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Big Finish: Monthly Range #215
Doctor Who: Fiesta of the Damned
In search of "a taste of the real Spain", the TARDIS transports the Doctor, Ace and rejoined crewmember Mel not to sizzling Fuerteventura, or the golden sands of the Costa Brava – but to 1938, amid the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.
Having fallen in with a rag-tag column of Republican soldiers, the time and space travellers seek shelter from Franco's bombers in the walled town of Farissa – only to discover themselves besieged by dead men returned to life...
Having fallen in with a rag-tag column of Republican soldiers, the time and space travellers seek shelter from Franco's bombers in the walled town of Farissa – only to discover themselves besieged by dead men returned to life...
Audio CD
First published August 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 1, 2025
The seventh doctor, Ace and Mel arrive in Spain for a holiday. They’re in the right location, but not in the right time. It’s 1938 and they find themselves in the middle of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. Bombs are exploding left and right. People are suffering. People are dying. And … coming back to life?
The story literally starts with a bang as the Tardis crew is immediately targeted by Franco’s bombers. They find shelter in the nearest town and the pacing slows down quite a bit. The doctor tends to the wounded and basically gives Ace and Mel a little history lesson, which is quite interesting. It’s also appreciated that the people fighting in this war are given a little bit of time to be fleshed out, especially the leader of the republicans. You can see they’re ordinary people, like farmers, forced into a war they don’t want to be a part of. These are dark and hard times for everybody. And the atmospheric background music only elevates the dreadfulness and intensity of the situation.
The mystery of the people coming back to life starts out pretty intriguing, though I can’t help but feel that this story could have benefitted from sticking with the simplest explanation possible for that. To have a simple but satisfying plot as the glue that keeps the story together as they can’t change the past, while still giving the spotlight to the more interesting historical part of the story. The alien invasion plot is pretty solid though, and the ending is still pretty good.
A tale of two halves. Quite a slow and rather quiet but strong first half, focusing more on the characters, the history and the horrors of war in general. The second half is more fast-paced and action-packed as the alien invasion plot dominates the story.
The story literally starts with a bang as the Tardis crew is immediately targeted by Franco’s bombers. They find shelter in the nearest town and the pacing slows down quite a bit. The doctor tends to the wounded and basically gives Ace and Mel a little history lesson, which is quite interesting. It’s also appreciated that the people fighting in this war are given a little bit of time to be fleshed out, especially the leader of the republicans. You can see they’re ordinary people, like farmers, forced into a war they don’t want to be a part of. These are dark and hard times for everybody. And the atmospheric background music only elevates the dreadfulness and intensity of the situation.
The mystery of the people coming back to life starts out pretty intriguing, though I can’t help but feel that this story could have benefitted from sticking with the simplest explanation possible for that. To have a simple but satisfying plot as the glue that keeps the story together as they can’t change the past, while still giving the spotlight to the more interesting historical part of the story. The alien invasion plot is pretty solid though, and the ending is still pretty good.
A tale of two halves. Quite a slow and rather quiet but strong first half, focusing more on the characters, the history and the horrors of war in general. The second half is more fast-paced and action-packed as the alien invasion plot dominates the story.
November 9, 2019
This story is set in the closing months of the Spanish Civil War with the TARDIS arriving just before a bombing raid and the crew finding themselves trying to help a struggling Republican unit. It's one of those stories that benefits very much from the setting, with the inevitable fact that the Republicans are doomed hanging over events. There are also a number of nice touches bringing the setting to life, and a good mix of peril and humour.
Nonetheless, this is an alien invasion story, not a straight historical, with the Nationalist bombing having awoken something nasty in a nearby cave. The monster has some original traits, although its function in the story is mostly just as something to run away from. Even so, the story is structured so as to give some ups and downs in the conflict, with a few twists here and there to keep things moving and a reason for the soldiers' reluctance not to simply shoot it on sight.
Nonetheless, it's not the monster that's the real pleasure here. Rather, its the characterisation and the quieter moments of reflection and dialogue that lift this above the average. The Republican leader is notable here, a decent man caught up in the conflict that has engulfed his entire country, and so is Mel. The latter has enough nods to her characterisation on the TV show to be clear it's the same person, but she's far better written here, a strong and compassionate character who has, perhaps, grown in the years that are supposed to have passed for her since Dragonfire. By putting her in a darker and more serious setting, this manages to do a better job of developing Mel than the preceding episode, A Life of Crime, did, although Ace, oddly enough, seems to be closer to her TV self than she was when paired with Hex.
Nonetheless, this is an alien invasion story, not a straight historical, with the Nationalist bombing having awoken something nasty in a nearby cave. The monster has some original traits, although its function in the story is mostly just as something to run away from. Even so, the story is structured so as to give some ups and downs in the conflict, with a few twists here and there to keep things moving and a reason for the soldiers' reluctance not to simply shoot it on sight.
Nonetheless, it's not the monster that's the real pleasure here. Rather, its the characterisation and the quieter moments of reflection and dialogue that lift this above the average. The Republican leader is notable here, a decent man caught up in the conflict that has engulfed his entire country, and so is Mel. The latter has enough nods to her characterisation on the TV show to be clear it's the same person, but she's far better written here, a strong and compassionate character who has, perhaps, grown in the years that are supposed to have passed for her since Dragonfire. By putting her in a darker and more serious setting, this manages to do a better job of developing Mel than the preceding episode, A Life of Crime, did, although Ace, oddly enough, seems to be closer to her TV self than she was when paired with Hex.
February 7, 2018
Yess more stories with 7th Ace and Mel! This one ended up a little confusing during the whole monster bit, but was still good~
April 2, 2025
Wasn't quite as fun as its title might suggest.
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May 18, 2025Sylvester McCoy
Great book
I loved it
Great book
I loved it
December 15, 2025
Another forgettable tseudo historical
February 27, 2017
Mel, Ace and the Doctor fight aliens during the Spanish American War.
August 23, 2016
Complex and epic Doctor Who adventure set during Spanish Civil War.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews