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The Fifth Doctor Adventures #6
Doctor Who: The Lost Resort and Other Stories
The Lost Resort by AK Benedict (4 parts)
Reunited with his companions, the Doctor’s plans to travel home to Gallifrey are cast aside when the TARDIS materialises on the Soresia: a planetoid with an unusual temporal atmosphere, home to the Welkin Sanatorium; seemingly an ideal place to recuperate. But the patients – like the Sanatorium – are mere shadows of their former selves. Decay has taken hold... yet their secrets remain as strong and healthy as ever.
The Perils of Nellie Bly by Sarah Ward (2 parts)
When the TARDIS crew arrive on the RMS Oceanic, they meet notorious journalist Nellie Bly on the final leg of her voyage to travel the world in less than eighty days. But with a saboteur on board, the Doctor and his friends must race to help Nellie reach her destination – and save her future.
Nightmare of the Daleks by Martyn Waites (2 parts)
Deep within a drilling rig on planet XB93, its crew has been suffering nightmares: dreams of cold, metallic creatures, stalking them through the base, killing them as they sleep. Fortunately for the crew, the Daleks’ own worst nightmare has just arrived – and he goes by the name of the Doctor.
Reunited with his companions, the Doctor’s plans to travel home to Gallifrey are cast aside when the TARDIS materialises on the Soresia: a planetoid with an unusual temporal atmosphere, home to the Welkin Sanatorium; seemingly an ideal place to recuperate. But the patients – like the Sanatorium – are mere shadows of their former selves. Decay has taken hold... yet their secrets remain as strong and healthy as ever.
The Perils of Nellie Bly by Sarah Ward (2 parts)
When the TARDIS crew arrive on the RMS Oceanic, they meet notorious journalist Nellie Bly on the final leg of her voyage to travel the world in less than eighty days. But with a saboteur on board, the Doctor and his friends must race to help Nellie reach her destination – and save her future.
Nightmare of the Daleks by Martyn Waites (2 parts)
Deep within a drilling rig on planet XB93, its crew has been suffering nightmares: dreams of cold, metallic creatures, stalking them through the base, killing them as they sleep. Fortunately for the crew, the Daleks’ own worst nightmare has just arrived – and he goes by the name of the Doctor.
Audiobook
First published September 1, 2021
3 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
A.K. Benedict
29 books96 followersA.K. Benedict read English at Cambridge and Creative Writing at the University of Sussex. She lives in Hastings and writes in a room filled with teapots and the severed head of a ventriloquist’s dummy. She did have a blow-up pirate but punctured it.
Alexandra was the front-person of an underground indie band, has composed music for film and television and is currently writing her second novel. Her short stories and poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including The Best British Short Stories 2012. Her first novel, The Beauty of Murder, was published by Orion in 2013.
Alexandra was the front-person of an underground indie band, has composed music for film and television and is currently writing her second novel. Her short stories and poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including The Best British Short Stories 2012. Her first novel, The Beauty of Murder, was published by Orion in 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 9, 2021
What a huge Rolla coaster of Emotions!!
September 27, 2021
So I have been beyond excited for this boxset, originally just for Nightmare of The Daleks since I was initially quite wary of the other two writers but this release has surprised me to no end!
The Lost Resort:
It's no surprise The Lost Resort is the main feature of this release considering it's partly a ghost story but also one about grief after death and A.K Benedict has done an amazing job crafting this story together giving us little clues throughout the narrative whilst also telling a depressing and deeply atmospheric story that is bound to send chills down your spine whilst also wanting to make you cry from heartbreak.
Everyone was on fire in this release and it's very tricky to pinpoint who was the best cast member during all this but I have to say Peter Davison considering this Doctor has to go through heartbreak, regret, and despair with the sight of Adric's ghost and he delivers a spectacular performance!
By far one of the best stories Big Finish has put out this year and I am so excited to listen to more from A.K Benedict I'm sure more stories from her are going to be just as fantastic! 10/10
The Perils of Nellie Bly:
After a somewhat depressing and melancholic story, The Perils of Nellie Bly proves to be an incredibly fun story about Nellie Bly a reporter wanting to beat the world record by traveling there and back from and to her homeland of America in eleven days but The Doctor and co have to stop a series of conspirators conspiring to put an end to her dreams.
This was a really fun story with a few comedic moments but also a very well handled perspective of what women had to go through back in the day and what they had to do to fight against the bigotry and control forced upon them by men. Nothing amazing by any means but this was a necessary installment with such a bleak story! 8/10
Nightmare of The Daleks:
Well, that was heartbreaking and on top of that we got a really unique but creepy Dalek story that really took me by surprise, I obviously won't explain too much otherwise I'll spoil the twist but it's a really new story for them rather than being the same old invasion stories.
The cast was fantastic in this but George Waltkins really shines in this one, I'll admit I wasn't originally a big fan of Marc but this release and Warzone/Conversion have really made me appreciate his character and his send-off in this was original but heart-shattering. 10/10
Overall: 28/30
The Lost Resort:
It's no surprise The Lost Resort is the main feature of this release considering it's partly a ghost story but also one about grief after death and A.K Benedict has done an amazing job crafting this story together giving us little clues throughout the narrative whilst also telling a depressing and deeply atmospheric story that is bound to send chills down your spine whilst also wanting to make you cry from heartbreak.
Everyone was on fire in this release and it's very tricky to pinpoint who was the best cast member during all this but I have to say Peter Davison considering this Doctor has to go through heartbreak, regret, and despair with the sight of Adric's ghost and he delivers a spectacular performance!
By far one of the best stories Big Finish has put out this year and I am so excited to listen to more from A.K Benedict I'm sure more stories from her are going to be just as fantastic! 10/10
The Perils of Nellie Bly:
After a somewhat depressing and melancholic story, The Perils of Nellie Bly proves to be an incredibly fun story about Nellie Bly a reporter wanting to beat the world record by traveling there and back from and to her homeland of America in eleven days but The Doctor and co have to stop a series of conspirators conspiring to put an end to her dreams.
This was a really fun story with a few comedic moments but also a very well handled perspective of what women had to go through back in the day and what they had to do to fight against the bigotry and control forced upon them by men. Nothing amazing by any means but this was a necessary installment with such a bleak story! 8/10
Nightmare of The Daleks:
Well, that was heartbreaking and on top of that we got a really unique but creepy Dalek story that really took me by surprise, I obviously won't explain too much otherwise I'll spoil the twist but it's a really new story for them rather than being the same old invasion stories.
The cast was fantastic in this but George Waltkins really shines in this one, I'll admit I wasn't originally a big fan of Marc but this release and Warzone/Conversion have really made me appreciate his character and his send-off in this was original but heart-shattering. 10/10
Overall: 28/30
August 4, 2022
ok so i’ve only listened to the lost story so far, there’s still the other one but i’ll update this when i finish it. in regards to the lost story, this was a delight but incredibly painful to listen to. the actual story of the location we’re at wasn’t the most interesting to me, i didn’t fully understand what was happening at times (as i didn’t listen to the stories previous to this that involve an audio only companion), but the cast was incredible in this.
i must specifically highlight peter davison, who in my honest opinion gives one of his best (at least, audio) performances as the fifth doctor. the emotional journey five goes on throughout this is so well written, and his tendency to try and run from his emotions all comes to a head here when he is forced to come face to face with the person that changed the course of his time as the doctor.
nyssa spends a lot of the story out investigating some weird thing happening in the ocean. cant remember what specifically but it was all sort of sciencey jargon, very much up nyssa’s alley. tegan + mark also had really good performances, as always janet fielding doesn’t miss in her performance as tegan, and although i haven’t heard any other stories containing mark as a companion, he seemed interesting and there was some emotional stuff which i’m sure would have impacted me more emotionally, had i any more context as to who he was.
it all came to a head in part 4 really nicely, at this point all members of the tardis team being aware of who was also aboard this ship. the tension in the room as they were trying to figure out some other way out of their predicament, rather than having to say goodbye to that person again was well performed, once again peter davison really knocks it out of the park i cannot stress that enough.
big finish has tackled the death of a certain companion many times, however this one has to have been the most emotional in my opinion, definitely the best, as it forces the doctor and his companions to really slow down and process their emotions, which they seldom have the chance to do. plus, they get to actually say goodbye to him in this one.
i must specifically highlight peter davison, who in my honest opinion gives one of his best (at least, audio) performances as the fifth doctor. the emotional journey five goes on throughout this is so well written, and his tendency to try and run from his emotions all comes to a head here when he is forced to come face to face with the person that changed the course of his time as the doctor.
nyssa spends a lot of the story out investigating some weird thing happening in the ocean. cant remember what specifically but it was all sort of sciencey jargon, very much up nyssa’s alley. tegan + mark also had really good performances, as always janet fielding doesn’t miss in her performance as tegan, and although i haven’t heard any other stories containing mark as a companion, he seemed interesting and there was some emotional stuff which i’m sure would have impacted me more emotionally, had i any more context as to who he was.
it all came to a head in part 4 really nicely, at this point all members of the tardis team being aware of who was also aboard this ship. the tension in the room as they were trying to figure out some other way out of their predicament, rather than having to say goodbye to that person again was well performed, once again peter davison really knocks it out of the park i cannot stress that enough.
big finish has tackled the death of a certain companion many times, however this one has to have been the most emotional in my opinion, definitely the best, as it forces the doctor and his companions to really slow down and process their emotions, which they seldom have the chance to do. plus, they get to actually say goodbye to him in this one.
September 29, 2021
This is a great set of stories.
These are some interesting stories with very good atmosphere.
Also, we get a much more emotional, shaken Doctor, who is on edge and barely holding it together.
The Tardis team have some conflicts and they are not trying to mimic a happy little family.
The second story is fun, just a fun run around, chases on ships and trains and great characters.
And the last story was sufficient dark and tragic, even if I am really getting tired of Daleks. But at least they are used in a different way here.
Mark does get a good finale and a satisfying send-off.
All in all, I really liked the darker tone and the emotional, shaken 5th Doctor.
The whole story line with Marc has been great and might be among my favorite 5th Doctor stories.
These are some interesting stories with very good atmosphere.
Also, we get a much more emotional, shaken Doctor, who is on edge and barely holding it together.
The Tardis team have some conflicts and they are not trying to mimic a happy little family.
The second story is fun, just a fun run around, chases on ships and trains and great characters.
And the last story was sufficient dark and tragic, even if I am really getting tired of Daleks. But at least they are used in a different way here.
Mark does get a good finale and a satisfying send-off.
All in all, I really liked the darker tone and the emotional, shaken 5th Doctor.
The whole story line with Marc has been great and might be among my favorite 5th Doctor stories.
October 16, 2021
I get why this wasn’t released during peak pandemic. Lol
November 12, 2023
A set of three stories featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan, unconnected beyond them likely taking place consecutively. The title story is two hours long, the others an hour each, and it’s worth noting that each has a different tone.
The Lost Resort – Reuniting after the events of a previous audio that saw the Doctor travelling alone, the TARDIS crew lands on a planetoid that is home to a decaying medical facility, its robotic staff and their few remaining patients. The place turns out to be hiding secrets, not the least of which is the sudden appearance of what’s seemingly a ghost. The resulting story, unfortunately, is a bit of a mess, and the good points suffer for the lack of any grounding in reality.
The presence of the ghost is eventually explained (and key to the larger plot) but the other details of the planetoid seem to be oddity for oddity’s sake. The robotic hospital staff are strangely inconsistent, as is the reaction of some of the characters to them – hostile one moment, willingly allied the next. A scene involving antigravity is not only difficult to visualise but highlights the fact that the details of the “planetoid” (whatever it’s supposed to be) don’t make much sense. On the bright side, and saving the story from a lower rating, it does have some worthwhile things to say about loss and grieving, paralleling the stories of two of the patients with the Doctor’s remorse over the death of Adric.
The story also manages to keep the mystery going for most of its length, although once the explanation is revealed, it’s immediately obvious how it is going to be resolved. Some of the guest characters are simply odd (although the grieving mother with a surrogate child is a lovely touch), and, for all that he’s relevant to the antigravity scene, new companion Marc doesn’t really seem to do much. In the end, it’s all a bit too weird for its own good, although if you don't find that sort of thing detracts from the emotional elements, you'll like this far more than I did. Because, honestly, that part of it is very good indeed. 3.5 stars.
The Perils of Nellie Bly – Nellie Bly, for those who are unaware, was a pioneering female journalist in the late 19th century who, among other things, emulated the fictional Phileas Fogg by travelling around the world in less than 80 days, racing against another female journalist travelling in the opposite direction. Here, the Doctor encounters her towards the end of her journey, as she seeks to get back to New Jersey before the deadline and her rival. It’s a straight historical, and one that’s entertaining rather than grim.
The basis of the story is that Bly’s rival (also a real person, although only mentioned here indirectly) has bribed saboteurs to delay the trip – which, in the real world, she presumably didn’t. This gives it something of the feel of some of the TV versions of Around the World in Eighty Days, with the Doctor and companions trying to foil the saboteurs and allow history to take its course. Assuming you accept the premise, it’s fun yet mostly quite down-to-earth (save for the section where Bly puts on an implausibly effective disguise) and Tegan and Marc, in particular, are well-used. 4 stars.
Nightmare of the Daleks – Following the adventure romp, the final story is much darker. It’s a sort of base-under-siege, although the Dalek threat is more subtle than it usually is. The initial mystery of how Marc appears to be in two different places at the same time is quickly resolved, but from there on the puzzle is how and why the Daleks are doing what they are doing. Despite the unusual situation, however, this is in some respects a fairly typical Dalek story, with them repeatedly threatening to exterminate the main characters and never quite getting around to it. Still, there is a body count, and also an off-screen torture scene, which combine with the confined setting and the unpleasant working conditions for those on the base to make this both atmospheric and grim.
Among the companions, the focus is primarily on Marc, with Tegan and Nyssa reduced to supporting roles by the short length of the story. It makes slightly better use of Marc’s condition than the previous stories do, where it was primarily a hidden bonus, rather than the disadvantage it’s supposed to be, although it’s clear that the writers have already explored its psychological toll as much as they were willing to and didn’t want to flog a dead horse by this point. It’s not the strongest Dalek story ever, but it does win points by at least coming up with an unusual situation to put them in, forcing them to rely on different tactics for their larger plan. And there’s a good emotional ending to it, as well. 4 stars.
The Lost Resort – Reuniting after the events of a previous audio that saw the Doctor travelling alone, the TARDIS crew lands on a planetoid that is home to a decaying medical facility, its robotic staff and their few remaining patients. The place turns out to be hiding secrets, not the least of which is the sudden appearance of what’s seemingly a ghost. The resulting story, unfortunately, is a bit of a mess, and the good points suffer for the lack of any grounding in reality.
The presence of the ghost is eventually explained (and key to the larger plot) but the other details of the planetoid seem to be oddity for oddity’s sake. The robotic hospital staff are strangely inconsistent, as is the reaction of some of the characters to them – hostile one moment, willingly allied the next. A scene involving antigravity is not only difficult to visualise but highlights the fact that the details of the “planetoid” (whatever it’s supposed to be) don’t make much sense. On the bright side, and saving the story from a lower rating, it does have some worthwhile things to say about loss and grieving, paralleling the stories of two of the patients with the Doctor’s remorse over the death of Adric.
The story also manages to keep the mystery going for most of its length, although once the explanation is revealed, it’s immediately obvious how it is going to be resolved. Some of the guest characters are simply odd (although the grieving mother with a surrogate child is a lovely touch), and, for all that he’s relevant to the antigravity scene, new companion Marc doesn’t really seem to do much. In the end, it’s all a bit too weird for its own good, although if you don't find that sort of thing detracts from the emotional elements, you'll like this far more than I did. Because, honestly, that part of it is very good indeed. 3.5 stars.
The Perils of Nellie Bly – Nellie Bly, for those who are unaware, was a pioneering female journalist in the late 19th century who, among other things, emulated the fictional Phileas Fogg by travelling around the world in less than 80 days, racing against another female journalist travelling in the opposite direction. Here, the Doctor encounters her towards the end of her journey, as she seeks to get back to New Jersey before the deadline and her rival. It’s a straight historical, and one that’s entertaining rather than grim.
The basis of the story is that Bly’s rival (also a real person, although only mentioned here indirectly) has bribed saboteurs to delay the trip – which, in the real world, she presumably didn’t. This gives it something of the feel of some of the TV versions of Around the World in Eighty Days, with the Doctor and companions trying to foil the saboteurs and allow history to take its course. Assuming you accept the premise, it’s fun yet mostly quite down-to-earth (save for the section where Bly puts on an implausibly effective disguise) and Tegan and Marc, in particular, are well-used. 4 stars.
Nightmare of the Daleks – Following the adventure romp, the final story is much darker. It’s a sort of base-under-siege, although the Dalek threat is more subtle than it usually is. The initial mystery of how Marc appears to be in two different places at the same time is quickly resolved, but from there on the puzzle is how and why the Daleks are doing what they are doing. Despite the unusual situation, however, this is in some respects a fairly typical Dalek story, with them repeatedly threatening to exterminate the main characters and never quite getting around to it. Still, there is a body count, and also an off-screen torture scene, which combine with the confined setting and the unpleasant working conditions for those on the base to make this both atmospheric and grim.
Among the companions, the focus is primarily on Marc, with Tegan and Nyssa reduced to supporting roles by the short length of the story. It makes slightly better use of Marc’s condition than the previous stories do, where it was primarily a hidden bonus, rather than the disadvantage it’s supposed to be, although it’s clear that the writers have already explored its psychological toll as much as they were willing to and didn’t want to flog a dead horse by this point. It’s not the strongest Dalek story ever, but it does win points by at least coming up with an unusual situation to put them in, forcing them to rely on different tactics for their larger plan. And there’s a good emotional ending to it, as well. 4 stars.
January 11, 2022
Doctor Who: The Lost Resort and Other Stories - 4.833/5 stars
Following from Doctor Who: Thin Time / Madquake, this boxset follows 5, Nyssa, Tegan and Marc through three more adventures. They battle grief, the ghost of Adric, Nellie Bly, and Daleks.
The Lost Resort by AK Benedict - 5/5 stars
This is an amazing story. Finally letting the TARDIS crew get over Adric’s death. Part 4 is an emotional wreck that pulls at the heartstrings. The characters are really weird but I found them all to be quite engaging, especially the little girl who keeps calling 5: ‘the Doctor’ all the time.
The Perils of Nellie Bly by Sarah Ward - 4.5/5 stars
Pure historical and it wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. Everyone is great in this again. Nellie Bly is fun in this. The plot, a basic one where the characters stop other characters from trying to stop Nellie Bly travel the world in record time. Basic but very engaging.
Nightmare of the Daleks by Martyn Waites - 5/5 stars
I was so shocked when the Daleks appeared in this story, I mean it’s like their name was in the title or something-- oh… The Daleks are very shouty and murderous in this. It’s great. Nightmare on Elm Street but the Daleks are Freddy Krueger is such a wild concept but it works surprisingly well. Anyway, it's a Dalek story so it has to be good.
Following from Doctor Who: Thin Time / Madquake, this boxset follows 5, Nyssa, Tegan and Marc through three more adventures. They battle grief, the ghost of Adric, Nellie Bly, and Daleks.
The Lost Resort by AK Benedict - 5/5 stars
This is an amazing story. Finally letting the TARDIS crew get over Adric’s death. Part 4 is an emotional wreck that pulls at the heartstrings. The characters are really weird but I found them all to be quite engaging, especially the little girl who keeps calling 5: ‘the Doctor’ all the time.
The Perils of Nellie Bly by Sarah Ward - 4.5/5 stars
Pure historical and it wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. Everyone is great in this again. Nellie Bly is fun in this. The plot, a basic one where the characters stop other characters from trying to stop Nellie Bly travel the world in record time. Basic but very engaging.
Nightmare of the Daleks by Martyn Waites - 5/5 stars
I was so shocked when the Daleks appeared in this story, I mean it’s like their name was in the title or something-- oh… The Daleks are very shouty and murderous in this. It’s great. Nightmare on Elm Street but the Daleks are Freddy Krueger is such a wild concept but it works surprisingly well. Anyway, it's a Dalek story so it has to be good.
September 15, 2021
Damn, Lost Resort didn't half pull on my heart strings. It was certainly one of the most emotional Big Finish stories I've heard in a very long while. Due to the total disregard for Adrics Death on the TV Series, it's nice for us to have the characters go through this emotional journey that we should have seen on TV.
Acting is superb from all those around, especially Peter Davison who captures the guilt and torment The Doctor feels around Adrics Death.
The other two stories were just filler stories, but that isn't to say they weren't enjoyable because they certainly were! The main part of this boxset though is indeed Lost Resort.
Acting is superb from all those around, especially Peter Davison who captures the guilt and torment The Doctor feels around Adrics Death.
The other two stories were just filler stories, but that isn't to say they weren't enjoyable because they certainly were! The main part of this boxset though is indeed Lost Resort.
December 22, 2022
I think as far as stories with Mark go, I’ve only listened to his intro in Tartarus and the end of his arc via this collection. I kind of wish I’d listened to the stories between, but this still felt poignant and touched on the impact of Adric’s death.
October 24, 2021
The doctor returns to Nyssa Tegan and Marc to return to their adventures.
December 12, 2021
The Fifth Doctor is just so incredible on Big Finish. These stories were all just amazing.
October 15, 2022
Originally intended for the Big Finish Doctor Who Monthly Adventures before that series ended in March 2021, The Lost Resort and Other Stories finishes off the "Marc" arc that was started in Doctor Who: Tartarus. The first story, The Lost Resort, sees the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Marc arrive on an alien world where a medical clinic resides that uses tech to help people say goodbye to their dead loved ones. It's a really good story that gets you right in feels and .
The second story, The Perils of Nellie Bly, is a fun two-part celebrity historical featuring the famous Nellie Bly on her around the world race. It's a light fun piece that gets you interested in learning about Nellie, who did a lot more than just race around the world. The last story, Nightmare of the Daleks, sees the Doctor and company arrive on drilling rig on some alien world where the workforce is plagued by nightmares and Daleks that exist as thought are trying to regain form. This a dark, creepy story with an interesting new angle on the Daleks.
In conclusion, this was a decent boxset and works well enough as an end to the "Marc" arc. Marc is played fine, I just never really warmed to him as a companion like say Hex, Erimem, Evelyn or Charley. Still, this has some good stories and is worth cheching out if you're a fan of Davison's Doctor.
The second story, The Perils of Nellie Bly, is a fun two-part celebrity historical featuring the famous Nellie Bly on her around the world race. It's a light fun piece that gets you interested in learning about Nellie, who did a lot more than just race around the world. The last story, Nightmare of the Daleks, sees the Doctor and company arrive on drilling rig on some alien world where the workforce is plagued by nightmares and Daleks that exist as thought are trying to regain form. This a dark, creepy story with an interesting new angle on the Daleks.
In conclusion, this was a decent boxset and works well enough as an end to the "Marc" arc. Marc is played fine, I just never really warmed to him as a companion like say Hex, Erimem, Evelyn or Charley. Still, this has some good stories and is worth cheching out if you're a fan of Davison's Doctor.
October 17, 2021
The first one provides some closure for the Doctor with Adric, and is the best of the three. The Nellie Bly one was pretty weak and in the finale, I wasn't really satisfied with the way things ended with Marc.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews