2015: When sightseers Joel and Gabby Finch encounter a strange man in Edwardian cricketing garb in the Sistine Chapel, their honeymoon suddenly takes a terrifying turn.
1511: Michelangelo is commissioned to create some very special sculptures by a mysterious sect. But as he carves, angels seem to emerge fully-formed from the rock. Almost as if they are alive…
From Michelangelo’s workshop to the catacombs of Rome, the Fifth Doctor must keep his wits about him and his eyes wide open as he confronts the Weeping Angels.
this is part of an boxset called: Monsters. And this one is about the great monsters from the New Doctors series namely The Weeping Angels. Since the tv episode Blink they are a scary bunch. Recently I walked past a garden and observed one of these statues and did not take my eyes of them while I walked past. The Who lore has done its work very well.
Anyhow the 5th Doctor is visiting the Sistine chapel where hé meets a couple on their honeymoon. Only when hé meets them again in the 16th century, they remember him and he does not, meaning he has yet to meet them. Anyhow how does a 21st century couple end up in this time 500 years back. And what a certain Michelangelo master of statue making to do in this affair. And then there is this group of priests who worship the Angels. They have a job for Michelangelo to do with creating a statue from marbel. When the Angels finaly start to do their number they are up against a 16th century genius and his assistant, two tourists from 21st century England and a Doctor who does not want these creature loose in any time or place.
This Davison chap does bring his a-game to this story and the Angels are brought really well to life in this audiobook. BF has talented people working for them who do create a believable mood and soundboard to illustrate the Angels and a believable 16th century mood. And it does help to put in a wicked suggesties which alters the future to which we are accustomed. This happens when 21st century tourists meet a master like Michelangelo who is still not finished with the Sisteen chapel. Another excellent Doctor tale in audio so it feels like the Davison Doctor is still the young man from the series.
Fallen Angels is the perfect opening gambit for the CDNM series. It’s a light-hearted, if at times slightly creepy, historical that follows The Doctor all the way back to 16th-century Italy. Spotting some out-of-place newlyweds, he becomes embroiled in a scheme spanning centuries, as the Angels and their cultists set their sights on them and the infamous artist Michelangelo.
Mulryne’s storytelling strengths in this adventure come with its familiarity to the audience. Rather than mess with the formula and add complicated elements of time travel, he uses the Weeping Angels purely as a vehicle for horror. Moreover, aside from the odd addition here and there, the Weeping Angels are relatively unchanged from their original appearance. These aspects help to settle the listeners, and engagement with the material remains high because it doesn’t require extensive prerequisites.
Additionally, the story retains its high note, thanks to a cast of authentic, likeable characters. These traits are exemplified best by newlyweds Joel and Gabby and their interactions with the Doctor. Despite this story being their one and only adventure together, there is an immediate rapport between them. Gabby, in particular, has some great moments. She has an archetypal companion feel about her, and she spends a lot of the story pushing back against what she sees as The Doctor’s ‘nonsense’. Aside from the newlyweds, there is also some fun to be had with Kelly’s portrayal of Michelangelo, as he does a great job of convincing listeners of his character’s artistic temperament.
Despite an engaging story and convincing characters, the adventure falls slightly short in explaining the Weeping Angel’s motivations. Though feeding on a victim’s potential time is an Angel’s main motivation, the story provides little evidence supporting the claim that feeding on a famous artist’s potential time is more valuable than anybody else’s.
Fallen Angels by Phil Mulryne convincingly sets the scene for a successful series. This opening story, despite shaky villain motivations, is an engaging, light-hearted adventure filled with authentic characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is one of my earlier tastes of Big Finish, with this being my first ever Fifth Doctor audio story which also to be the first ever Weeping Angel story, when I first listen to this back in 2016 I remember enjoying this, and listening to this again, I actually appreciate this even more.
Everything comes together masterfully in this Big Finish production. The script is clever, Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor is as energetic and urgent as he ever was and the character performances, especially Michelangelo's are spot on.
I wondered how effective the Weeping Angels would be in a non visual medium… and the result for me was, not so great. Just creates a lot of “my god it’s moved” style responses to them moving.
And it’s such an unfair ending for the companions.
I don't like the weeping angels. They make a paradox which the Doctor cannot stop as he would make another paradox. There must be a solution, a kyobashi maru way.
I don't like the Weeping Angels, and yet I really liked this story. It was almost too short, but that is better than adding unnecessary drama.
One note, though; the female lead sounded too old to be in her early twenties, and I know that we all pretend regularly that Chesterton and Ace sound like they did originally, but when you a making a short new story it is annoying that the voice brings you out of the world.
"Your first meeting with me, will be my last meeting with you."
5th Doctor and weeping angels
While visiting Sistine Chapel, Joel and Gabby find themselves in 1511. Where they stumble upon Michelangelo, who is currently working on a commission for a new statue. Unknowingly, he is carving to realise an angel trapped within. The Angels worked really well on audio- many thanks to the use of soundscape. I think one of my favourite angel story I have watched/listened to in a while. I also loved the pairing of Michelangelo with angels, it is such a simple idea but a clever one.
Oh what could be more fun than mashing-up actors from the classic era Doctor Who with monsters and enemies from the new era series? Not much, that’s for sure.
To start things off we are offered a fast-paced story with The (Fifth) Doctor (Peter Davison) up against the Weeping Angels. And to make things even more entertaining why not toss in Michelangelo as well? The ingredients are all there, and while the story itself is nothing spectacular, the various components mesh well and give rise to something greater than one might expect.