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The Second Doctor Adventures #1
Doctor Who: Beyond War Games
Before Earth, before UNIT, before exile, the Second Doctor enters into a dangerous bargain in return for his freedom...
The Final Beginning by Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs (4 parts) - Believing he has escaped exile - and a change to his appearance - by the Time Lords, the Doctor finds himself lost on a snowy, alien world. He is not alone – prospectors Catrona and Silas are stranded on this nightmare planet, but without his TARDIS, the Doctor is powerless to help them. Seeking answers – and freedom – the Doctor’s hopes and suspicions are aroused when a crashed TARDIS is discovered in the snow. Are Catrona and Silas as innocent as they seem? And who is Raven, the young woman who watches from afar? Long buried secrets are about to be revealed in this icy wasteland, and the Doctor discovers that every end has a terrifying new beginning…
Wrath of the Ice Warriors by Andrew Smith (4 parts) - Plunged into the middle of a desperate mission by his new masters, the Doctor is delighted to be reunited with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT near Cape Wrath, Scotland. The Doctor’s arrival coincides with the sighting of black cylinders in the sky and an attack on a trawler by a ‘creature o’ the sea.’ The Doctor quickly realises he is dealing with Ice Warriors and investigates with the help of the Brigadier and local crofter Sheena Flynn. With a space fleet lurking in the vicinity of Jupiter, the Doctor believes the Martians are planning a new invasion of Earth – but who is the true enemy? Battle lines are drawn and the Doctor races against time to prevent Earth being caught in the crossfire.
Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart created by Haisman & Lincoln and used under license.
The Final Beginning by Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs (4 parts) - Believing he has escaped exile - and a change to his appearance - by the Time Lords, the Doctor finds himself lost on a snowy, alien world. He is not alone – prospectors Catrona and Silas are stranded on this nightmare planet, but without his TARDIS, the Doctor is powerless to help them. Seeking answers – and freedom – the Doctor’s hopes and suspicions are aroused when a crashed TARDIS is discovered in the snow. Are Catrona and Silas as innocent as they seem? And who is Raven, the young woman who watches from afar? Long buried secrets are about to be revealed in this icy wasteland, and the Doctor discovers that every end has a terrifying new beginning…
Wrath of the Ice Warriors by Andrew Smith (4 parts) - Plunged into the middle of a desperate mission by his new masters, the Doctor is delighted to be reunited with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT near Cape Wrath, Scotland. The Doctor’s arrival coincides with the sighting of black cylinders in the sky and an attack on a trawler by a ‘creature o’ the sea.’ The Doctor quickly realises he is dealing with Ice Warriors and investigates with the help of the Brigadier and local crofter Sheena Flynn. With a space fleet lurking in the vicinity of Jupiter, the Doctor believes the Martians are planning a new invasion of Earth – but who is the true enemy? Battle lines are drawn and the Doctor races against time to prevent Earth being caught in the crossfire.
Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart created by Haisman & Lincoln and used under license.
Audio CD
First published July 6, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 30, 2022
This series basically tries to fill the very small gap between the second doctor’s final story The War Games and the first story of the third doctor.
The Final Beginning by Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs – 3/5
The second doctor is forced into exile by the time lords, which is what happened at the end of The War Games. But before he reaches earth as the third doctor, he finds himself inexplicably trapped on a strange and snowy alien world. He’s not alone. There are two prospectors who are stranded there with him. And there’s also a mysterious young woman called Raven.
This is a quick and rather light story. It’s just very easy to digest and serves as a solid introduction for this new second doctor series. There are but a handful of characters in a mysterious and atmospheric setting. And the story focuses mostly on establishing the main characters and laying the groundwork for the series to come, rather than the plot. Considering this is the start of something new, that can definitely be seen as a good thing. And there are also some cool tributes and references to the classic series, firmly establishing the place of this subseries in the grand scheme of things.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors by Andrew Smith - 3/5
The doctor is sent on his first mission, he needs to stop an alien invasion. He arrives on earth, in Scotland. There he meets an old friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. And an old enemy, the Ice Warriors.
This honestly feels a bit like an average UNIT story set in the third doctor’s era, but featuring the second doctor. It’s not bad. But considering this is basically a new long story arc set between the second doctor’s final story and the third doctor’s first story, I was kind of hoping for something that doesn’t feel so very familiar. It’s a solid UNIT story. But it just feels like a story that’s been done before.
A solid start that mostly just lays the groundwork for the series to come. Though I have to admit, I do miss Jamie. From what I gathered, he will make a return in this series. So I can’t wait for him to join the second doctor again. And the tease at the end definitely leaves me hopeful and excited about the stories yet to come in this series.
The Final Beginning by Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs – 3/5
The second doctor is forced into exile by the time lords, which is what happened at the end of The War Games. But before he reaches earth as the third doctor, he finds himself inexplicably trapped on a strange and snowy alien world. He’s not alone. There are two prospectors who are stranded there with him. And there’s also a mysterious young woman called Raven.
This is a quick and rather light story. It’s just very easy to digest and serves as a solid introduction for this new second doctor series. There are but a handful of characters in a mysterious and atmospheric setting. And the story focuses mostly on establishing the main characters and laying the groundwork for the series to come, rather than the plot. Considering this is the start of something new, that can definitely be seen as a good thing. And there are also some cool tributes and references to the classic series, firmly establishing the place of this subseries in the grand scheme of things.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors by Andrew Smith - 3/5
The doctor is sent on his first mission, he needs to stop an alien invasion. He arrives on earth, in Scotland. There he meets an old friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. And an old enemy, the Ice Warriors.
This honestly feels a bit like an average UNIT story set in the third doctor’s era, but featuring the second doctor. It’s not bad. But considering this is basically a new long story arc set between the second doctor’s final story and the third doctor’s first story, I was kind of hoping for something that doesn’t feel so very familiar. It’s a solid UNIT story. But it just feels like a story that’s been done before.
A solid start that mostly just lays the groundwork for the series to come. Though I have to admit, I do miss Jamie. From what I gathered, he will make a return in this series. So I can’t wait for him to join the second doctor again. And the tease at the end definitely leaves me hopeful and excited about the stories yet to come in this series.
August 18, 2023
When The Second Doctor Adventures was announced I was really curious, especially since the range would be starting off with a series of adventures set during Season 6b, an idea that has been played about with over the years but not to its fullest extent, but now it would seem Big Finish are ready to truly bring it to life.
The Final Beginning:
Stuck in a mysterious world, The Doctor befriends a mysterious woman in the snowy wastelands. Meanwhile, Silas and Catrona find themselves on a planet that shouldn't exist when they stumble upon the battered remains of a Tardis. The Doctor is about to discover he's on the planet Skaro and if he wants to retain his freedom to travel the stars, he must help the CIA on a number of missions across the universe.
Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs have written a brilliantly atmospheric story that is in essence a Dalek ghost story that I found to be an absolute delight. It's a very fast-paced adventure with a chilling atmosphere and some really haunting scenes. What a truly exceptional way to start this series of adventures! 10/10
Wrath of The Ice Warriors:
The Doctor has been sent on another mission but this time to the planet Earth where he meets an old friend at UNIT by the shores of Scotland. Above the Earth is a war fleet and it soon turns out The Doctor must prevent an army of Ice Warriors from invading the planet, but things aren't as simple as they seem.
Andrew Smith has written a really engaging and fun ice warrior story that brings the 2nd Doctor and Brigadier back together fantastically. It's a simple story with plenty of action and a really jaw-dropping after-credits scene! 8.5/10
Overall: 18.5/20
The Final Beginning:
Stuck in a mysterious world, The Doctor befriends a mysterious woman in the snowy wastelands. Meanwhile, Silas and Catrona find themselves on a planet that shouldn't exist when they stumble upon the battered remains of a Tardis. The Doctor is about to discover he's on the planet Skaro and if he wants to retain his freedom to travel the stars, he must help the CIA on a number of missions across the universe.
Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs have written a brilliantly atmospheric story that is in essence a Dalek ghost story that I found to be an absolute delight. It's a very fast-paced adventure with a chilling atmosphere and some really haunting scenes. What a truly exceptional way to start this series of adventures! 10/10
Wrath of The Ice Warriors:
The Doctor has been sent on another mission but this time to the planet Earth where he meets an old friend at UNIT by the shores of Scotland. Above the Earth is a war fleet and it soon turns out The Doctor must prevent an army of Ice Warriors from invading the planet, but things aren't as simple as they seem.
Andrew Smith has written a really engaging and fun ice warrior story that brings the 2nd Doctor and Brigadier back together fantastically. It's a simple story with plenty of action and a really jaw-dropping after-credits scene! 8.5/10
Overall: 18.5/20
February 4, 2023
The (second) Doctor returns. He’s supposed to be under the influence of a forced regeneration and beginning his exile to earth by Time Lords. Except, he’s not. Is this the beginning of the infamous, legendary, and mythological Season Six B?
The Final Beginning - Apparently picking up right where Doctor Who and the War Games ended, this is not the history of the Doctor that we know. Although, to be honest, the ending left me a bit … Wait? That’s it?. But this is a very promising opening. I’m definitely interested in seeing how this plays out (4/5).
Wrath of the Ice Warriors - Ah, a classic Ice Warriors story with the (Second) Doctor. Cut right out of the late, late 1960s. This felt almost like listening to a lost episode serial as if someone had recording it off the TV when in broadcast in … oh let’s say 1969. Even though we don’t have either Patrick Troughton or Nicholas Courtney. Michael Troughton and Jon Culshaw did a fantastic job respectively filling in for those two. And Katy Manning is completely unrecognizable. Absolutely wonderful performances. And NOW I get the ending to the previous story (4/5).
This whole Beyond War Games season is looking like a smash hit for me. I wasn’t even planning on listening to this in one day, but I just couldn’t stop.
The Final Beginning - Apparently picking up right where Doctor Who and the War Games ended, this is not the history of the Doctor that we know. Although, to be honest, the ending left me a bit … Wait? That’s it?. But this is a very promising opening. I’m definitely interested in seeing how this plays out (4/5).
Wrath of the Ice Warriors - Ah, a classic Ice Warriors story with the (Second) Doctor. Cut right out of the late, late 1960s. This felt almost like listening to a lost episode serial as if someone had recording it off the TV when in broadcast in … oh let’s say 1969. Even though we don’t have either Patrick Troughton or Nicholas Courtney. Michael Troughton and Jon Culshaw did a fantastic job respectively filling in for those two. And Katy Manning is completely unrecognizable. Absolutely wonderful performances. And NOW I get the ending to the previous story (4/5).
This whole Beyond War Games season is looking like a smash hit for me. I wasn’t even planning on listening to this in one day, but I just couldn’t stop.
October 1, 2022
When Big Finish announced that they were shaking up the second Doctor range there was a degree of uncertainty as Frazer Hines had done such an amazing job before hand. Once I heard Michael Troughton was involved I was curious and excited. Now I've heard his version of the character his father portrayed over 50 years ago I'm sold in this range. The first story zips by very quickly but helps establish Michael Troughton's take on the second Doctor. He certainly has his more cheeky nature down to a tee. The scored story has some great moments especially with John Culshaws Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (whose voice works well here because his voice suits the younger version best) and I love the scenes where the Doctor playfully teases him by changing his call sign while trying to reach him on the radio (woof woof) the only thing that knocks a star off is that I found Katy Manning's voice distracting as the main antagonist. It's not that she puts in a bad performance, far from it, it is just that her voice is too recognisable and so took me slightly out of the adventure. All in all an amazing start to a reboot of Big Finish's second Doctor range and we still haven't got to a team-up with Frazer's Jamie McCrimmon yet.
July 29, 2023
Слишком часто я заканчиваю очередной бокс БигФиниша с мыслью "Я понятия не имею, зачем они это сделали". С другой стороны Кэти Мэннинг в роли предводительницы банды Ледяных Воинов в второй истории - приятная неожиданность и держит на себе большую часть пьесы.
May 18, 2024
Despite having written a previous story that did away with the need for Season 6B, here Big Finish embraces it and gives their take on the adventures taking place during it. For those unfamiliar with it (if any such are reading these reviews) Season 6B is the fan theory that the Doctor did not regenerate at the end of The War Games but was instead forcibly recruited by the Time Lords to do covert, deniable, work for them, only becoming the Third Doctor when that concluded. It’s nonsense, of course, at least within the context of the TV series as originally written, but it’s a popular theory used, not only to justify the likes of The Two Doctors but, more recently, Fugitive of the Judoon. FWIW, Big Finish have their own take on the implications of the latter coming although, as of the time of writing, it seems to be stuck with a permanent TBD release date.
Any Second Doctor audio naturally requires someone to play the key role, and here that’s Michael Troughton. He doesn’t sound exactly like his father, but he’s close enough to do the job, and it’s far easier to forget the change of actor than it is for the current First Doctor Adventures with Stephen Noonan replacing Hartnell – I’m not one to insist that characters have to be played by relatives of the original actor but, in this case, it very much works.
The Final Beginning – Following another trend in recent releases, the two stories here are of unequal length. The first is the short one; only an hour long, despite being divided into four episodes. This means that it consists largely of the setup for this audio series, which differs slightly from the usual Season 6B theory but still aligns with the basics. Believing he is about to regenerate and begin his exile, the Second Doctor instead finds himself stranded on an icy planet where the landscape is disorienting and he hears echoes of his future self.
We don’t get the 6B pitch until the halfway mark, when the CIA turn up to explain what has been going on and from then on, it’s a straightforward story without any obvious twists. It does have callbacks to the Second Doctor’s run on television (and Spearhead from Space) but they’re there more for decoration than because of any relevance to the plot. In fact, the plot is honestly pretty thin, with some nice scenery setting in the first half that doesn’t end up going anywhere. It works as what it is, but this means that story takes second place to exposition; it’s something that can only be listened to in context, as a necessary prelude to what’s to come. 3.5 stars.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors – The TARDIS lands in the (real) army firing range at Cape Wrath on another mission for the Time Lords. We soon discover that UNIT are in the area, investigating hints of an alien landing that turns out to be the doing of the Ice Warriors. The result is aiming for the feel of The Invasion with a strong dose of The Sea Devils, and as such feels right for something that’s supposed to lie between seasons 6 and 7. Quite why the Time Lords care is, however, never explained; they’ve basically just pointed the Doctor at the sort of thing he tends to do if left to his own devices anyway...
On the other hand, it turns into something that’s a bit more than a standard alien invasion story. What the Ice Warriors are up to is more nuanced than in their two Troughton TV stories and we not only get to see an early UNIT interaction that still fits in with the show as televised, but also something that presages their depiction in The Curse of Peladon. The companion surrogate – a Scottish crofter and watercolour artist – works while, again, not quite fitting into the standard mould. True, there have been other stories that have used the basic premise, and the climactic scenes require some significant suspension of disbelief but, on the whole, it’s a strong outing that successfully fills its remit of bridging the Troughton-Pertwee gap – a Third Doctor problem with a (mostly) Second Doctor solution.
It ends, Marvel style, with an unrelated mid-closing-theme scene that connects to the larger plot arc. 4 stars.
Any Second Doctor audio naturally requires someone to play the key role, and here that’s Michael Troughton. He doesn’t sound exactly like his father, but he’s close enough to do the job, and it’s far easier to forget the change of actor than it is for the current First Doctor Adventures with Stephen Noonan replacing Hartnell – I’m not one to insist that characters have to be played by relatives of the original actor but, in this case, it very much works.
The Final Beginning – Following another trend in recent releases, the two stories here are of unequal length. The first is the short one; only an hour long, despite being divided into four episodes. This means that it consists largely of the setup for this audio series, which differs slightly from the usual Season 6B theory but still aligns with the basics. Believing he is about to regenerate and begin his exile, the Second Doctor instead finds himself stranded on an icy planet where the landscape is disorienting and he hears echoes of his future self.
We don’t get the 6B pitch until the halfway mark, when the CIA turn up to explain what has been going on and from then on, it’s a straightforward story without any obvious twists. It does have callbacks to the Second Doctor’s run on television (and Spearhead from Space) but they’re there more for decoration than because of any relevance to the plot. In fact, the plot is honestly pretty thin, with some nice scenery setting in the first half that doesn’t end up going anywhere. It works as what it is, but this means that story takes second place to exposition; it’s something that can only be listened to in context, as a necessary prelude to what’s to come. 3.5 stars.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors – The TARDIS lands in the (real) army firing range at Cape Wrath on another mission for the Time Lords. We soon discover that UNIT are in the area, investigating hints of an alien landing that turns out to be the doing of the Ice Warriors. The result is aiming for the feel of The Invasion with a strong dose of The Sea Devils, and as such feels right for something that’s supposed to lie between seasons 6 and 7. Quite why the Time Lords care is, however, never explained; they’ve basically just pointed the Doctor at the sort of thing he tends to do if left to his own devices anyway...
On the other hand, it turns into something that’s a bit more than a standard alien invasion story. What the Ice Warriors are up to is more nuanced than in their two Troughton TV stories and we not only get to see an early UNIT interaction that still fits in with the show as televised, but also something that presages their depiction in The Curse of Peladon. The companion surrogate – a Scottish crofter and watercolour artist – works while, again, not quite fitting into the standard mould. True, there have been other stories that have used the basic premise, and the climactic scenes require some significant suspension of disbelief but, on the whole, it’s a strong outing that successfully fills its remit of bridging the Troughton-Pertwee gap – a Third Doctor problem with a (mostly) Second Doctor solution.
It ends, Marvel style, with an unrelated mid-closing-theme scene that connects to the larger plot arc. 4 stars.
September 16, 2022
Doctor Who: The Second Doctor Adventures: Beyond War Games - 2.75/5 stars
Michael Troughton as the Second Doctor is quite great in this. It’s almost like his father, Patrick Troughton but the small differences don’t take anything away from his performance, in fact, the little difference help strengthen it.
Overall the two stories are fun little adventures but feel a bit pointless. I can see how they’re setting up an overarching plot in this series, the Second Doctor Adventures, but this release doesn’t feel like a justification of the Season 6b Big Finish range.
The Final Beginning by Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs - 2.5/5 stars
The Second Doctor is plucked out of his timeline just as his exile starts and is recruited to do missions for the Timelords.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors by Andrew Smith - 3/5 stars
Katy Manning as Lady Zelanda is the absolute highlight of the story. She gives a wonderfully entertaining performance. The story itself is a nice little small-scale run-around with early UNIT features and the fate of the Martians. I also love the little detail about Ice Warrior being a slur against the Martians.
Jon Culshaw as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is also really good in this. The Brigadier is really interesting in this story, especially in the second half being paired up with Skaar the Ice Warrior.
Michael Troughton as the Second Doctor is quite great in this. It’s almost like his father, Patrick Troughton but the small differences don’t take anything away from his performance, in fact, the little difference help strengthen it.
Overall the two stories are fun little adventures but feel a bit pointless. I can see how they’re setting up an overarching plot in this series, the Second Doctor Adventures, but this release doesn’t feel like a justification of the Season 6b Big Finish range.
The Final Beginning by Mark Wright and Nicholas Briggs - 2.5/5 stars
The Second Doctor is plucked out of his timeline just as his exile starts and is recruited to do missions for the Timelords.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors by Andrew Smith - 3/5 stars
Katy Manning as Lady Zelanda is the absolute highlight of the story. She gives a wonderfully entertaining performance. The story itself is a nice little small-scale run-around with early UNIT features and the fate of the Martians. I also love the little detail about Ice Warrior being a slur against the Martians.
Jon Culshaw as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is also really good in this. The Brigadier is really interesting in this story, especially in the second half being paired up with Skaar the Ice Warrior.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2022
A very excellent launch/relaunch of the Second Doctor Adventures at Big Finish. I'd grown so used to Frazer Hines' take on Patrick Troughton's Doctor that I wasn't sure I'd adjust well to Michael Troughton's voice work. Especially after his cameo appearance in the Third Doctor range, where he didn't seem . . . quite . . . right.
Well, it took only a minute or two into the first episode, and I'd adjusted just fine!
So Big Finish has taken the fan-speculated "Season 6b" -- the idea that after the episode "The War Games" the Second Doctor had a series of adventures before regenerating into the Third Doctor -- and made it a real thing. Sort of. This looks to be the beginning of a long arc (I hope y'all listened to the post-credits sequence after the second episode) involving the Celestial Intelligence Agency as well as addressing the question of how the Daleks were able to return after their "final end" in "The Evil of the Daleks." And I imagine other things as well. And of course we know from "The Annihilators" (the aforementioned Third Doctor episode) that at some point the Doctor tracks down an older Jamie McCrimmon who continues his journeys with the Doctor. So I imagine that'll be happening in the next set of episodes.
As mentioned, a good kick-off to this "new" range, and I'm looking forward to what comes next.
Well, it took only a minute or two into the first episode, and I'd adjusted just fine!
So Big Finish has taken the fan-speculated "Season 6b" -- the idea that after the episode "The War Games" the Second Doctor had a series of adventures before regenerating into the Third Doctor -- and made it a real thing. Sort of. This looks to be the beginning of a long arc (I hope y'all listened to the post-credits sequence after the second episode) involving the Celestial Intelligence Agency as well as addressing the question of how the Daleks were able to return after their "final end" in "The Evil of the Daleks." And I imagine other things as well. And of course we know from "The Annihilators" (the aforementioned Third Doctor episode) that at some point the Doctor tracks down an older Jamie McCrimmon who continues his journeys with the Doctor. So I imagine that'll be happening in the next set of episodes.
As mentioned, a good kick-off to this "new" range, and I'm looking forward to what comes next.
December 9, 2024
The Final Beginning
Big Finish finally tackles season 6B. While I like that this first story is a sequel to Evil of the Daleks, there's too little time spent on why exactly the Daleks and the some of the events of that story are coming undone. Still, the atmosphere is nice and the performances good. Michael Troughton does an admirable job of portraying the Second Doctor yet still bringing some of his own style to the role.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors
I'm always down for a team up between UNIT and the Second Doctor. The story is solid though it does lose some of it's momentum in the third episode as the mystery gives way to simple combat/space shenanigans. The idea of UNIT solders on Mars fighting Ice Warriors is very cool in my head, but I was unclear on where the ship they used came from. I really enjoyed Lucy Goldie's performance as Sheena Flynn and would love to see her become a companion sometime. Also, Jon Culshaw's Brigadier is fantastic. A bit anti-climactic, but good fun.
Big Finish finally tackles season 6B. While I like that this first story is a sequel to Evil of the Daleks, there's too little time spent on why exactly the Daleks and the some of the events of that story are coming undone. Still, the atmosphere is nice and the performances good. Michael Troughton does an admirable job of portraying the Second Doctor yet still bringing some of his own style to the role.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors
I'm always down for a team up between UNIT and the Second Doctor. The story is solid though it does lose some of it's momentum in the third episode as the mystery gives way to simple combat/space shenanigans. The idea of UNIT solders on Mars fighting Ice Warriors is very cool in my head, but I was unclear on where the ship they used came from. I really enjoyed Lucy Goldie's performance as Sheena Flynn and would love to see her become a companion sometime. Also, Jon Culshaw's Brigadier is fantastic. A bit anti-climactic, but good fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2024
Review by story…
The Final Beginning: Spooky and solid pilot episode. Establishes the concept of the series well. Does a good job of showing off the CIA and what they are all about. Looking forward to see where this story goes. Didn’t really like the jokes about the third Doctor and the explanation for the second Doctor’s status. Veered a little too close to the modern who Russel the Davies understanding of regeneration that I’m just not a fan of. But that’s a minor and entirely subjective complaint. 4/5
The Wrath of the Ice Warriors: Aggressively average. I like the stuff about internal Ice Warrior politics. But it does feel like this shouldn’t be a second Doctor story since the first time the third Doctor sees one he still thinks they’re all evil. The new guy they have doing the brigadier is very good. The twist ending is good for world building. It’s just not a story I particularly enjoyed. 3/5
The Final Beginning: Spooky and solid pilot episode. Establishes the concept of the series well. Does a good job of showing off the CIA and what they are all about. Looking forward to see where this story goes. Didn’t really like the jokes about the third Doctor and the explanation for the second Doctor’s status. Veered a little too close to the modern who Russel the Davies understanding of regeneration that I’m just not a fan of. But that’s a minor and entirely subjective complaint. 4/5
The Wrath of the Ice Warriors: Aggressively average. I like the stuff about internal Ice Warrior politics. But it does feel like this shouldn’t be a second Doctor story since the first time the third Doctor sees one he still thinks they’re all evil. The new guy they have doing the brigadier is very good. The twist ending is good for world building. It’s just not a story I particularly enjoyed. 3/5
November 28, 2022
For those who may be a bit apprehensive at jumping into a Doctor’s adventures who they are unfamiliar with, The Second Doctor’s Adventures Beyond War Games was enjoyable enough to make you want to see more from classic Doctor Who. Michael Troughton was fantastic stepping into his father’s shoes, capturing the same energy and enjoyment that I got from any of the NuWho adventures.
I was super engaged with the audio dramas, looking forward to the next chapter, as I listened to them on my car rides to and from work. “The Final Beginning” and “The Wrath of the Ice Warriors” aren’t difficult to follow as well, which made them even easier to enjoy.
Read the full review at: https://www.thecosmiccircus.com/revie...
I was super engaged with the audio dramas, looking forward to the next chapter, as I listened to them on my car rides to and from work. “The Final Beginning” and “The Wrath of the Ice Warriors” aren’t difficult to follow as well, which made them even easier to enjoy.
Read the full review at: https://www.thecosmiccircus.com/revie...
July 6, 2022
As the title would imply, this audio anthology takes place after The War Games, explicitly getting into Season 6B territory with the Celestial Intervention Agency and whatnot. The Final Beginning is a Dalek story, and then we have Wrath of the Ice Warriors. For some reason, I think Michael Troughton's performance as the Second Doctor was more convincing in The Third Doctor Adventures: The Annihilators. But I enjoyed Beyond War Games more, overall. There's a bit of foreshadowing of Jamie's eventual return, which has to happen given the glimpses we got in The Annihilators. And there's also a tease of a certain villain. So I'm excited that we're for sure getting more Season 6B content.
November 10, 2025
The first boxset of Second Doctor stories with Michael Troughton taking on his father's role.
The Final Beginning is a great opening story that sets up the situation the Doctor finds himself in post-War Games. It introduces some interesting ideas which will hopefully be explored in later boxsets.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors is a clever story that fits nicely in continuity while also feeling very authentic to the era. It feels very fresh having a Second Doctor UNIT story. Katy Manning also gets to play a different part which she does brilliantly.
Overall, a great start to the new era for the Second Doctor. I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go.
The Final Beginning is a great opening story that sets up the situation the Doctor finds himself in post-War Games. It introduces some interesting ideas which will hopefully be explored in later boxsets.
Wrath of the Ice Warriors is a clever story that fits nicely in continuity while also feeling very authentic to the era. It feels very fresh having a Second Doctor UNIT story. Katy Manning also gets to play a different part which she does brilliantly.
Overall, a great start to the new era for the Second Doctor. I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go.
January 29, 2025
The Doctor’s trial has ended. Exile to earth it is. Except, there’s still some wiggle room? The infamous Season 6 “B” is explored by Big Finish giving us some wonderful stories. Really enjoyed this boxset. I listened to it in a day because I just couldn’t stop myself.
December 3, 2025
Creating a Series 6B storyline is a fun idea.
Story 1 - 4 Stars - Solid exciting way to get things started. A little complicated for the first listen but a cool tie in with Evil of the Daleks.
Story 2 - 2 Stars - Boring Ice Warrior story.
Story 1 - 4 Stars - Solid exciting way to get things started. A little complicated for the first listen but a cool tie in with Evil of the Daleks.
Story 2 - 2 Stars - Boring Ice Warrior story.
December 24, 2025
(4.5)
The Ice Warrior story is maybe a smidge less interesting than the first story, "The Final Beginning," but whatever, this is still great. Michael Troughton sounds SO much like his father, and I always enjoy hearing Jon Culshaw as the Brig. The Second Doctor is one of my favs.
The Ice Warrior story is maybe a smidge less interesting than the first story, "The Final Beginning," but whatever, this is still great. Michael Troughton sounds SO much like his father, and I always enjoy hearing Jon Culshaw as the Brig. The Second Doctor is one of my favs.
October 9, 2022
The doctor is side tracked from his stranding years on earth to work for the celestial intervention agency.
November 23, 2024
Imagine tu lances enfin le concept de la saison 6B et tu décides que la deuxième histoire du premier boxset (et la plus longue) ça sera une histoire random osef de Ice Warrior ??
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