What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ninth Doctor Adventures #2.3
Doctor Who: Hidden Depths
Sometimes things lurk below the surface which only the Doctor can see. From a moon with poison seas, to a 19th-century health spa, even somewhere as everyday as a furniture store on a Sunday afternoon - there are always hidden depths and unseen dangers to uncover!
3.1 The Seas of Titan by Lizbeth Myles
Out on Saturn's moon, Titan, an outpost all-but-forgotten by Earth struggles on against the odds. As the Doctor joins explorers deep in the methane seas, they discover a hidden civilisation. But will the Sea Devils prove to be the colony’s salvation or its final destruction?
3.2 Lay Down Your Arms by Lisa McMullin
1864. Instead of relaxing at the Bad Homburg Spa, its visitors are fighting. And Bertha Kinzky, housekeeper to Alfred Nobel, is appalled. Perhaps the mysterious Herr Schmidt can help? Soon, Bertha is contending with aliens, as well as her mother’s matchmaking, as she and the Doctor try to keep the peace.
3.3 Flatpack by John Dorney
Liv Chenka and Tania Bell are spending Sunday afternoon on that most traditional of couple activities. Furniture-shopping! But just how long has London's newest Flatpack store been open? Who is its mysterious manager? And is it even Sunday? Liv is about to run into a very old friend.
3.1 The Seas of Titan by Lizbeth Myles
Out on Saturn's moon, Titan, an outpost all-but-forgotten by Earth struggles on against the odds. As the Doctor joins explorers deep in the methane seas, they discover a hidden civilisation. But will the Sea Devils prove to be the colony’s salvation or its final destruction?
3.2 Lay Down Your Arms by Lisa McMullin
1864. Instead of relaxing at the Bad Homburg Spa, its visitors are fighting. And Bertha Kinzky, housekeeper to Alfred Nobel, is appalled. Perhaps the mysterious Herr Schmidt can help? Soon, Bertha is contending with aliens, as well as her mother’s matchmaking, as she and the Doctor try to keep the peace.
3.3 Flatpack by John Dorney
Liv Chenka and Tania Bell are spending Sunday afternoon on that most traditional of couple activities. Furniture-shopping! But just how long has London's newest Flatpack store been open? Who is its mysterious manager? And is it even Sunday? Liv is about to run into a very old friend.
Audio CD
First published November 23, 2022
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 20, 2025
Story 1 - The Seas Of Titan
I really enjoyed this story. I loved the setting on Titans moon, I loved the characters, and I loved the Doctor. I listened to this on the way to work, and I didn’t want to get there so that I could finish it.
Rating - 5* / 5*
Story 2 - Lay Down Your Arms
I didn’t find this one that interesting. I liked the historical setting - and the Alfred Nobel link - but the rest of the plot was so meh. I listened to this yesterday, and I literally can’t remember what happened.
Rating - 2* / 5*
Story 3 - Flatpack
I really enjoyed this story. I don’t know if it was the plot; stuck inside alien IKEA, or the return of Liv, who I really like with the 8th Doctor, and the interactions between Liv and the 9th Doctor, or probably it was a mix of everything, but I really enjoyed this story.
Rating - 5* / 5*
Overall Rating - 4* / 5*
I really enjoyed this story. I loved the setting on Titans moon, I loved the characters, and I loved the Doctor. I listened to this on the way to work, and I didn’t want to get there so that I could finish it.
Rating - 5* / 5*
Story 2 - Lay Down Your Arms
I didn’t find this one that interesting. I liked the historical setting - and the Alfred Nobel link - but the rest of the plot was so meh. I listened to this yesterday, and I literally can’t remember what happened.
Rating - 2* / 5*
Story 3 - Flatpack
I really enjoyed this story. I don’t know if it was the plot; stuck inside alien IKEA, or the return of Liv, who I really like with the 8th Doctor, and the interactions between Liv and the 9th Doctor, or probably it was a mix of everything, but I really enjoyed this story.
Rating - 5* / 5*
Overall Rating - 4* / 5*
November 27, 2022
Box set with 3 stand-alone stories featuring the 9th Doctor.
Seas of Titan-
I was not really a fan.
Problem is, these Sea Devil episodes always go the same way (either the Sea Devils get blown up or they agree to hide again).
To do something different would have been for the Sea Devils to wipe out the human colony. But this is Who, so not going to happen, so it was clear from the start how it was to end for it to avoid the "blowing up" bit.
I also thought the story was a little rushed. I think 1 hour was a bit too short. It would have been advantageous to give all the character drama more room and develop the characters a bit more. With all that threat and drama and existential crises going on for both humans and sea devils, having it resolved in 1 hour was completely breaking my suspension of disbelief.
Just switch on the TV and see warring human factions of your choice (and some of them are on the brink of death and starvation!) how they go on and on and on- so nah, not buying this quick resolution.
But as a little fairy tale fantasy it is alright.
Lay down your arms-
I liked this story more than the first one.
One of the reasons might be that I now live and work in a world heritage German spa town (the „Bad“ is German for „Spa“) and I can see first hand all the historic buildings, the spa culture, we even have an annual festival were people re- inact all the historic celebrities ( like the Zar or the Austrian Empress). You can even visit all the old salt grinding and water treatment facilities so from what I have seen, the story is well researched.
So this was nice and believable.
Also that mother. Oh boy. I have met mothers like that. VERY close to reality.
I also loved that they did not use any bad German accents but normal English. Which makes more sense because of the Tardis translating.
Story itself is a bit standard, but the villains are quite nice ( at least in my SFX imagination).
Maybe not the best story this year, but entertaining, well researched and fun enough.
Flatpack-
I am in two minds about this story.
On the one hand, I liked it, it was entertaining, it tried something new with a clever little idea, it was well performed.
Especially the performances of the brain-washed Doctor and Tania, who are, after being drugged, only showing interest in buying new furniture, were well done and believable. And Nicola Walker is amazing as always.
I even liked the setting- the mundane large furniture store, where even when I was a child I imagined how it would be to get lost and stay overnight. It is always great if something boring and mundane is turned around, so here we get "evil IKEA".
I like Liv, and she is great here.
It is not a bad story by any means.
However, the 9th Doctor meeting with Liv was a wasted opportunity and the Doctor was pretty interchangeable here.
I wonder if this was originally written as an adventure with 8, where Liv, Tania and 8 go shopping for the flat? After the flatmates of Baker street wanted the Doctor to "do up the kitchen"?
9 as the new Doctor just simply gets some side sentences about "Oh, new face, how did this happen" and then we are back to the story. Liv could as well have asked 8 if he had gotten a new haircut, without any less impact to the story. I think Flatpack might even have worked better with 8, to be honest, because this quick "going through the motions" of Liv meeting the "next" Doctor just came across as pretty superficial and awkward (at least for me).
9 is also not clearly characterized here, and it could equally have worked with, for example, 10.
So on this front, I am sad to say, it was pretty much wasted potential.
In conclusion- this is one of the weaker 9th Doctor sets. But for me, it is not the weakest. That honour goes to "Ravagers".
Seas of Titan-
I was not really a fan.
Problem is, these Sea Devil episodes always go the same way (either the Sea Devils get blown up or they agree to hide again).
To do something different would have been for the Sea Devils to wipe out the human colony. But this is Who, so not going to happen, so it was clear from the start how it was to end for it to avoid the "blowing up" bit.
I also thought the story was a little rushed. I think 1 hour was a bit too short. It would have been advantageous to give all the character drama more room and develop the characters a bit more. With all that threat and drama and existential crises going on for both humans and sea devils, having it resolved in 1 hour was completely breaking my suspension of disbelief.
Just switch on the TV and see warring human factions of your choice (and some of them are on the brink of death and starvation!) how they go on and on and on- so nah, not buying this quick resolution.
But as a little fairy tale fantasy it is alright.
Lay down your arms-
I liked this story more than the first one.
One of the reasons might be that I now live and work in a world heritage German spa town (the „Bad“ is German for „Spa“) and I can see first hand all the historic buildings, the spa culture, we even have an annual festival were people re- inact all the historic celebrities ( like the Zar or the Austrian Empress). You can even visit all the old salt grinding and water treatment facilities so from what I have seen, the story is well researched.
So this was nice and believable.
Also that mother. Oh boy. I have met mothers like that. VERY close to reality.
I also loved that they did not use any bad German accents but normal English. Which makes more sense because of the Tardis translating.
Story itself is a bit standard, but the villains are quite nice ( at least in my SFX imagination).
Maybe not the best story this year, but entertaining, well researched and fun enough.
Flatpack-
I am in two minds about this story.
On the one hand, I liked it, it was entertaining, it tried something new with a clever little idea, it was well performed.
Especially the performances of the brain-washed Doctor and Tania, who are, after being drugged, only showing interest in buying new furniture, were well done and believable. And Nicola Walker is amazing as always.
I even liked the setting- the mundane large furniture store, where even when I was a child I imagined how it would be to get lost and stay overnight. It is always great if something boring and mundane is turned around, so here we get "evil IKEA".
I like Liv, and she is great here.
It is not a bad story by any means.
However, the 9th Doctor meeting with Liv was a wasted opportunity and the Doctor was pretty interchangeable here.
I wonder if this was originally written as an adventure with 8, where Liv, Tania and 8 go shopping for the flat? After the flatmates of Baker street wanted the Doctor to "do up the kitchen"?
9 as the new Doctor just simply gets some side sentences about "Oh, new face, how did this happen" and then we are back to the story. Liv could as well have asked 8 if he had gotten a new haircut, without any less impact to the story. I think Flatpack might even have worked better with 8, to be honest, because this quick "going through the motions" of Liv meeting the "next" Doctor just came across as pretty superficial and awkward (at least for me).
9 is also not clearly characterized here, and it could equally have worked with, for example, 10.
So on this front, I am sad to say, it was pretty much wasted potential.
In conclusion- this is one of the weaker 9th Doctor sets. But for me, it is not the weakest. That honour goes to "Ravagers".
February 18, 2025
7.1 The Seas of Titan - Oh, yeah, I’m biased, I admit it. I love a good story about the worlds in our own solar system. In this case it’s Titan the moon of Saturn, or more accurately the oceans under the surface of Saturn’s moon, Titan. And we’ve got Sea Devils! Love it (4/5).
7.2 Lay Down Your Arms - This one is a pseudo-historical. Alfred Nobel. You know, the Peace Prize guy. I usually really like these, but this one seemed very … standard (3/5).
7.3 Flatpack - Have you ever felt that little panicked feeling in the pit of your tummy while being lost in a big box store, you cannot find the kitchen utensils or even way out? It’s a cute idea, but it fell kind of flat (pun intended) for me (3/5).
7.2 Lay Down Your Arms - This one is a pseudo-historical. Alfred Nobel. You know, the Peace Prize guy. I usually really like these, but this one seemed very … standard (3/5).
7.3 Flatpack - Have you ever felt that little panicked feeling in the pit of your tummy while being lost in a big box store, you cannot find the kitchen utensils or even way out? It’s a cute idea, but it fell kind of flat (pun intended) for me (3/5).
August 30, 2025
Emprunté un livre à la bibliothèque de Bertha von Suttner grâce au deuxième audio où l'essayiste apparaît comme personnage, hâte de me plonger dans Bas les armes!, je ne connaissais vraiment pas cette autrice et son œuvre.
March 28, 2023
You know that feeling when you see the last cookie at the bottom of the biscuit barrel and you go to pick it up, hoping it be the best cookie out of the lot as you had been savouring it, only when you go to take a chunk out of it, the biscuit had gone all soggy and horrible because you had left it in the barrel too long?
This kind of felt like that, sadly.
This boxset was ok...but nothing amazing to write home about. Again, the 9th Doctor adventures have been very hit and miss for me, so I wasn't expecting anything high on this boxset.
3.1 The Seas of Titan by Lizbeth Myles
Out on Saturn's moon, Titan, an outpost all-but-forgotten by Earth struggles on against the odds.
As the Doctor joins explorers deep in the methane seas, they discover a hidden civilisation. But will the Sea Devils prove to be the colony’s salvation or its final destruction?
This was the strongest story out of the boxset, imo. I enjoyed Diana Hendry character and her passion for discovering the unknown in the deep, alien sea of Titan. It felt very much giving the vibes of 20,000 leagues under the sea but big finish way. I also enjoyed the character of the governor and Mirtar. I thought they created an interesting dynamic.
Much like with any popular alien in Doctor Who, there is a little on what kind of stories you can do with popular aliens. But I enjoyed this one nonetheless.
3/5
3.2 Lay Down Your Arms by Lisa McMullin
1864. Instead of relaxing at the Bad Homburg Spa, its visitors are fighting. And Bertha Kinzky, housekeeper to Alfred Nobel, is appalled. Perhaps the mysterious Herr Schmidt can help?
Soon, Bertha is contending with aliens, as well as her mother’s matchmaking, as she and the Doctor try to keep the peace.
This was an okay, historical story featuring the first noble prize winner for Peace Bertha Kinzky. It was nice for me to do a bit of research on her on my own and find out more about her and her family, but the actual story itself was okay? Bertha was well written and the russian doll alien was very interesting idea, but I felt the over all plot fell flat.
2/5
3.3 Flatpack by John Dorney
Liv Chenka and Tania Bell are spending Sunday afternoon on that most traditional of couple activities. Furniture-shopping!
-
Basically, the story is a what if you got trapped in Ikea forever? This is kind of funny, as I went to Ikea last weekend to get some more bookshelves, and dad and I couldn't leave the shop quick enough.
I love John Dorney and usually, I find his stories pretty engaging but sadly, this was the weakest story out of the boxset. I had stopped listening to Liv Chenka's arc during Ravenous and one of the reasons why is that as much as I like the character Liv, Nicola's voice does not sound engaging at all on audio. Even in this story, I struggled to be engaged with her character.
I was also at a loss as to who Tania Bell was, as the last story I heard was with Helen and Liv and I liked Helen Sinclair in relation to the companions.
I also thought the audio quality wasn't as good. I don't know if it was because people were recording from home, but the audio quality on this story felt poor to me compared to the other stories, and had to turn up my computer volume to full blast.
Was lovely though to hear Liv and Nine talk together, and Liv talking about 8 to him. But the villain and reveal of the ending felt meh. I felt like this was a similar plot to the shop at the end of the universe in the unbound range.
2/5
This kind of felt like that, sadly.
This boxset was ok...but nothing amazing to write home about. Again, the 9th Doctor adventures have been very hit and miss for me, so I wasn't expecting anything high on this boxset.
3.1 The Seas of Titan by Lizbeth Myles
Out on Saturn's moon, Titan, an outpost all-but-forgotten by Earth struggles on against the odds.
As the Doctor joins explorers deep in the methane seas, they discover a hidden civilisation. But will the Sea Devils prove to be the colony’s salvation or its final destruction?
This was the strongest story out of the boxset, imo. I enjoyed Diana Hendry character and her passion for discovering the unknown in the deep, alien sea of Titan. It felt very much giving the vibes of 20,000 leagues under the sea but big finish way. I also enjoyed the character of the governor and Mirtar. I thought they created an interesting dynamic.
Much like with any popular alien in Doctor Who, there is a little on what kind of stories you can do with popular aliens. But I enjoyed this one nonetheless.
3/5
3.2 Lay Down Your Arms by Lisa McMullin
1864. Instead of relaxing at the Bad Homburg Spa, its visitors are fighting. And Bertha Kinzky, housekeeper to Alfred Nobel, is appalled. Perhaps the mysterious Herr Schmidt can help?
Soon, Bertha is contending with aliens, as well as her mother’s matchmaking, as she and the Doctor try to keep the peace.
This was an okay, historical story featuring the first noble prize winner for Peace Bertha Kinzky. It was nice for me to do a bit of research on her on my own and find out more about her and her family, but the actual story itself was okay? Bertha was well written and the russian doll alien was very interesting idea, but I felt the over all plot fell flat.
2/5
3.3 Flatpack by John Dorney
Liv Chenka and Tania Bell are spending Sunday afternoon on that most traditional of couple activities. Furniture-shopping!
-
Basically, the story is a what if you got trapped in Ikea forever? This is kind of funny, as I went to Ikea last weekend to get some more bookshelves, and dad and I couldn't leave the shop quick enough.
I love John Dorney and usually, I find his stories pretty engaging but sadly, this was the weakest story out of the boxset. I had stopped listening to Liv Chenka's arc during Ravenous and one of the reasons why is that as much as I like the character Liv, Nicola's voice does not sound engaging at all on audio. Even in this story, I struggled to be engaged with her character.
I was also at a loss as to who Tania Bell was, as the last story I heard was with Helen and Liv and I liked Helen Sinclair in relation to the companions.
I also thought the audio quality wasn't as good. I don't know if it was because people were recording from home, but the audio quality on this story felt poor to me compared to the other stories, and had to turn up my computer volume to full blast.
Was lovely though to hear Liv and Nine talk together, and Liv talking about 8 to him. But the villain and reveal of the ending felt meh. I felt like this was a similar plot to the shop at the end of the universe in the unbound range.
2/5
May 11, 2024
The Ninth Doctor Adventures has been an incredibly consistent range of great adventures (bar a couple of course) so I'm always excited to continue my journey with my favorite new series Doctor. Christopher Eccleston has been incredible on audio and even when a story isn't quite as good as usual, he always knocks it out of the park!
The Seas of Titan:
When The Doctor arrives on Titan he finds a pair of scientists about to discover a whole civilization of Sea Devils beneath the surface. However, in Titan's colony, a mysterious disease is killing its people and its governor is under a lot of stress. Will The Doctor be able to save both humanity and the Sea Devils or will disaster strike once more?
Elizbeth Myles has written a fantastic story that takes a lot of inspiration from previous stories, particularly that of Doctor Who and The Silurians but there's enough here to separate the two, that it's still a very enjoyable adventure with a brilliant ending! 8/10
Lay Down Your Arms:
When The Doctor arrives at Bad Homburg Spa, he comes across a famous storyteller Bertha Kinzky before her marriage and famous novel. But not all is as it seems, instead of relaxing, the visitors are fighting each other and The Doctor is about to discover a terrifying secret that breaks a number of laws set by the Shadow Proclamation.
Lisa McMullin is such a consistent writer for the company and here she has written a fast-paced, intense action story with plenty of humor, and bloodshed whilst also telling a story full of deep meaning about the devastating side effects of war and how it can haunt someone. 9/10
Flatpack:
Liv and Tania have gone to Flatpack for a Sunday trip shopping, however, not everything is as it seems, for the two seem to have very different memories of the shop's existence, and when The Doctor shows up not only will they have to deal with the sinister masked staff members, but a shop stuck in a bubble of time they may never escape.
John Dorney has done it again! Flatpack is a unique and complex little story with an incredibly easy resolution that makes sense, it's an amazing take on consumerism and capitalism, whilst also pairing 9 with 8th Doctor companions which make for a very enjoyable listen! Christopher Eccleston, Nicola Walker, and Rebecca Root as a trio bounced off each other so well and I'd love to see 9 reunited with these two again sometime in the future, so fingers crossed! 10/10
Overall: 27/30
The Seas of Titan:
When The Doctor arrives on Titan he finds a pair of scientists about to discover a whole civilization of Sea Devils beneath the surface. However, in Titan's colony, a mysterious disease is killing its people and its governor is under a lot of stress. Will The Doctor be able to save both humanity and the Sea Devils or will disaster strike once more?
Elizbeth Myles has written a fantastic story that takes a lot of inspiration from previous stories, particularly that of Doctor Who and The Silurians but there's enough here to separate the two, that it's still a very enjoyable adventure with a brilliant ending! 8/10
Lay Down Your Arms:
When The Doctor arrives at Bad Homburg Spa, he comes across a famous storyteller Bertha Kinzky before her marriage and famous novel. But not all is as it seems, instead of relaxing, the visitors are fighting each other and The Doctor is about to discover a terrifying secret that breaks a number of laws set by the Shadow Proclamation.
Lisa McMullin is such a consistent writer for the company and here she has written a fast-paced, intense action story with plenty of humor, and bloodshed whilst also telling a story full of deep meaning about the devastating side effects of war and how it can haunt someone. 9/10
Flatpack:
Liv and Tania have gone to Flatpack for a Sunday trip shopping, however, not everything is as it seems, for the two seem to have very different memories of the shop's existence, and when The Doctor shows up not only will they have to deal with the sinister masked staff members, but a shop stuck in a bubble of time they may never escape.
John Dorney has done it again! Flatpack is a unique and complex little story with an incredibly easy resolution that makes sense, it's an amazing take on consumerism and capitalism, whilst also pairing 9 with 8th Doctor companions which make for a very enjoyable listen! Christopher Eccleston, Nicola Walker, and Rebecca Root as a trio bounced off each other so well and I'd love to see 9 reunited with these two again sometime in the future, so fingers crossed! 10/10
Overall: 27/30
February 1, 2024
The Seas Of Titan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was able to guess the plot of this one from the offset as realistically Dr Who has nearly never done anything different with the Sea Devils or the Silurians. Humans end up in conflict with the race and eventually either peace is reached or the reptilians get subdued. Eccleston is great in this and the sound design really aids the imagery, but beyond being decent enough of a script there is really nothing special or unique about it.
Lay Down Your Arms - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A nice historical this one and the companion for the story is the best part by far. The villains of the piece are generic bar appearance and are dispensed with easily (at one point he holds them back by buzzing the sonic screwdriver once). With all the fretting around and the conflict that will clearly end suddenly and easily there isn’t much to hold your breath over. The bit that pushed it from just about bearable to decent is a sweet ending with a strong feminist message. It’s lovely, and although it doesn’t make up for a bland plot it does give it something good.
Flatpack - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stories where the 9th Doctor meet old companions are often the selling point of these sets and this case it’s Liv and Tamia. As much as they are the strong element of the story, it’s hard to miss that the entire first half is just them making small talk with the Doctor. He doesn’t really get to express much which is one of the drawbacks of the 9DAs having to have this upbeat tone as they don’t really get to see the difference between his current and last regeneration. The plot too is a bit weird, I mean it’s not the worst thing in the world but so long as you are able to recognise accents you can see the twist coming a mile off. The getting from A to B is done well, and the resolution quite witty but the lack of emotion and depth to the story just makes it feel like any other ok but forgettable story.
I was able to guess the plot of this one from the offset as realistically Dr Who has nearly never done anything different with the Sea Devils or the Silurians. Humans end up in conflict with the race and eventually either peace is reached or the reptilians get subdued. Eccleston is great in this and the sound design really aids the imagery, but beyond being decent enough of a script there is really nothing special or unique about it.
Lay Down Your Arms - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A nice historical this one and the companion for the story is the best part by far. The villains of the piece are generic bar appearance and are dispensed with easily (at one point he holds them back by buzzing the sonic screwdriver once). With all the fretting around and the conflict that will clearly end suddenly and easily there isn’t much to hold your breath over. The bit that pushed it from just about bearable to decent is a sweet ending with a strong feminist message. It’s lovely, and although it doesn’t make up for a bland plot it does give it something good.
Flatpack - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stories where the 9th Doctor meet old companions are often the selling point of these sets and this case it’s Liv and Tamia. As much as they are the strong element of the story, it’s hard to miss that the entire first half is just them making small talk with the Doctor. He doesn’t really get to express much which is one of the drawbacks of the 9DAs having to have this upbeat tone as they don’t really get to see the difference between his current and last regeneration. The plot too is a bit weird, I mean it’s not the worst thing in the world but so long as you are able to recognise accents you can see the twist coming a mile off. The getting from A to B is done well, and the resolution quite witty but the lack of emotion and depth to the story just makes it feel like any other ok but forgettable story.
November 27, 2022
The Seas of Titan:
5/10
Verdict: Optional
This is a Silurian story. You know how it goes. Nothing else to really say about this, if you liked Hungry Earth, this is that but with a better setting and more annoying voices.
Lay Down Your Arms:
6/10
Verdict: Optional
This is a hard one to rate, because the story is pretty mixed, but a couple of the characters are really compelling, and while the villains are quite generic, some of their dialogue on the nature of war is pretty thought provoking. The character writing as a whole is pretty incredible in this, it's just a shame that pacing and storyline wise, it's not as good as it can be.
Flatpack:
6/10
Verdict: Optional
They spent the 9, Liv and Tanya story on an evil IKEA. I don't know how to feel about this. Conceptually it's fine but due to the nature of it, this feels really slow. The character writing is pretty good but it's not a story that allows for much. I do appreciate the idea that 9 becoming evil gives him a cartoonishly upperclass british accent. There's not a lot to say about this, what you see is mostly what you get.
5/10
Verdict: Optional
This is a Silurian story. You know how it goes. Nothing else to really say about this, if you liked Hungry Earth, this is that but with a better setting and more annoying voices.
Lay Down Your Arms:
6/10
Verdict: Optional
This is a hard one to rate, because the story is pretty mixed, but a couple of the characters are really compelling, and while the villains are quite generic, some of their dialogue on the nature of war is pretty thought provoking. The character writing as a whole is pretty incredible in this, it's just a shame that pacing and storyline wise, it's not as good as it can be.
Flatpack:
6/10
Verdict: Optional
They spent the 9, Liv and Tanya story on an evil IKEA. I don't know how to feel about this. Conceptually it's fine but due to the nature of it, this feels really slow. The character writing is pretty good but it's not a story that allows for much. I do appreciate the idea that 9 becoming evil gives him a cartoonishly upperclass british accent. There's not a lot to say about this, what you see is mostly what you get.
January 25, 2023
The third release of Christopher Eccleston's second season of Ninth Doctor Adventures, these were three solid stories of which the third was the best. The first story is The Seas of Titan. It's your generic Sea Devil story. It's okay, but nothing special. It's very much a standard Doctor Who story. The biggest point in its favor is that it gives a post-Time War/pre-Rose Doctor a much needed win. The second story, Lay Down Your Arms, sees the Doctor get involved with alien proxy wars at a German Spa in 1864. It's good story and was a fun listen, but didn't really stand out to me. The third story, Flatpack, is easily the best. At its heart, it's central idea is the Doctor getting stuck in an inescapable
IKEA
. Also stuck with him are Liv Chenka (long-running Eighth Doctor companion) and Tania Bell (Liv girlfriend from the Stranded series). It's a fun, slightly creepy story with an interesting twist that you may or may not work out before the reveal. All said, this was another solid Ninth Doctor boxset from Big Finish.
March 7, 2024
The Seas of Titan - 3.5/5
A very classic sci-fi “alien colony discovered, humans, you gonna blow them up or try for peace?” Very reminiscent of like The Hungry Earth or other Sea Devil episodes.
Lay Down Your Arms - 3.5/5
I’m of two minds on this one. Some of the dialogue felt very stilted and weird, like it was obvious the author didn’t feel comfortable writing for an audio-only format and had the characters narrate or speak unnaturally. In the other hand, there were some interesting lines and fun quips, so not everything that was shoehorned in was bad.
Flatpack - 5/5
I was actually laughing aloud when listening to this one. Fully delighted. Never seen the eighth Doctor episodes with Liv and Tania, but they were extremely likeable here, and the Doctor pausing every so often to exclaim about how much he needs a new sofa was hilarious. A great satire of IKEA. If I have one complaint it’s that the end solution felt a bit unimpactful. They explained what they did and the bad guys went “NOOOOOOO” and somehow boom that was about it, day saved.
A very classic sci-fi “alien colony discovered, humans, you gonna blow them up or try for peace?” Very reminiscent of like The Hungry Earth or other Sea Devil episodes.
Lay Down Your Arms - 3.5/5
I’m of two minds on this one. Some of the dialogue felt very stilted and weird, like it was obvious the author didn’t feel comfortable writing for an audio-only format and had the characters narrate or speak unnaturally. In the other hand, there were some interesting lines and fun quips, so not everything that was shoehorned in was bad.
Flatpack - 5/5
I was actually laughing aloud when listening to this one. Fully delighted. Never seen the eighth Doctor episodes with Liv and Tania, but they were extremely likeable here, and the Doctor pausing every so often to exclaim about how much he needs a new sofa was hilarious. A great satire of IKEA. If I have one complaint it’s that the end solution felt a bit unimpactful. They explained what they did and the bad guys went “NOOOOOOO” and somehow boom that was about it, day saved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2023
The Seas of Titan is as interesting a take on a Sea Devils story as Salvation Nine was for the Sontarans, and Flatpack is predictably great (Liv Chenka <3) but it just reinforces my belief that the Ninth reeeeally needs a companion. (Which I guess makes Rose even more special, but still there are plenty of stories to go before that.)
November 23, 2022
Interesting that the Sea Devils made a comeback here around the time of their comeback in the TV show. To be honest, it’s feeing repetitive having The Doctor get told that he should not be traveling alone.
February 8, 2023
I was worried after a rather soggy story about Sea Devils which fails to offer anything new to the concept but the middle story is lovely (Christopher Eccleston enjoyed its rich thematic center) and the story about my best friend Liv Chenka was exquisite.
November 27, 2022
Very little to dislike here! We got Sea Devils in the first, a sort of different take on War Games in the second, and having Liv and Tanya pop up in the last story was great. I enjoy them a lot.
January 8, 2023
The nineth doctor deals withe sea devils, time and a retail store with old friends.
March 7, 2023
This is the first set to fall flat for me. And - pun certainly intended - Flatpack was mostly to blame for my apathetic feelings.
November 16, 2024
Three standalone stories featuring the Ninth Doctor travelling alone. The first two are loosely linked to the collection’s title, but the third is a real reach so, for what it’s worth, I’m guessing those are essentially random at this point in the series.
The Seas of Titan – The futuristic story of the collection is set on Titan a few centuries in the future. A couple of scientists are sending a submarine into the methane seas of the world and… well, it’s obvious from the cover what they’re going to find. Before that, though, the story does a good job of building up the Titan colony, established to provide hydrocarbon fuel to an economy that has since developed beyond any need for it. It looks as if we’re being set up for a classic base-under-siege, but the story is more than that, instead picking up on other threads of the show’s lore and putting a different sort of classic story into a modern setup. The TV show itself has tried to do this, but the future setting used here allows for wider possibilities and the chance that, this time, things might turn out differently. If anything, it could have done with being a little longer, although a two-parter might have been a bit much, so one can see why they went with the length they did. 4 stars.
Lay Down Your Arms – The second story is the historical one, and sees the Doctor meeting a young Bertha Kinský at a 19th century German health spa. The chances are that most people today won’t know who that is (she was the first woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize) and McMullin is fortunately aware of that, adding an extended coda at the end to elaborate on her life and works. Before that, we get a story that’s arguably a little clumsy in mirroring her beliefs and hammering home the point that war is bad. On the bright side, the portrayal of Bertha herself is a strong one, showing her as a woman ahead of her time and an effective heroine; much of which, as with the details of her background, seems to be accurate. Given the themes of the futility of war, it’s surprising that there is no mention of the Doctor’s emotional scars from the Time War here, given which incarnation it is and the plot itself is not especially interesting. But it’s a worthy attempt, nonetheless, enlivened by strong performances from the leads. 3.5 stars.
Flatpack – This features Eighth Doctor companions Liv and Tania, which might be a point of confusion for those only following the Nu Who audios. On the other hand, their backstories aren’t directly relevant to the plot, and the basic idea that they travelled with a former Doctor and have since stopped is clear enough, so perhaps I’m wrong about that. Anyway, the plot concerns them visiting a large IKEA-style store and becoming trapped in its impossibly labyrinthine structure. Which, to a certain sort of person, is nightmarish enough in itself without the hint in the teaser that something sinister is happening to the shoppers. It’s a slow story, as arguably befits one that’s partially about endlessly going around in circles and being unable to find an exit. There is, however, more to it than that and the eventual resolution is a good one – plus Liv is on top form despite the superficial mundanity of the setting. 3.5 stars.
The Seas of Titan – The futuristic story of the collection is set on Titan a few centuries in the future. A couple of scientists are sending a submarine into the methane seas of the world and… well, it’s obvious from the cover what they’re going to find. Before that, though, the story does a good job of building up the Titan colony, established to provide hydrocarbon fuel to an economy that has since developed beyond any need for it. It looks as if we’re being set up for a classic base-under-siege, but the story is more than that, instead picking up on other threads of the show’s lore and putting a different sort of classic story into a modern setup. The TV show itself has tried to do this, but the future setting used here allows for wider possibilities and the chance that, this time, things might turn out differently. If anything, it could have done with being a little longer, although a two-parter might have been a bit much, so one can see why they went with the length they did. 4 stars.
Lay Down Your Arms – The second story is the historical one, and sees the Doctor meeting a young Bertha Kinský at a 19th century German health spa. The chances are that most people today won’t know who that is (she was the first woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize) and McMullin is fortunately aware of that, adding an extended coda at the end to elaborate on her life and works. Before that, we get a story that’s arguably a little clumsy in mirroring her beliefs and hammering home the point that war is bad. On the bright side, the portrayal of Bertha herself is a strong one, showing her as a woman ahead of her time and an effective heroine; much of which, as with the details of her background, seems to be accurate. Given the themes of the futility of war, it’s surprising that there is no mention of the Doctor’s emotional scars from the Time War here, given which incarnation it is and the plot itself is not especially interesting. But it’s a worthy attempt, nonetheless, enlivened by strong performances from the leads. 3.5 stars.
Flatpack – This features Eighth Doctor companions Liv and Tania, which might be a point of confusion for those only following the Nu Who audios. On the other hand, their backstories aren’t directly relevant to the plot, and the basic idea that they travelled with a former Doctor and have since stopped is clear enough, so perhaps I’m wrong about that. Anyway, the plot concerns them visiting a large IKEA-style store and becoming trapped in its impossibly labyrinthine structure. Which, to a certain sort of person, is nightmarish enough in itself without the hint in the teaser that something sinister is happening to the shoppers. It’s a slow story, as arguably befits one that’s partially about endlessly going around in circles and being unable to find an exit. There is, however, more to it than that and the eventual resolution is a good one – plus Liv is on top form despite the superficial mundanity of the setting. 3.5 stars.
December 24, 2025
Listened as part of ‘Ecclethon’, a marathon of Ninth Doctor audios and TV episodes to commemorate the 20th anniversary of New Who
I mean good that I listened to it before I get around to The War Between the Land and the Sea this Christmas but The Seas of Titan could not have been any more of a generic and bog-standard rehash of every Silurian/Sea De-I mean, Homo Aqua story beyond the first twenty minutes which tricked me into thinking that maybe it was going to be different from that template with the Jules Verne get-up, banking on the novelty of Nine meeting Homo Aqua instead of trying to do something unique. Said run-of-the-mill nature is present throughout a lot of Lay Down Your Arms but it salvages itself via going the Chibnall route of focusing on a lesser-known name in period history rather than a heavy-hitter like Charles Dickens or (in this case, the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize). John Dorney’s Flatpack is the winner here; I haven’t embarked on the ‘boxset era’ of the Eighth Doctor yet - that’s probably a thing for 2026 - so Liv and Tania were new to me, but this was a very solid introduction to them and the ‘sinister Ikea’ concept is something Davies would’ve went to town with back in the day even if the actual plot is slighter than Dorney’s last 9DA. Probably the weakest entry of the series since Lost Warriors but like that one it’s lifted up by the last story’s quirks, without that it would easily be three-star.
I mean good that I listened to it before I get around to The War Between the Land and the Sea this Christmas but The Seas of Titan could not have been any more of a generic and bog-standard rehash of every Silurian/Sea De-I mean, Homo Aqua story beyond the first twenty minutes which tricked me into thinking that maybe it was going to be different from that template with the Jules Verne get-up, banking on the novelty of Nine meeting Homo Aqua instead of trying to do something unique. Said run-of-the-mill nature is present throughout a lot of Lay Down Your Arms but it salvages itself via going the Chibnall route of focusing on a lesser-known name in period history rather than a heavy-hitter like Charles Dickens or (in this case, the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize). John Dorney’s Flatpack is the winner here; I haven’t embarked on the ‘boxset era’ of the Eighth Doctor yet - that’s probably a thing for 2026 - so Liv and Tania were new to me, but this was a very solid introduction to them and the ‘sinister Ikea’ concept is something Davies would’ve went to town with back in the day even if the actual plot is slighter than Dorney’s last 9DA. Probably the weakest entry of the series since Lost Warriors but like that one it’s lifted up by the last story’s quirks, without that it would easily be three-star.
January 15, 2023
Solid entry in the series. Very standard Doctor Who fare. Almost by-the-numbers plotting. But for some reason that actually helped make it a good "comfort listen." I particularly liked the "Evil IKEA" episode, even if the reunion of the Doctor and Liv was a missed opportunity for some good character moments.
November 14, 2023
Третья история начинается с "Играющий злодея актер звучит очень похоже на Экклстона, хмммм". Давно меня так не развлекал сценарий Джона Дорни, оживание БигФиниша в 2022м продолжается.
Две другие пьесы - неамбициозные, но развлекательные.
Две другие пьесы - неамбициозные, но развлекательные.
November 23, 2025
eccleston remains goated
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews