fun, it’s silly, and has a fair share of charm.
It was very odd when Big Finish just dropped two short trips for free last year, but hey ho! Free Big Finish isn’t a bad thing. In terms of reviewing the story though, it hardly means I am forced to like them, and I will obviously be honest about what I thought of them. The first of the two stories was A Forest of All Seasons, and ehhhh. Peter Purves is my favourite actor when it comes to doing 1st Doctor stuff given he does such an amazing impression of William Hartnell, even at the age he is at now. From a narration perspective there isn’t anything all too bad, it’s only that it does heard struggle to keep the way he performs some of the stories consistent. Other than that I found myself as engaged as I could be, because this story was really not impressive.
The Tardis team land is this place where time is going weirdly, Steven falls in love with a side character after thirty second (yeah, bit odd) and then the Doctor fixes everything and they go away; with the story having had no effect on these characters and the universe. Of course they try to carry over the idea of Steven’s sort of love interest into the next short trip, but I really don’t see what in this story is supposed to ever make me go ‘ooh I want to listen to this one again’. Some stories are forgettable but fun, whereas this one is just slow and unremarkable. About two thirds of the story is scene setting, given that even the settings and interesting, not very memorable. The other third is plot, the Doctor vanishing, fixing everything ‘off screen’, and making every that happens unimportant as a result.
I just don’t see what there is to like about this one bar a few small things it sets up for the next story. I think the only thing I liked was the odd small mention of events that happened in Big Finish stories, like Oliver Harper being a companion of the 1st Doctor. Being honest though, I do think that happens in this story but it just be the following story; and my brain is so desperate to find something to like that it’s transplanted that onto this story. If that doesn’t say the story deleted itself from my memory immediately, what does?
The Doctor’s Gambit -
Considering the last short trip in this odd release was so lame, I really did expect to have to just endure thirty minutes more, little did I expect to actually enjoy them. It is hardly the best thing ever, more just a fun silly this story parodying a book, and sometimes that is enough! I really loved the charm of the story which makes it very odd to me that both stories are written by the same person, when I was actually able to see warmth and charm in this one. The theme here is chess, with Steven and Dodo competing against others in this mysterious place just to survive. A fairly strong premise and the execution isn’t too bad at all, plus what I really love is that this one has the Doctor disappear working in the background; yet here it isn’t some lazy ex machina that that resolves everything in about twenty seconds. There is a point to him not being there with his companions and it is clever, plus it means that we get to have fun with Dodo and Steven.
I don’t think all that much of the side characters/antagonists here, partially because they’re just effectively caricatures, but they serve their purpose, so what more could I ask for? I think that the story is well paced but I do also feel like each scene has an unnecessary minute or two in it, which ultimately just is wasting part of the story and stopping it from being a neat succession of clever and fun ideas. It is a strange disparity given the last story really did overstay its welcome whereas here we are having fun in our chess themed scenario, but having a quarter of it be stupid stuff like repeating scene setting and exposition that we’ve already had at this point. Peter Purves does a great job here, and I feel like he has more energy narrating the story which could be because he enjoyed it more than the last one; that could just be me reading too much into it but either way it made this short trip more fun.
Bringing back Steven’s uninteresting love interest from the last story was an odd decision given they do very little with her, and that it in no way creates some characterisation with depth for Steven. It feels more like having introduced her, Jacqueline Rayner had to find some way to conclude her ‘arc’. Bar the weaker aspect of the story I talked about though so far, I really do recommend this one for a listen because; it’s quaint, it’s fun, it’s silly, and has a fair share of charm.
June 27, 2025
Deux bons courts récits qui peuvent être appréciés sans grande connaissance des personnages au préalable (mais dont l'expérience du récit est grandement réhaussé par ce savoir).
Un bel hommage au personnage de Steven Taylor qui explore un aspect jamais vraiment abordé auparavant et qui offre un charmant et poignant récit dans A Forest of All Seasons. The Doctor's Gambit était légèrement moins saisissant à mon avis au niveau du scénario, mais l'exploration du personnage et une certaine finalité d'émotion sur un des développements du personnage dans le récit précédent, ont conclu agréablement ce duo d'histoire qui permettait de repartir sur de nouvelles bases sans rien compromettre de l'expérience vécu.
Deux épisodes gratuits qui valent définitivement l'écoute.
Un bel hommage au personnage de Steven Taylor qui explore un aspect jamais vraiment abordé auparavant et qui offre un charmant et poignant récit dans A Forest of All Seasons. The Doctor's Gambit était légèrement moins saisissant à mon avis au niveau du scénario, mais l'exploration du personnage et une certaine finalité d'émotion sur un des développements du personnage dans le récit précédent, ont conclu agréablement ce duo d'histoire qui permettait de repartir sur de nouvelles bases sans rien compromettre de l'expérience vécu.
Deux épisodes gratuits qui valent définitivement l'écoute.
September 30, 2025
Celebrating 60 years of Steven; one of the best, but sadly often overlooked, male companions of all time! Peter Purves himself is indeed one of the best actors to ever grace the franchise with his presence.
"A Forest Of All Seasons" is a beautiful short story which blends an analogy of life with the usual Doctor Who sci-fi mystery, with some lovely narration by Peter Purves. This is one of my favourite listens of all time, genuinely.
"The Doctor's Gambit" puts Steven, Dodo and a large bundle of humans on a giant chessboard, but there's another familiar figure there as well, completing this short but sweet release with a circular twist.
And since this release is free, I don't just recommend listening to it, I insist on it!
"A Forest Of All Seasons" is a beautiful short story which blends an analogy of life with the usual Doctor Who sci-fi mystery, with some lovely narration by Peter Purves. This is one of my favourite listens of all time, genuinely.
"The Doctor's Gambit" puts Steven, Dodo and a large bundle of humans on a giant chessboard, but there's another familiar figure there as well, completing this short but sweet release with a circular twist.
And since this release is free, I don't just recommend listening to it, I insist on it!
July 7, 2025
A beautiful little duology of short stories, narrated by the voice of Steven himself-- Peter Purves. This explores a side of Steven we do not see in the show, a romantic young guy in his 20s whose searching for companionship even among the stars. I quite liked the mix of fantasy elements in this story, though the writing does feel a bit modern at times. Conceptually, I wonder if these would have fit the serialized nature of the program. Both stories essentially share the same plot devices, just in different aspects. Regardless, if you decide to pick them up, you will be touched!
July 16, 2025
i am such a big fan of steven taylor and im so glad jackie rayner was tasked with writing these celebratory 60th anniversary stories, which are vvv cute.
isn’t peter AMAZING??? love him smmmmm
1. a forest of all seasons - 4.5/5
this devastated me, tbh. but SO GOOD.
2. the doctors gambit - 3.5/5
not as gripping but very lovely.
4/5
isn’t peter AMAZING??? love him smmmmm
1. a forest of all seasons - 4.5/5
this devastated me, tbh. but SO GOOD.
2. the doctors gambit - 3.5/5
not as gripping but very lovely.
4/5
July 14, 2025
This is a lovely surprise celebration of Steven. Out of the two stories I preferred The Doctor's Gambit, but A Forest for All Seasons was highly emotive. The pair work well together, and Peter Purves is, as ever, a wonderful narrator.
July 3, 2025
Peter Purves performs two entertaining adventures that fit nicely into the First Doctor era. His impression of William Hartnell is a delight.
July 30, 2025
A fun and interesting story held down by the wordcount
December 27, 2025
Released for the 60th anniversary of the character Steven Taylor, I waited until the actual Feast of Steven to give this a listen. Utilizes the era pretty well and even gets a bit emotional.
March 17, 2026
3.5 stars
September 26, 2025
A FOREST OF ALL SEASONS - 06/10
THE DOCTOR'S GAMBIT - 05/10
THE DOCTOR'S GAMBIT - 05/10
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews