Doctor Who: Blood on Santa's Claw and Other Stories

Big Finish: Monthly Range #259

by Nev Fountain, Colin Baker (Narrator), Nicola Bryant (Narrator)

Blood on Santa’s Claw by Alan Terigo

The Doctor, Peri and Joe land on the planet Naxios, where they discover the body of Father Christmas.

Who killed him? The strange individuals dressed in Shakespearian costume or the talking animals wearing waistcoats digging in the tunnels?

The Baby Awakes by Susan Dennom

The Doctor, Peri and Joe visit the Ishtar institute, where the term 'designer babies' takes on a new and sinister meaning. Will our heroes survive Christmas day?

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Andrew Lias

A Christmas party that's been going on for three years. Strange silver robots who guard the Christmas decorations with lethal force. What is the secret behind the festivities on Tate Galactic?

Brightly Shone The Moon That Night by Nev Fountain

The TARDIS crew encounters a shameful secret of the Time Lords. History has been rewritten, and this time it's all the Doctor's fault.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Media Tie In, Audiobook, Fiction, Christmas

Audio CD

First published December 10, 2019

About the author

Nev Fountain, born Steven John Fountain, is an English writer, best known for his comedy work with writing partner Tom Jamieson on the radio and television programme 'Dead Ringers'.

He is currently writing for Dead Ringers and the satirical magazine 'Private Eye'.

He has written three humorous murder-mystery novels, collectively called 'The Mervyn Stone Mysteries', and a serious thriller called 'Painkiller'.

His latest book, 'The Fan Who Knew Too Much' was released in July this year.

Nev was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire and now resides in Surrey.

Reviews

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating just for 'Blood on Santa's Claw'

"Human nature took over. People are keen on freedom of religion as long as that doesn’t extend to other religions."

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 50 Prompt Eighth Doctor Reading Challenge - Character, Conflict & Emotion - 47) A Story With A Flamboyant Or Theatrical Tone

I thought this boxset was quite enjoyable, it was fun to listen to and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I'm not normally a fan of the Christmas boxsets, but I'm getting into the Sixth Doctor more recently, and this was well worth the listen.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good holiday story.

[Rick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ouch. That was ... awful.

(I received this as a free promotional download from the publisher.)

[Steven Poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking advantage of the four single-part "anthology" release - and by that I mean taking it into a dark alley and mugging it joyfully - Nev Fountain (for it is he, writing three of the stories under assumed names) delivers a stonking romp through all sorts of Christmas-associated miscellany and still manages to put the Doctor and Peri through the emotional wringer. Probably the best Main Range release I've heard in the last year or more.

[Lachlan McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood on Santa's Claw is a great little story. It plays with interesting concepts and is utterly ridiculous but also has enough elements in it that are serious and can be developed upon and played with. It isn't the be all and end all of stories but it does some very interesting things and even has some interesting commentary on beliefs.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the silliness and whilst I wish it was a little longer I was quite satisfied with what I got.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doctor Who: Blood on Santa’s Claw and Other Stories - 5/5 stars
This 2019 Christmas Monthly Adventure has been something that I’ve wanted to listen to since I heard it existed back in 2019. Finally, after obsessing over the trailer and free first story for two years, I got it. 6, Peri and her new boyfriend are in 4 ‘anthology stories’ with a Christmas theme.

Blood on Santa’s Claw by “Alan Terigo” - 5/5 stars

“It’s Santa Claus!”
“What?! … Oh yes… so it IS. Red coat, boots…”
“What does this mean?”
“It means… Someones killed Father Christmas!”

I love this story. It has the deaths of Santa, so some very clever animals who worship the Wind in the Willows can practise their religion on their planet as the majority. It’s got action, a murder mystery, the Doctor and Peri argue about how the Doctor should introduce them to other people. Peri’s boyfriend Joe seems like a fun character.

The Baby Awakes by “Susan Dennom” - 5/5 stars

This was very good, designer children and all. Peri and Joe's children turn into monsters. My only issue is that we don't get much time in the simulation to see Peri and Joe as parents. Entertaining story and quite simple.

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by “Andrew Lias” - 5/5 stars

"I'm the Doctor."
"Oh really? What are you a doctor of?"
"Oh, practically everything."
"How very interesting."
"And you are?"
"I am The Lord."
"Really? And what are you the Lord of?"
"Practically nothing."
"How extremely interesting, Lord of nothing."
"Practically nothing!"

Love this interaction. Is a Christmas party prison going on for 4 years? A stroke of genius... Love how Peri and Joe go through some relationship issues.

Brightly Shone The Moon That Night by Nev Fountain - 5/5 stars

So it turns out that all of these anthology based stories are actually one long-running stories. Peri's boyfriend, Joe, is actually a Were-lord and the Were-lords are trying to destroy humanity for trying to destroy them. Peri runs off and finds her children from The Baby Awakes. This story hits all emotional beats and is really entertaining. Nev Fountain's 4 stories make one very entertaining Christmas adventure. Big Finish did well with this release. And the Music Suite really helps pull the story together.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This standalone anthology of Six Doctor stories was released in December and has a distinct Christmas theme, although one that's perhaps more significant in some of the stories than the others. It's also not quite what it appears at the outset, which is rather to its benefit.

Blood on Santa's Claw - Taking its title from a 1971 horror film that happened to feature a former Doctor Who actor this is the weakest of the stories in this collection. That's largely because of the rather daft depiction of 59th-century society- do we seriously think anyone will really be that obsessed with The Wind in the Willows in 4,000 years time? In terms of the plot, it isn't helped by a basic slaves' revolt storyline that doesn't ring any changes on the theme beyond the oddness of some of the characters. A new companion has also turned up in the TARDIS, without us having seen his first appearance; he's a bit irritating and does nothing useful at all during the course of the episode. Obviously, he is there for a reason (and, in general terms, it's not hard to work out what that is) but it doesn't help this particular story when taken on its own.

The Baby Awakes - Next we're off to another planet in the same time period, where fortunately the daftness of the society plays a far less central role in the story. The setting is a clinic where parents can experience how their unborn children will grow up - and choose not to carry them to term if they don't like the outcome. The darkness of this theme, while certainly not ignored, isn't as thoroughly explored as it might be in a longer story or one that, this being Doctor Who and not Black Mirror, didn't have to add monsters and running down corridors into the mix. But there are some good scenes for Peri in this and the new companion at least has something to do even as he becomes increasingly unlikeable.

I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day/Brightly Shone the Moon That Night - Although each half is credited to a different author although, admittedly, one of them is called "A. Lias" just as the authors of the first two episodes are "Al Terigo" and "Sue Dennom", this is one story, and it's the saving grace of the collection. That's because it's here that the threads hinting at a plot arc in the previous two tales come together and some (although not all) of the apparent inconsistencies in them are explained. It's set during a Christmas party on a space station and it manages to make some effective commentary on the show itself, using some of the Doctor's strengths against him and questioning how his lifestyle appears to others. Things are nicely tied up, with some connections to established lore about future history from the TV show and some good scenes for Peri.

It's nothing spectacular but, by putting the first two stories into a better context, it nudges the collection as a whole up to... let's say 3.5 stars.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this may initially seem like an anthology of stories, they're actually more connected than expected. And not just through the theme of Christmas. Peri didn't have the best personal story on the show, so these stories were a nice way of breaking the mold. Peri brings along her boyfriend Joe, who adds some drama that one would expect from modern Who moreso than Classic Who. It turns out that he has his own motive, and Peri does something surprising. I thought it was interesting when they saw what their children might be like. And I loved the twist of including werewolves in this. Plus, I appreciate that Peri uses the word "clown" with a positive connotation. Clowns make people laugh.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I love the classic who’s and even though Colin Baker’s doctor is one I’ve yet to encounter too much (I’m still in Jon Pertwee’s era - I’m getting there) but this was fab. He’s a great doctor and joined with Peri and Joe as his trusty companions.

I listened to this on Christmas Eve and loved the festive feel. With a murdered Santa, the doctor must step into the breach and get to the bottom of the strange runnings of Naxios.

As with any Big Finish production, it was amazingly produced, wonderfully acted and a great little hit of action and adventure with the doctor.

[ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Blood on Santa’s Claw - 3/5
2. The Baby Awakes - 3/5
3. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - 4/5
4. Brightly Shone The Moon That Night - 3.5/5

Maybe a little too absurd for me, especially the first episode, but I liked the storyline overall even if the final episode kind of throws everything together fairly haphazardly. I really enjoyed the focus on Peri, though. Her conversation with Joe in Episode 3 was a highlight.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four christmas stories with the doctor, peri and her boyfriend joe.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Finish does a remarkable job with their audios. Enjoyed this seasonal offering.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little adventure. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant were top tier as always.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, but Peri was very emotional and seemed a bit off from usual.

[A room full of books~ :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abysmal.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. References to many stories I adore

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun short story

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fun stories for the festive period.
Quite weird (in a good way) and original, with a surprising twist I did not see coming.
It also gives Peri some great emotional scenes which rival the amazing Piscon Paradox.
If you like Sixie and Peri, and are not afraid of some weirdness, this is for you.

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable Christmas anthology that all ties together in the end. It's interesting to see Peri having a husband as her companion.

Blood on Santa's Claw: 8.5/10
The Baby Awakes: 9/10
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday: 7/10
Brightly Shone The Moon That Night: 9/10

[Billy Martel · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a dirty trick Big Finish… really fun story. Love the rug pull of it all being one story, and the new lore about where werewolves fit into the Doctor Who universe. Little silly and a little dumb in some spots, but still good.