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The Ninth Doctor Adventures #2.1
Doctor Who: Back to Earth
Time and again, the Doctor finds himself returning to his favourite planet. Dropping in on history or the present-day, whether it’s kings, commuters or ordinary people, he’s never met anyone who wasn't important.
2.1 Station to Station by Robert Valentine
A deserted railway platform can be the loneliest place on Earth. But when Saffron is stranded at Underbridge station, she meets echoes of the past – and a fellow lost traveller. And the Doctor knows that something is hunting them.
2.2 The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala
Moscow, 1605: the old Tsar is dead – but some blame unnatural forces. Perhaps the mysterious Doctor in the palace can help? A successor advances on the Kremlin with an army, preparing the country for war. But Tsarevich Dimitry is not what he seems.
2.3 Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley
Every December, Mandy Litherland gathers the family at Foulds House to see in the New Year. Not everyone appreciates her efforts. At least the caretaker seems friendly - if a little weird. Mandy hopes she’ll see him again next year – but perhaps she already has.
2.1 Station to Station by Robert Valentine
A deserted railway platform can be the loneliest place on Earth. But when Saffron is stranded at Underbridge station, she meets echoes of the past – and a fellow lost traveller. And the Doctor knows that something is hunting them.
2.2 The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala
Moscow, 1605: the old Tsar is dead – but some blame unnatural forces. Perhaps the mysterious Doctor in the palace can help? A successor advances on the Kremlin with an army, preparing the country for war. But Tsarevich Dimitry is not what he seems.
2.3 Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley
Every December, Mandy Litherland gathers the family at Foulds House to see in the New Year. Not everyone appreciates her efforts. At least the caretaker seems friendly - if a little weird. Mandy hopes she’ll see him again next year – but perhaps she already has.
Audio CD
First published May 5, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 5, 2022
Station to Station by Robert Valentine
This was a nice starting audio for series 2 but it didn't really grab my attention. I don't want to claim the plot is uninteresting considering the really atmospheric setting, strong set of characters and unique villain however despite all this I didn't love it as much as I hope I would. I think the reason for this might be one of the characters, specifically Saffron. Saffron's character compared to some of the other one off companions feels like it's been done before in terms of personality. I can't put a name to it but there is definitely something about her that seems familiar to another character in the ninth doctor adventures. However her arc It is probably just me who feels this way about "Station to station" but maybe when I re-listen to this in a years time I will come to appreciate it's better aspects. 7/10
The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala
This story was really weak. No offence to Sarah Grochala but it was not for me. It's got interesting ideas but overall there isn't much to say. The characters weren't very appealing for me and the villain was a little creative. I do feel the setting of 1605 Russia was nice. 6/10
Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley
Best audio in the set. A very nice character focused piece structured a bit like years and years where a family come together every year and talk about what is going on in their lives however it during 1989-1994. The characters are compelling and that is the main focus (+ this mysterious house). Honestly, I find this to be really enjoyable but adding on to this is the twists. There are some solid twists. Don't want to spoil anymore. If there is a reason to buy this boxset this is why. Didn't have me in tears on anything but still superb. 8/10 (really close to a 9 tho)
Overall 21/30 (maybe a 3/5 is a little harsh)
This was a nice starting audio for series 2 but it didn't really grab my attention. I don't want to claim the plot is uninteresting considering the really atmospheric setting, strong set of characters and unique villain however despite all this I didn't love it as much as I hope I would. I think the reason for this might be one of the characters, specifically Saffron. Saffron's character compared to some of the other one off companions feels like it's been done before in terms of personality. I can't put a name to it but there is definitely something about her that seems familiar to another character in the ninth doctor adventures. However her arc It is probably just me who feels this way about "Station to station" but maybe when I re-listen to this in a years time I will come to appreciate it's better aspects. 7/10
The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala
This story was really weak. No offence to Sarah Grochala but it was not for me. It's got interesting ideas but overall there isn't much to say. The characters weren't very appealing for me and the villain was a little creative. I do feel the setting of 1605 Russia was nice. 6/10
Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley
Best audio in the set. A very nice character focused piece structured a bit like years and years where a family come together every year and talk about what is going on in their lives however it during 1989-1994. The characters are compelling and that is the main focus (+ this mysterious house). Honestly, I find this to be really enjoyable but adding on to this is the twists. There are some solid twists. Don't want to spoil anymore. If there is a reason to buy this boxset this is why. Didn't have me in tears on anything but still superb. 8/10 (really close to a 9 tho)
Overall 21/30 (maybe a 3/5 is a little harsh)
August 1, 2024
Station to station
Fairly basic plot and (easily defeated) villain, but some nice emotional moments and funny lines. 7/10
The False Dimitry
A bit of a dull mess, but with some good performances (but not Oksana…) 5/10
Auld Lang Syne
The characters are completely ordinary and the first half of the story was a bit dull because of that (but also very sweet). The second half was building on it all brilliantly though and Mandy is great. She would be a great companion!
8/10
Fairly basic plot and (easily defeated) villain, but some nice emotional moments and funny lines. 7/10
The False Dimitry
A bit of a dull mess, but with some good performances (but not Oksana…) 5/10
Auld Lang Syne
The characters are completely ordinary and the first half of the story was a bit dull because of that (but also very sweet). The second half was building on it all brilliantly though and Mandy is great. She would be a great companion!
8/10
May 10, 2022
Not quite as strong as the previous two box sets, but still pretty good. There’s actually a little reference to Lungbarrow and the Theta Sigma nickname. Also “the oncoming storm.” The Doctor has a nice quote about believing that hope will remain. There is the eye rolly trope of someone kissing The Doctor, but you know. Different stories in different time periods. Not bad.
May 23, 2022
I was maybe a little less interested in the middle story — you can see where it's all heading before anything "unusual" is identified — but it's not a bad a story. Honestly, I'm just always glad to have more Ninth Doctor stories, so let's round up on the star ratings.
August 9, 2022
3.5* rounded down. First and last story were really great, but the second one was a complete miss for me.
May 10, 2022
🙏🏼53% 👍26 👎26 = YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IT!
_________________________
We are now headed into the second series of Ninth Doctor audio adventures with Chris Eccleston at the helm. Isn't it weird how he has now recorded more stories for Big Finish than he ever did on television? Anyway, in a true RTD era manner, this box set sees Nine return to Earth for three exciting adventures.
"BACK TO EARTH" FROM BEST TO WORST:
Station to Station: ✅79% 👍15 👎4
+3 // Ian Bartholomew provides a hair-raisingly creepy performance as the Grimminy-Grew, a baddie right out from Steven Moffat's Handbook of Creepy Doctor Who Monsters. It is easily one of the scariest baddies Nine has ever faced, right up there with the Gas Mask Children.
+3 // Christopher Eccleston continues his series of energetic performances, and he gets to show his defiant and determined side again when facing the Grimmity-Grew.
+2 // What a chilling start to the story - very RTD era Who, for sure, and sets the atmosphere perfectly!
+2 // The real name of the Grimmity-Grew is a fun nod to the sometimes ridiculous alien names of the RTD era.
+2 // Chris Eccleston and Indigo Griffith make for a pretty good pairing. I wouldn't mind having Griffith as a companion, as she is both very humane and not too simple, asking the right questions and bouncing off of the Doctor in the right ways.
+2 // Robert Valentine maintains a very high dose of tension with his take on a ghost story, which turns intense very early on and never loses its grip.
+1 // The Doctor and Saffron are thrown into the heart of the story - this strange in-between world - quickly, therefore leaving loads of time to develop the mystery and peril within this strange bubble world.
-1 // The monster of the tale has a scientific explanation behind it, but it's so overly complicated that I don't think Valentine himself knows what it's supposed to mean. He might as well have left it completely unexplained because it doesn't matter anyway if we cannot understand it. Sometimes, less is more!
-1 // So Saffron has family problems and it's revealed that she is about to marry a woman. I feel like the same-sex marriage aspect of the story feels a bit forced this time because it does not have bearing on the plot at all.
-1 // The setting is there, but Valentine doesn't do much to make it come alive, so it feels like most other in-between places we've seen and heard in the franchise.
-1 // This is one of those very fast-paced stories, with the performances sometimes so rapid that it's difficult to keep up.
----
The False Dimitry: ⛔22% 👍4 👎14
+2 // It's impossible not to love Eccleston's energetic and youthful take on the Doctor, particularly when he confidently heads into every dangerous situation as if each and every one of them would be his final moment alive.
+1 // Okay, the "most of the doctors are from England" joke made me chuckle.
1+ // The basic threat posed by the alien baddie is a simple, but effective one used to bring very grounded excitement into the story.
-1 // This one's so fast-paced and hurries at times that it makes me exhausted just sitting here and trying to take it all in.
-2 // I guess this is supposed to take place during a famous historical event, but I never got the feel of a historical and didn't connect with the setting or the characters.
-2 // I am not sold on Katy Brittan's take on Okansa, she is something of an annoyance throughout the entire story.
-2 // The rest of the cast is very lifeless as well; no one feels like a real character.
-2 //There's a running gag about Poles that is so overdone that it makes the intended comedy feel forced rather than funny.
-2 // We've had different forms of murderous invading robots in Doctor Who, so the ones in The False Dimitry are neither interesting nor particularly memorable.
-3 // The latter half of this story almost entirely kills any potential build-up spread out throughout the first half, and it's almost impressive how all over the place the story ends up going before the end.
----
Auld Land Syne: 🙏🏼58% 👍7 👎5
+2 // This story finds some strengths in its horror and time travel aspects, which stretch the story out across a larger time frame.
+1 // Auld Lang Syne initially goes for some kind of a mix of an RTD era contemporary Earth-based story and a scrapped episode of Stranded, with a particular focus put on the normal people that surround the Doctor.
+1 // Some of the twists towards the end helped give the story a slightly unique quality, making this more of an experimental story.
+1 // I enjoy some of the emotional turns at the end, even if they don't land as well as intended, mostly due to the fact that I didn't connect with the characters.
+1 // That little sing-along at the end is a pretty heartfelt moment.
+1 // I now desperately want Big Finish to tell us what the Doctor did in Lapland since he's not welcome there anymore.
-1 // It takes a while for this story to set up the main threat or even some kind of a determined narrative direction.
-2 // The main problem is that this story kind of floats around without doing anything interesting with its characters or building up to something bigger.
-2 // The story keeps retreading the same plot cycle time after time, to the point where it turns repetitive and dull.
_________________________
We are now headed into the second series of Ninth Doctor audio adventures with Chris Eccleston at the helm. Isn't it weird how he has now recorded more stories for Big Finish than he ever did on television? Anyway, in a true RTD era manner, this box set sees Nine return to Earth for three exciting adventures.
"BACK TO EARTH" FROM BEST TO WORST:
Station to Station: ✅79% 👍15 👎4
+3 // Ian Bartholomew provides a hair-raisingly creepy performance as the Grimminy-Grew, a baddie right out from Steven Moffat's Handbook of Creepy Doctor Who Monsters. It is easily one of the scariest baddies Nine has ever faced, right up there with the Gas Mask Children.
+3 // Christopher Eccleston continues his series of energetic performances, and he gets to show his defiant and determined side again when facing the Grimmity-Grew.
+2 // What a chilling start to the story - very RTD era Who, for sure, and sets the atmosphere perfectly!
+2 // The real name of the Grimmity-Grew is a fun nod to the sometimes ridiculous alien names of the RTD era.
+2 // Chris Eccleston and Indigo Griffith make for a pretty good pairing. I wouldn't mind having Griffith as a companion, as she is both very humane and not too simple, asking the right questions and bouncing off of the Doctor in the right ways.
+2 // Robert Valentine maintains a very high dose of tension with his take on a ghost story, which turns intense very early on and never loses its grip.
+1 // The Doctor and Saffron are thrown into the heart of the story - this strange in-between world - quickly, therefore leaving loads of time to develop the mystery and peril within this strange bubble world.
-1 // The monster of the tale has a scientific explanation behind it, but it's so overly complicated that I don't think Valentine himself knows what it's supposed to mean. He might as well have left it completely unexplained because it doesn't matter anyway if we cannot understand it. Sometimes, less is more!
-1 // So Saffron has family problems and it's revealed that she is about to marry a woman. I feel like the same-sex marriage aspect of the story feels a bit forced this time because it does not have bearing on the plot at all.
-1 // The setting is there, but Valentine doesn't do much to make it come alive, so it feels like most other in-between places we've seen and heard in the franchise.
-1 // This is one of those very fast-paced stories, with the performances sometimes so rapid that it's difficult to keep up.
----
The False Dimitry: ⛔22% 👍4 👎14
+2 // It's impossible not to love Eccleston's energetic and youthful take on the Doctor, particularly when he confidently heads into every dangerous situation as if each and every one of them would be his final moment alive.
+1 // Okay, the "most of the doctors are from England" joke made me chuckle.
1+ // The basic threat posed by the alien baddie is a simple, but effective one used to bring very grounded excitement into the story.
-1 // This one's so fast-paced and hurries at times that it makes me exhausted just sitting here and trying to take it all in.
-2 // I guess this is supposed to take place during a famous historical event, but I never got the feel of a historical and didn't connect with the setting or the characters.
-2 // I am not sold on Katy Brittan's take on Okansa, she is something of an annoyance throughout the entire story.
-2 // The rest of the cast is very lifeless as well; no one feels like a real character.
-2 //There's a running gag about Poles that is so overdone that it makes the intended comedy feel forced rather than funny.
-2 // We've had different forms of murderous invading robots in Doctor Who, so the ones in The False Dimitry are neither interesting nor particularly memorable.
-3 // The latter half of this story almost entirely kills any potential build-up spread out throughout the first half, and it's almost impressive how all over the place the story ends up going before the end.
----
Auld Land Syne: 🙏🏼58% 👍7 👎5
+2 // This story finds some strengths in its horror and time travel aspects, which stretch the story out across a larger time frame.
+1 // Auld Lang Syne initially goes for some kind of a mix of an RTD era contemporary Earth-based story and a scrapped episode of Stranded, with a particular focus put on the normal people that surround the Doctor.
+1 // Some of the twists towards the end helped give the story a slightly unique quality, making this more of an experimental story.
+1 // I enjoy some of the emotional turns at the end, even if they don't land as well as intended, mostly due to the fact that I didn't connect with the characters.
+1 // That little sing-along at the end is a pretty heartfelt moment.
+1 // I now desperately want Big Finish to tell us what the Doctor did in Lapland since he's not welcome there anymore.
-1 // It takes a while for this story to set up the main threat or even some kind of a determined narrative direction.
-2 // The main problem is that this story kind of floats around without doing anything interesting with its characters or building up to something bigger.
-2 // The story keeps retreading the same plot cycle time after time, to the point where it turns repetitive and dull.
March 23, 2023
The 9th Doctor adventures audios have been an up-and-down roller coaster for me. Some I really didn't care much about like Ravagers. Old Friends I did enjoy, but I think Back to Earth has finally found it's balance and this felt like a warm, comfortable blanket of the 9th Doctor era. It felt like it could have been a prequel before the t.v show.
Essentially there were no big, flashy villains in this but sometimes, having no big flashy villains and just having an arc focusing on humanity is what makes stories better.
1.1 Station to Station by Robert Valentine
A deserted railway platform can be the loneliest place on Earth. But when Saffron is stranded at Underbridge station, she meets echoes of the past - and a fellow lost traveler. And the Doctor knows that something is hunting them...
I really enjoyed this one. The Rumpelstiltskin villain did remind me of the villain slightly in the 10th Doctor meets Classic companions boxset with the fairytale story villain, but I loved the human side of the story. And I LOVE Saffron, an open lesbian companion. It's also nice to hear that the actress Indigo emailed big finish about the role and got the job and she did wonderfully.
I also loved the Grimminy-Grue and the Doctor show down and how they were going through false names and the villain shouts out Brother Lungbarrow and Theta Sigma. It caught me off guard, for I'd thought I never hear Christopher Eccleston say either of these or acknowledge these either. But I thought Ian Bartholomew did a geat job, and I loved the voice effects for his character.
1.2 The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala
Moscow, 1605: the old Tsar is dead - but some blame unnatural forces. Perhaps the mysterious Doctor in the palace can help?
A successor advances on the Kremlin with an army, preparing the country for war. But Tsarevich Dimitry is not what he seems...
This story felt the weakest of the boxset. I do love learning about Russian history as I have a few friends in Russia, but like the director Helen Goldwyn says, it's story you have to look up and google because I've never heard of Tsar Boris Fyodorovich Godunov before. So it was interesting to look up.
The overall story I felt got lost a little along the way plotwise and it didn't quite reach the political potential it could have done. The characters were the best thing about it, and it was nice for 9 to go to Russia in an audio adventure.
1.3 Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley
Every December, Mandy Litherland gathers the family at Foulds House to see in the New Year. Not everyone appreciates her efforts. At least the caretaker seems friendly - if a little weird.
Mandy hopes she’ll see him again next year - but perhaps she already has...
This story hit me. Tim Foley is becoming a new favourite big finish writer of mine, as the stories I have listened to by him I have not been disappointed in him so far. It's a haunted house that's not quite a haunted house, and although nothing huge happens in it, the characters really leapt off the page and you really do become involved with Mandy and her family, and why she has to come back to this house every year, at new year.
Mandy Litherland was a great character, and I loved her interaction with Aunt Sue. The bit about her losing her Aunt Pat did hit me in the feels, and when she got to see her again in the past especially. Because I've lost two of my grandparents during lockdown and have been having dreams about if only for a day, I could go back and tell them how much I loved them. I also loved the banter between 9 and Mandy when they talk about Mandy living in London.
Over all, I'm glad to have listened to this one. It's one of the better boxsets out of the 9th Doctor range.
Essentially there were no big, flashy villains in this but sometimes, having no big flashy villains and just having an arc focusing on humanity is what makes stories better.
1.1 Station to Station by Robert Valentine
A deserted railway platform can be the loneliest place on Earth. But when Saffron is stranded at Underbridge station, she meets echoes of the past - and a fellow lost traveler. And the Doctor knows that something is hunting them...
I really enjoyed this one. The Rumpelstiltskin villain did remind me of the villain slightly in the 10th Doctor meets Classic companions boxset with the fairytale story villain, but I loved the human side of the story. And I LOVE Saffron, an open lesbian companion. It's also nice to hear that the actress Indigo emailed big finish about the role and got the job and she did wonderfully.
I also loved the Grimminy-Grue and the Doctor show down and how they were going through false names and the villain shouts out Brother Lungbarrow and Theta Sigma. It caught me off guard, for I'd thought I never hear Christopher Eccleston say either of these or acknowledge these either. But I thought Ian Bartholomew did a geat job, and I loved the voice effects for his character.
1.2 The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala
Moscow, 1605: the old Tsar is dead - but some blame unnatural forces. Perhaps the mysterious Doctor in the palace can help?
A successor advances on the Kremlin with an army, preparing the country for war. But Tsarevich Dimitry is not what he seems...
This story felt the weakest of the boxset. I do love learning about Russian history as I have a few friends in Russia, but like the director Helen Goldwyn says, it's story you have to look up and google because I've never heard of Tsar Boris Fyodorovich Godunov before. So it was interesting to look up.
The overall story I felt got lost a little along the way plotwise and it didn't quite reach the political potential it could have done. The characters were the best thing about it, and it was nice for 9 to go to Russia in an audio adventure.
1.3 Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley
Every December, Mandy Litherland gathers the family at Foulds House to see in the New Year. Not everyone appreciates her efforts. At least the caretaker seems friendly - if a little weird.
Mandy hopes she’ll see him again next year - but perhaps she already has...
This story hit me. Tim Foley is becoming a new favourite big finish writer of mine, as the stories I have listened to by him I have not been disappointed in him so far. It's a haunted house that's not quite a haunted house, and although nothing huge happens in it, the characters really leapt off the page and you really do become involved with Mandy and her family, and why she has to come back to this house every year, at new year.
Mandy Litherland was a great character, and I loved her interaction with Aunt Sue. The bit about her losing her Aunt Pat did hit me in the feels, and when she got to see her again in the past especially. Because I've lost two of my grandparents during lockdown and have been having dreams about if only for a day, I could go back and tell them how much I loved them. I also loved the banter between 9 and Mandy when they talk about Mandy living in London.
Over all, I'm glad to have listened to this one. It's one of the better boxsets out of the 9th Doctor range.
February 17, 2023
The first series of Ninth Doctor Adventures was nothing short of fantastic and when Big Finish revealed they were doing a second series of stories with Christopher Eccleston I was beyond happy that there were going to be even more new stories with The Ninth Doctor, we have truly be blessed by Big Finish!
Station to Station:
Robert Valentines has written a terrifyingly, beautiful melancholic story on loneliness with added elements of time travel. It feels like a very Steven Moffat kind of story in a sense with the themes it tackles and the very fairytale-like villain with The Grimminy-Grew who was absolutely terrifying, Ian Bartholomew's performance is spine-crawlingly brilliant!
Station to Station is another brilliant installment in The Ninth Doctor adventures, managing to be not only a wonderfully spooky story but one with a very strong emotional core to it with an ending that very nearly had me in tears, but in a good way. 9/10
The False Dimitry:
The plot while nothing to write home about is fun and engaging, the characters were okay and the historical setting was nice and there were definitely some heartbreaking scenes, and whilst Sarah Grochala has written a really fun story, it's not my fav in the Ninth Doctor adventures, it's good fun but it does feel like a story you may have watched or listened to before in some ways.
Still worth listening to especially if you want to lay back and relax to something a bit simpler but exciting. 7/10
Auld Lang Syne:
Tim Foley has always been a writer I've admired right off the bat, his stories tend to either have a strong emotional core or are great horror stories oozing with terror and atmosphere. I am pleased to say this story has a little of both, it's a very emotional story about what it's like on new years day after each passing year and the turmoils and trials we've faced through those times topped with some excellent atmosphere and one or two creepy scenes, it isn't scary but it's certainly a wh0lesome if not at times sad little story.
The ideas at the center here are absolutely fantastic and finding out where The Doctor finds himself in all this is really fun, his and Mandy's connection in this story was absolutely lovely and I wouldn't have minded one bit if Big Finish decided to have these two as a Tardis team. 10/10
Overall: Whilst the middle story wasn't the best, it was still a lot of fun and the two stories by Robert Valentine and Tim Foley make for some exciting listening and show off what this range is capable of and I'm loving every minute of it! 26/30
Station to Station:
Robert Valentines has written a terrifyingly, beautiful melancholic story on loneliness with added elements of time travel. It feels like a very Steven Moffat kind of story in a sense with the themes it tackles and the very fairytale-like villain with The Grimminy-Grew who was absolutely terrifying, Ian Bartholomew's performance is spine-crawlingly brilliant!
Station to Station is another brilliant installment in The Ninth Doctor adventures, managing to be not only a wonderfully spooky story but one with a very strong emotional core to it with an ending that very nearly had me in tears, but in a good way. 9/10
The False Dimitry:
The plot while nothing to write home about is fun and engaging, the characters were okay and the historical setting was nice and there were definitely some heartbreaking scenes, and whilst Sarah Grochala has written a really fun story, it's not my fav in the Ninth Doctor adventures, it's good fun but it does feel like a story you may have watched or listened to before in some ways.
Still worth listening to especially if you want to lay back and relax to something a bit simpler but exciting. 7/10
Auld Lang Syne:
Tim Foley has always been a writer I've admired right off the bat, his stories tend to either have a strong emotional core or are great horror stories oozing with terror and atmosphere. I am pleased to say this story has a little of both, it's a very emotional story about what it's like on new years day after each passing year and the turmoils and trials we've faced through those times topped with some excellent atmosphere and one or two creepy scenes, it isn't scary but it's certainly a wh0lesome if not at times sad little story.
The ideas at the center here are absolutely fantastic and finding out where The Doctor finds himself in all this is really fun, his and Mandy's connection in this story was absolutely lovely and I wouldn't have minded one bit if Big Finish decided to have these two as a Tardis team. 10/10
Overall: Whilst the middle story wasn't the best, it was still a lot of fun and the two stories by Robert Valentine and Tim Foley make for some exciting listening and show off what this range is capable of and I'm loving every minute of it! 26/30
May 12, 2022
Station to Station:
5/10
Verdict: Optional
It's an alright story, pretty cool setting with some decent side characters and a seriously naff villain. The plot is kind of all over the place, things just happen and there are pretty much no explanations given, and don't even get me started on the ending, properly terrible. Overall, it's a pretty mixed bag, so I can't say either the good or the bad outweighs the other.
The False Dimitry:
2/10
Verdict: Not Recommended
Actually fuck this story, it is complete dogshit. I'm sorry to say this because I'm sure effort was put in by someone, but I hate every aspect of this. The setting is thrown in there with no effort put in to develop it, the characters are terrible, sure why not give one of them a seriously irritating voice for the entire duration and throw in a last minute gay romance that wasn't hinted at in the slightest just so the death with be sadder. The antagonists are the most generic plot fodder capitalist robot henchmen you could get. The plot is drivel, complete bollocks. It feels lazy, it feels explotative and it feels like more should be done with 9.
Can you tell I had a bad day when writing this? I think that's more reason for this, a DW story should make my day better for having listened to it, not worse.
Auld Lang Syne:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended
I adore this story, but I hate that it justifies the purchase of this boxset. The setting is seriously great, like prime story potential, and they deliver on it. Every character is written and performed amazingly, every plot thread had me captivated and delivered in a great way, it made me tear up, it made me chuckle, it had a bit of everything. Can recommend this story to everyone, which is such a shame because I can't do the same for the other two stories on this boxset.
5/10
Verdict: Optional
It's an alright story, pretty cool setting with some decent side characters and a seriously naff villain. The plot is kind of all over the place, things just happen and there are pretty much no explanations given, and don't even get me started on the ending, properly terrible. Overall, it's a pretty mixed bag, so I can't say either the good or the bad outweighs the other.
The False Dimitry:
2/10
Verdict: Not Recommended
Actually fuck this story, it is complete dogshit. I'm sorry to say this because I'm sure effort was put in by someone, but I hate every aspect of this. The setting is thrown in there with no effort put in to develop it, the characters are terrible, sure why not give one of them a seriously irritating voice for the entire duration and throw in a last minute gay romance that wasn't hinted at in the slightest just so the death with be sadder. The antagonists are the most generic plot fodder capitalist robot henchmen you could get. The plot is drivel, complete bollocks. It feels lazy, it feels explotative and it feels like more should be done with 9.
Can you tell I had a bad day when writing this? I think that's more reason for this, a DW story should make my day better for having listened to it, not worse.
Auld Lang Syne:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended
I adore this story, but I hate that it justifies the purchase of this boxset. The setting is seriously great, like prime story potential, and they deliver on it. Every character is written and performed amazingly, every plot thread had me captivated and delivered in a great way, it made me tear up, it made me chuckle, it had a bit of everything. Can recommend this story to everyone, which is such a shame because I can't do the same for the other two stories on this boxset.
May 21, 2022
The first of the second series of Ninth Doctor Adventures,
Back to Earth
features Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor in three stand-alone stories set before the TV Episode Rose.
The first story, Station to Station by Robert Valentine, sees the Doctor and companion standin Saffron face down an alien fairytale monster that feeds on fear. Great horror vibes without being too scary, this had some great character moments between the Doctor and the guest cast. The Grimminy-Grue is a great monster and the name-guessing game between it and the Doctor at the end is a lot of fun.
The second story, The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala, takes the Doctor to 1605 Russia during what is known as "The Time of Troubles" that had several rapid rulers between the death of Tsar Fyodor I and the rise of the Romanovs. This story focuses on False Dmitry I, and takes and scrunches real history by combining it alien robots. Despite playing around historical accuracy, this one was probably my favorite of the set and a lot of fun.
The third story is Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley. This sees the Doctor as the caretaker of an old house. The story revolves around Mandy Litherland and her family staying at the house every year for New Year's. It's a fun, if rather sad story with a nice twist that I won't spoil here.
A really good boxset, Back to Earth is a lot of fun. A good introduction to Big Finish for New Series fans, and a must for fans of Eccleston's Doctor. A nice variety of stories, with none being overly complicated or confusing. If you're looking for some more Ninth Doctor or curious about Big Finish, definitely worth a listen.
The first story, Station to Station by Robert Valentine, sees the Doctor and companion standin Saffron face down an alien fairytale monster that feeds on fear. Great horror vibes without being too scary, this had some great character moments between the Doctor and the guest cast. The Grimminy-Grue is a great monster and the name-guessing game between it and the Doctor at the end is a lot of fun.
The second story, The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala, takes the Doctor to 1605 Russia during what is known as "The Time of Troubles" that had several rapid rulers between the death of Tsar Fyodor I and the rise of the Romanovs. This story focuses on False Dmitry I, and takes and scrunches real history by combining it alien robots. Despite playing around historical accuracy, this one was probably my favorite of the set and a lot of fun.
The third story is Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley. This sees the Doctor as the caretaker of an old house. The story revolves around Mandy Litherland and her family staying at the house every year for New Year's. It's a fun, if rather sad story with a nice twist that I won't spoil here.
A really good boxset, Back to Earth is a lot of fun. A good introduction to Big Finish for New Series fans, and a must for fans of Eccleston's Doctor. A nice variety of stories, with none being overly complicated or confusing. If you're looking for some more Ninth Doctor or curious about Big Finish, definitely worth a listen.
November 3, 2022
Listened to the set while traveling.
For my train ride, I listened to Station to Station.
Great spooky story, and I really have to emphasize the quality of the sound design! I really had a hard time telling the train sounds in real life from the one inthe drama apart.... for example, I was wondering why the door closing chime sounded when we had not been in any station.
This was very well performed, too.
False Dimitry- listened during a flight. Sorry.... but this story did not do anything for me. This might be because I have no clue about Russian history. For me, this just came across as the usual alien secret invasion plot and I was also quite confused in parts. Not my cup of tea I am afraid. I also find the BF attempts to recreate crowded scenes with thousands of people pitiful and beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. BF drama works best for me in intimate settings, playing to the strength of a small cast.
I have to agree with everyone else that Auld Land Syne is simply beautiful.
It has some interesting temporal structure, a neat idea behind it, plus a characterful family story with lots of heart.
I did tear up at the end.
Plus, I have been a scout in my youth, so I know the German text to the tune by heart, and it always reminds me of tearful goodbyes at the end of fun and exciting summer camps.
It also works well as a Doctor- lite story.
This is again the type of story that works well for me- setting, atmosphere and interesting working together and to best effect with a small cast.
Best story of the set.
For my train ride, I listened to Station to Station.
Great spooky story, and I really have to emphasize the quality of the sound design! I really had a hard time telling the train sounds in real life from the one inthe drama apart.... for example, I was wondering why the door closing chime sounded when we had not been in any station.
This was very well performed, too.
False Dimitry- listened during a flight. Sorry.... but this story did not do anything for me. This might be because I have no clue about Russian history. For me, this just came across as the usual alien secret invasion plot and I was also quite confused in parts. Not my cup of tea I am afraid. I also find the BF attempts to recreate crowded scenes with thousands of people pitiful and beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. BF drama works best for me in intimate settings, playing to the strength of a small cast.
I have to agree with everyone else that Auld Land Syne is simply beautiful.
It has some interesting temporal structure, a neat idea behind it, plus a characterful family story with lots of heart.
I did tear up at the end.
Plus, I have been a scout in my youth, so I know the German text to the tune by heart, and it always reminds me of tearful goodbyes at the end of fun and exciting summer camps.
It also works well as a Doctor- lite story.
This is again the type of story that works well for me- setting, atmosphere and interesting working together and to best effect with a small cast.
Best story of the set.
February 18, 2025
Three more early adventures of the (Ninth) Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), set before he meets Rose Tyler.
(5.1) Station to Station - This one is pretty standard (Ninth) Doctor fair. Performances are excellent, but the narrative itself is not particularly interesting. Basically a variation of the ghosts-at-the-train-station trope (3/5).
(5.2) The False Dimitry - A fun Russian romp that is in much the same vein as the other pseudo-historicals of Eccleston’s era (3/5).
(5.3) Auld Lang Syne - Okay. I was not expecting this one. After my mediocre response to the first two stories in this sets, I was really just expecting more of the same. Except … I didn’t get what I was expecting. This one was brilliant. It’s sort of a Same Time Next Year kind of thing with a Doctor Who twist. Just wonderful. I was literally tearing up by the end. Beautiful. Just beautiful. And Mandy Litherland would have made a FANTASTIC companion (5/5). This is the kind of stuff that makes me keep coming back to Big Finish again and again. Great characters, imaginative setting, and enthralling stories!
So, averaged out, this set should only get 3-stars, but the last story was so good I just have to bump it up a bit and give it (4/5). This set also include the usual bonus disc of bonus interviews with cast and crew.
(5.1) Station to Station - This one is pretty standard (Ninth) Doctor fair. Performances are excellent, but the narrative itself is not particularly interesting. Basically a variation of the ghosts-at-the-train-station trope (3/5).
(5.2) The False Dimitry - A fun Russian romp that is in much the same vein as the other pseudo-historicals of Eccleston’s era (3/5).
(5.3) Auld Lang Syne - Okay. I was not expecting this one. After my mediocre response to the first two stories in this sets, I was really just expecting more of the same. Except … I didn’t get what I was expecting. This one was brilliant. It’s sort of a Same Time Next Year kind of thing with a Doctor Who twist. Just wonderful. I was literally tearing up by the end. Beautiful. Just beautiful. And Mandy Litherland would have made a FANTASTIC companion (5/5). This is the kind of stuff that makes me keep coming back to Big Finish again and again. Great characters, imaginative setting, and enthralling stories!
So, averaged out, this set should only get 3-stars, but the last story was so good I just have to bump it up a bit and give it (4/5). This set also include the usual bonus disc of bonus interviews with cast and crew.
May 9, 2022
Episodes 1 and 3 were excellent. The middle one didn't really do it for me.
May 27, 2022
An OK set of stories, though I was kind of hoping the Doctor would take Mandy along with him. He could use a travelling companion since he doesn't have Rose along for the ride.
August 3, 2022
Station to Station - 5/5, gripping and moving
The False Dimitry - 4/5, good fun historical romp
Auld Lang Syne - 3/5, it was alright but a bit vague, struggled to follow it.
The False Dimitry - 4/5, good fun historical romp
Auld Lang Syne - 3/5, it was alright but a bit vague, struggled to follow it.
August 4, 2022
The doctor helps 3 people.
February 27, 2023
I really enjoyed the spookier theme of the first and third stories...but I wasn't interested in the second story, which pulls down my rating a bit.
September 7, 2023
1.1 'Station to Station' by Robert Valentine: 5*
1.2 'The False Dimitry' by Sarah Grochala: 4*
1.3 'Auld Lang Syne' by Tim Foley: 5*
1.2 'The False Dimitry' by Sarah Grochala: 4*
1.3 'Auld Lang Syne' by Tim Foley: 5*
July 6, 2024
Three unconnected stories featuring the Ninth Doctor before he meets Rose. All take place on Earth, with two in the present day, and one in the past.
Station to Station – The first episode is a creepy ghost story set at an unstaffed train station in the middle of nowhere at the dead of night. The Doctor and companion stand-in Saffron find themselves unable to leave as something apparently supernatural is stalking them, slowly discovering that others may also be trapped here. For people of a certain age, it’s hard to avoid parallels with “Serial 2” of Sapphire and Steel, although that is good company to be in – and this, of course, is much shorter. However, while that was about unjust death, here the theme of the story is being in transit, whether physically or emotionally, for which the station is an obvious metaphor.
The mood and the way the characters are portrayed work well, and Saffron’s backstory adds to the emotional backdrop.
If there’s a weakness, however, it’s that it’s often difficult to work out what’s going on when characters aren’t simply talking. The layout of the railway station is obvious because we’re very familiar with those and the fact that we’re on audio is no limitation there. But what exactly are people seeing when they see the ‘monster’ and what is it doing? These points are unclear, although the former is at least on the cover; it’s the kind of thing that would be irrelevant on TV, but that needs more explanatory dialogue when you lack the visuals. Still, this isn’t enough to seriously detract from the wider tale. 4 stars.
The False Dimitri – The historical story is based loosely on the real events surrounding the eponymous False Dimitri, a pretender who seized the Russian throne in 1605 by claiming to be the late son of Ivan the Terrible. However, the real story has been twisted almost out of recognition, and not just because here, it turns out to have something to do with aliens. Most notably, the historical eleven-month reign is reduced to less than 48 hours, replacing a considerable period of disruption with a brief hiccup.
More seriously, the story lacks credibility, with the Doctor easily able to interrupt major affairs of state without guards making more than a token effort to stop him and walking into invading armies as if there are no more than two or three people present. This, as with the contraction of historical events, makes the whole thing move along more quickly. Yes, this means it can fit into the allotted hour of the episode without stretching things out to a four-part Hartnell historical... but it also makes it hard to suspend disbelief. On the plus side, the way that the aliens are able to pass themselves off as Polish does work well and is potentially interesting, even if the story doesn't do much with it. 3 stars.
Auld Lang Syne – An extended family rents out a country house for one night on New Year’s Eve 1989 unaware of its reputation for being haunted. Superficially, this is similar to the first story in the collection, but the tone and focus are both very different. There are some creepy moments, certainly, but the story is mainly about the family, in particular the relationship between the young woman renting the house and her acerbic great-aunt.
The Doctor pops in and out of the story seemingly at random, an almost magical figure seen here through the eyes of others rather than being the central protagonist. He’s present too much for this to be a “Doctor-lite” story, however, and time travel plays a central role, albeit not in the usual way. Like some of the stories from Eccleston’s TV run, this contrasts an ordinary mundane life with something special, strange, and occasionally scary, taking place at one particular time of year. There are some strong emotional beats along the way in a low-key low-stakes story that’s nonetheless both enjoyable and relatable. 5 stars.
Station to Station – The first episode is a creepy ghost story set at an unstaffed train station in the middle of nowhere at the dead of night. The Doctor and companion stand-in Saffron find themselves unable to leave as something apparently supernatural is stalking them, slowly discovering that others may also be trapped here. For people of a certain age, it’s hard to avoid parallels with “Serial 2” of Sapphire and Steel, although that is good company to be in – and this, of course, is much shorter. However, while that was about unjust death, here the theme of the story is being in transit, whether physically or emotionally, for which the station is an obvious metaphor.
The mood and the way the characters are portrayed work well, and Saffron’s backstory adds to the emotional backdrop.
If there’s a weakness, however, it’s that it’s often difficult to work out what’s going on when characters aren’t simply talking. The layout of the railway station is obvious because we’re very familiar with those and the fact that we’re on audio is no limitation there. But what exactly are people seeing when they see the ‘monster’ and what is it doing? These points are unclear, although the former is at least on the cover; it’s the kind of thing that would be irrelevant on TV, but that needs more explanatory dialogue when you lack the visuals. Still, this isn’t enough to seriously detract from the wider tale. 4 stars.
The False Dimitri – The historical story is based loosely on the real events surrounding the eponymous False Dimitri, a pretender who seized the Russian throne in 1605 by claiming to be the late son of Ivan the Terrible. However, the real story has been twisted almost out of recognition, and not just because here, it turns out to have something to do with aliens. Most notably, the historical eleven-month reign is reduced to less than 48 hours, replacing a considerable period of disruption with a brief hiccup.
More seriously, the story lacks credibility, with the Doctor easily able to interrupt major affairs of state without guards making more than a token effort to stop him and walking into invading armies as if there are no more than two or three people present. This, as with the contraction of historical events, makes the whole thing move along more quickly. Yes, this means it can fit into the allotted hour of the episode without stretching things out to a four-part Hartnell historical... but it also makes it hard to suspend disbelief. On the plus side, the way that the aliens are able to pass themselves off as Polish does work well and is potentially interesting, even if the story doesn't do much with it. 3 stars.
Auld Lang Syne – An extended family rents out a country house for one night on New Year’s Eve 1989 unaware of its reputation for being haunted. Superficially, this is similar to the first story in the collection, but the tone and focus are both very different. There are some creepy moments, certainly, but the story is mainly about the family, in particular the relationship between the young woman renting the house and her acerbic great-aunt.
The Doctor pops in and out of the story seemingly at random, an almost magical figure seen here through the eyes of others rather than being the central protagonist. He’s present too much for this to be a “Doctor-lite” story, however, and time travel plays a central role, albeit not in the usual way. Like some of the stories from Eccleston’s TV run, this contrasts an ordinary mundane life with something special, strange, and occasionally scary, taking place at one particular time of year. There are some strong emotional beats along the way in a low-key low-stakes story that’s nonetheless both enjoyable and relatable. 5 stars.
December 2, 2025
Listened as part of ‘Ecclethon’, a marathon of Ninth Doctor audios and TV episodes to commemorate the 20th anniversary of New Who
When doing a Who marathon it’s always a thrill to do stories I’ve never gone through before and luckily for the Ecclethon there’s two seasons worth of audios that I’m going to catch up on. It’s a shame that Sarah Grochala’s The False Dimitry never takes advantage of the quirky premise to tell anything other than a slight and forgettable historical story with vacuous killer robots despite Katy Brittan's cliched-but-humorous guest appearance, since with a stronger story in its place this would be the first proper five-star boxset of the Nine audios. Station to Station from Robert Valentine kicks season two off on a spooky and atmospheric note at a railway station where people from various time periods get abducted by a sinister rhyme-speaking entity (Lungbarrow is made BF canon too which gives me hope that one day a Novel Adaptation of that will be coming our way) but despite it having similar timey-wimey mechanics, Auld Lang Syne from Tim Foley takes on the form of a Doctor-lite to tell a beautiful character piece about loss and remembrance set amongst its New Year backdrop in a way Chibnall only did for the last part of his Dalek trilogy with the way it executes its time-shifting being reminiscent of how Steven Moffat did it in Joy to the World, and if said special format was ever considered again for TV Who I would be thrilled if this got picked for adaptation.
When doing a Who marathon it’s always a thrill to do stories I’ve never gone through before and luckily for the Ecclethon there’s two seasons worth of audios that I’m going to catch up on. It’s a shame that Sarah Grochala’s The False Dimitry never takes advantage of the quirky premise to tell anything other than a slight and forgettable historical story with vacuous killer robots despite Katy Brittan's cliched-but-humorous guest appearance, since with a stronger story in its place this would be the first proper five-star boxset of the Nine audios. Station to Station from Robert Valentine kicks season two off on a spooky and atmospheric note at a railway station where people from various time periods get abducted by a sinister rhyme-speaking entity (Lungbarrow is made BF canon too which gives me hope that one day a Novel Adaptation of that will be coming our way) but despite it having similar timey-wimey mechanics, Auld Lang Syne from Tim Foley takes on the form of a Doctor-lite to tell a beautiful character piece about loss and remembrance set amongst its New Year backdrop in a way Chibnall only did for the last part of his Dalek trilogy with the way it executes its time-shifting being reminiscent of how Steven Moffat did it in Joy to the World, and if said special format was ever considered again for TV Who I would be thrilled if this got picked for adaptation.
November 6, 2025
it's a bit rich to call anything dr who "back to earth" as if he's ever bloody away from the place for more than five minutes. a bit of a mixed bag but all essentially good fun, altho the middle episode drags a bit with historical exposition as if the author wants to throw as much of their pet interest in as they can. but eccleston (my doctor) sez: "i'm the doctor, i'm here to help" and that's what it's really about for me
June 3, 2023
Я обычно ничего не пишу про Девятого Доктора от БигФиниша, это в основном минимально компетентные истории, которые можно слушать ради Экклстона. Но тут третья довольно хороша: события происходят во время празднований Нового Года одной семьей в странном доме несколько лет подряд, довольно интересные вещи сделаны с идеей.
Понятия не имею, что думать про вторую пьесу о Лжедмитрии.
Понятия не имею, что думать про вторую пьесу о Лжедмитрии.
July 9, 2022
Another "Doctor-Light" set.
I was really happy with the other 9th Doctor ones, it was so good to have him back, but if he's only going to be in tiny parts of the stories, it is completely pointless.
I was really happy with the other 9th Doctor ones, it was so good to have him back, but if he's only going to be in tiny parts of the stories, it is completely pointless.
June 7, 2025
La première et troisième histoire étaient très bien, j'ai juste trouvé la deuxième pas très forte. J'ai apprécié les narratifs plus queer des deux premiers épisodes et la troisième était un très beau récit de jour de l'an qui savait élégamment articuler les thèmes de l'espoir et de la perte.
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