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The Third Doctor Adventures #8
Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures, Volume 8
Two brand new adventures for the Third Doctor, Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith.
8.1 Conspiracy in Space by Alan Barnes
When the TARDIS is diverted to Draconia, the Doctor and Jo fall foul of the hawkish Lady Zinn. War with Earth seems imminent. The Draconian military are on high alert and rumours of a super-weapon are rife.
Execution, assassination, intrigue and a mysterious faction known only as ‘The Eyes’ are all part of a deadly mission the Doctor and Jo have no choice but to accept. But as they fight to survive, the peace of the entire galaxy hangs in the balance.
8.2 The Devil's Hoofprints by Robert Valentine
Long ago, in Devon in 1855, a mysterious event occurred. Overnight, during a terrible blizzard, thousands of hoofprints appeared in the snow. The tracks led on for miles... and no-one ever identified who or what caused them.
Many years later, the Doctor, Sarah and the Brigadier have come to Devon themselves, to visit a controversial scientific establishment in the wake of a mysterious death and rumours of strange occurrences in the vicinity.
But things are just about to get much, much stranger. Because they’re about to uncover the origins of the Devil’s Hoofprints... but is this one mystery that should have remained unsolved?
8.1 Conspiracy in Space by Alan Barnes
When the TARDIS is diverted to Draconia, the Doctor and Jo fall foul of the hawkish Lady Zinn. War with Earth seems imminent. The Draconian military are on high alert and rumours of a super-weapon are rife.
Execution, assassination, intrigue and a mysterious faction known only as ‘The Eyes’ are all part of a deadly mission the Doctor and Jo have no choice but to accept. But as they fight to survive, the peace of the entire galaxy hangs in the balance.
8.2 The Devil's Hoofprints by Robert Valentine
Long ago, in Devon in 1855, a mysterious event occurred. Overnight, during a terrible blizzard, thousands of hoofprints appeared in the snow. The tracks led on for miles... and no-one ever identified who or what caused them.
Many years later, the Doctor, Sarah and the Brigadier have come to Devon themselves, to visit a controversial scientific establishment in the wake of a mysterious death and rumours of strange occurrences in the vicinity.
But things are just about to get much, much stranger. Because they’re about to uncover the origins of the Devil’s Hoofprints... but is this one mystery that should have remained unsolved?
- GenresDoctor Who
Audio CD
First published October 1, 2021
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Alan Barnes
100 books15 followersAlan Barnes is a British writer and editor, particularly noted for work in the field of cult film and television. Barnes served as the editor of Judge Dredd Megazine from 2001 until December 2005, during which time the title saw a considerable increase in the number of new strip pages. Among other strips, Barnes originally commissioned The Simping Detective. He also wrote a handful of Judge Dredd stories involving alternate universes or featuring a young Dredd.
He worked for five years at Doctor Who Magazine and progressed from writing strips to becoming joint editor in 1998 and sole editor from 2000 until 2002. He subsequently contributed the ongoing Fact of Fiction series of articles to the magazine. Barnes has also written or co-written a number of Doctor Who audio plays for Big Finish Productions.
He has written a number of books on cult films (including James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and Sherlock Holmes) and his book The Hammer Story, co-written with Marcus Hearn, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1997.
He worked for five years at Doctor Who Magazine and progressed from writing strips to becoming joint editor in 1998 and sole editor from 2000 until 2002. He subsequently contributed the ongoing Fact of Fiction series of articles to the magazine. Barnes has also written or co-written a number of Doctor Who audio plays for Big Finish Productions.
He has written a number of books on cult films (including James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and Sherlock Holmes) and his book The Hammer Story, co-written with Marcus Hearn, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 23, 2023
Two more stories, one in space, and one featuring UNIT. They feature different companions but both manage to evoke the era, with the ‘70s style incidental music, as usual, adding to the ambience.
Conspiracy in Space – The first story features Jo Grant and is a sequel of sorts to Frontier in Space, being set on Draconia a few years before the latter story. An interesting aspect of this is that almost all of the guest characters in the story are themselves Draconian – something that would be unlikely to work on live-action TV. But it does give quite an opportunity to explore Draconian culture from the inside and do an alien-based story that ties into wider Doctor Who lore without being The Web Planet.
As the title suggests, the story is about court intrigue and a conspiracy within some of the highest echelons of Draconian society. The result is rather “James Bond with space-samurai”, riffing off another trope of the show in this era, as well as providing links to both Frontier and Colony in Space. Part of the Bond feel comes from the frequent use of space-parachutes, as well as a villainous threat to use a doomsday weapon. At times, some of the physical nature of this doesn’t entirely make sense and if Barnes grasps the true scale and nature of interstellar space, he certainly isn’t letting it get in the way of the story. (For a key element to work, Earth and Draconia would have to be in the same solar system, which clearly, they aren’t).
If you don’t let that get in the way, though, it’s a fun romp with double-crossing villains, honourable and dishonourable aliens and a good use, and expansion, of the general setting. A notable feature is how many of the senior Draconians are female, which gives a better variety than we would expect from Frontier in Space – an apparent contradiction addressed in the closing coda, but a definite plus in this story. 4 stars.
The Devil’s Hoofprints – While the second story starts out in the UNIT era, as is common with these collections, most of it takes place in 1855, where the Doctor runs into the eponymous footprints – an actual piece of local folklore that is here given a science fiction explanation. This time, he is accompanied by Sarah Jane; the Brigadier also features but has relatively little interaction with the other leads after the first 30 minutes.
Sarah Jane is perhaps less associated with the UNIT era than Jo or Liz, but she still belongs and fits right in here, at least in those segments set in the present day. Otherwise, she’s strong and independent, as she was in this era. That’s slightly offset by her being held hostage by the villains at one point, Jo Grant style, but even then she is given more agency than her predecessor often was on the TV show.
My problem with this story is that it’s often difficult to work out what’s going on, with plenty of action scenes, some involving the Doctor and Venusian aikido, but a larger number with the Brigadier. Since the latter is on his own, aside from the villain, we don’t have the usual stand-in of somebody explaining what’s just happened out loud and, honestly, I just have no idea in places. Otherwise, it’s a decent story, using some of the tropes of the era, even if the historical setting was only rarely used during it (although, obviously, that includes The Time Warrior, so Sarah Jane is an obvious fit). 3 stars.
Conspiracy in Space – The first story features Jo Grant and is a sequel of sorts to Frontier in Space, being set on Draconia a few years before the latter story. An interesting aspect of this is that almost all of the guest characters in the story are themselves Draconian – something that would be unlikely to work on live-action TV. But it does give quite an opportunity to explore Draconian culture from the inside and do an alien-based story that ties into wider Doctor Who lore without being The Web Planet.
As the title suggests, the story is about court intrigue and a conspiracy within some of the highest echelons of Draconian society. The result is rather “James Bond with space-samurai”, riffing off another trope of the show in this era, as well as providing links to both Frontier and Colony in Space. Part of the Bond feel comes from the frequent use of space-parachutes, as well as a villainous threat to use a doomsday weapon. At times, some of the physical nature of this doesn’t entirely make sense and if Barnes grasps the true scale and nature of interstellar space, he certainly isn’t letting it get in the way of the story. (For a key element to work, Earth and Draconia would have to be in the same solar system, which clearly, they aren’t).
If you don’t let that get in the way, though, it’s a fun romp with double-crossing villains, honourable and dishonourable aliens and a good use, and expansion, of the general setting. A notable feature is how many of the senior Draconians are female, which gives a better variety than we would expect from Frontier in Space – an apparent contradiction addressed in the closing coda, but a definite plus in this story. 4 stars.
The Devil’s Hoofprints – While the second story starts out in the UNIT era, as is common with these collections, most of it takes place in 1855, where the Doctor runs into the eponymous footprints – an actual piece of local folklore that is here given a science fiction explanation. This time, he is accompanied by Sarah Jane; the Brigadier also features but has relatively little interaction with the other leads after the first 30 minutes.
Sarah Jane is perhaps less associated with the UNIT era than Jo or Liz, but she still belongs and fits right in here, at least in those segments set in the present day. Otherwise, she’s strong and independent, as she was in this era. That’s slightly offset by her being held hostage by the villains at one point, Jo Grant style, but even then she is given more agency than her predecessor often was on the TV show.
My problem with this story is that it’s often difficult to work out what’s going on, with plenty of action scenes, some involving the Doctor and Venusian aikido, but a larger number with the Brigadier. Since the latter is on his own, aside from the villain, we don’t have the usual stand-in of somebody explaining what’s just happened out loud and, honestly, I just have no idea in places. Otherwise, it’s a decent story, using some of the tropes of the era, even if the historical setting was only rarely used during it (although, obviously, that includes The Time Warrior, so Sarah Jane is an obvious fit). 3 stars.
October 25, 2021
As we came to expect from this range, we again get two stories in this box set.
The first story, featuring the Draconians, would be worthy of a Klingon opera! (they are pretty much the Klingons of Doctor Who as I came to understand).
It is pretty much that.
Honour, honour killings, treachery, counter- treachery, royal weddings, crazy villains and weapons of mass destruction.
Plus a little bit of James Bond heroics.
Kathy Manning gives a fantastic performance and this is much more her story than it is the Doctor's.
Jo gets a lot to do, she gets to use her spy training, do some sneaking about, working on her diplomacy...
There is a lot of back and forth, and at a guess, your enjoyment of this would depend directly on if you like a bit of run-around, subterfuge, and James Bond.
The sound design again is great and fits in perfectly with the era.
This story gets a thumbs up from me for Kathy's performance and the use Jo alone!
The second, Earth bound story, while it is not as good or clever or intriguing as the first, it is non-the-less enjoyable.
It is more of a standard 3rd Doctor story.
The side characters, however, are great, the hunting obsessed Squire of the land and the Vicar (and his cook).
I could picture the setting very well, with the snowy weather, the rural village and pub, thanks to the sound design.
The story itself however.... as I said, it is pretty standard, and I was more than once reminded of a certain recent Sixie monthly range release that was a bit similar.
Performance is great, and we also get to meet the Brigadier, being all brave soldier battling on, and Sarah Jane. I think the performance of both characters is improving with each release they appear in!
All in all a good enjoyable set. If you liked the previous volumes, you will feel right at home here.
The first story, featuring the Draconians, would be worthy of a Klingon opera! (they are pretty much the Klingons of Doctor Who as I came to understand).
It is pretty much that.
Honour, honour killings, treachery, counter- treachery, royal weddings, crazy villains and weapons of mass destruction.
Plus a little bit of James Bond heroics.
Kathy Manning gives a fantastic performance and this is much more her story than it is the Doctor's.
Jo gets a lot to do, she gets to use her spy training, do some sneaking about, working on her diplomacy...
There is a lot of back and forth, and at a guess, your enjoyment of this would depend directly on if you like a bit of run-around, subterfuge, and James Bond.
The sound design again is great and fits in perfectly with the era.
This story gets a thumbs up from me for Kathy's performance and the use Jo alone!
The second, Earth bound story, while it is not as good or clever or intriguing as the first, it is non-the-less enjoyable.
It is more of a standard 3rd Doctor story.
The side characters, however, are great, the hunting obsessed Squire of the land and the Vicar (and his cook).
I could picture the setting very well, with the snowy weather, the rural village and pub, thanks to the sound design.
The story itself however.... as I said, it is pretty standard, and I was more than once reminded of a certain recent Sixie monthly range release that was a bit similar.
Performance is great, and we also get to meet the Brigadier, being all brave soldier battling on, and Sarah Jane. I think the performance of both characters is improving with each release they appear in!
All in all a good enjoyable set. If you liked the previous volumes, you will feel right at home here.
October 24, 2021
Out of the two stories "The Devils Hoofprints" was the better of them. A strong UNIT mystery story that would have fit well within Pertwee's final season.
Unfortunately i found Conspiracy in Space to be rather dragged out and dull in places which brings the overall boxset review from me down to 3 / 5.
The acting by all involved was of the usual high standard to be expected from Big Finish and the sound design was nostalgic of the era these stories are set.
Sadie Miller is hopefully becoming a regular for Sarah Jane Smith, doing an uncanny interpretation of her late mother, which adds a special touch to her performance knowing who she is.
Unfortunately i found Conspiracy in Space to be rather dragged out and dull in places which brings the overall boxset review from me down to 3 / 5.
The acting by all involved was of the usual high standard to be expected from Big Finish and the sound design was nostalgic of the era these stories are set.
Sadie Miller is hopefully becoming a regular for Sarah Jane Smith, doing an uncanny interpretation of her late mother, which adds a special touch to her performance knowing who she is.
November 10, 2021
As always, Tim Treloar, Jon Culshaw, and Sadie Miller have done a stellar job with their impressions, plus Katy Manning is her usual delightful self.
The first story was pretty standard Third-Doctor-in-Space material, which isn't really my thing unless it involves the Master being a dramatic little bitch, so that one lost me a bit. The second story was much more my thing (spoopy gothic mystery) but again my attention kept wandering (admittedly I was playing the Animal Crossing update so maybe that was my fault). Not the best Third Doctor Adventures boxset by any means but it was still pleasant to listen to.
The first story was pretty standard Third-Doctor-in-Space material, which isn't really my thing unless it involves the Master being a dramatic little bitch, so that one lost me a bit. The second story was much more my thing (spoopy gothic mystery) but again my attention kept wandering (admittedly I was playing the Animal Crossing update so maybe that was my fault). Not the best Third Doctor Adventures boxset by any means but it was still pleasant to listen to.
January 19, 2024
I suppose I liked the second story more. Well, I’ve now listened to all the numbered Third Doctor Adventures. I’ll be all caught up soon.
November 28, 2021
Good solid pair of episodes. They've really got this era nailed down now -- my favorite era of the show. It's still odd that there are almost all new actors in these established roles (except for Katy Manning in this set). But Sadie Miller is a close enough match for her mother's voice that you quickly forget she's not Lis Sladen, and Jon Culshaw's impersonation of The Brigadier is uncanny.
January 13, 2025
The Third Doctor Adventures is far from being my favorite range unfortunately, it's a very mixed series of audios with some of Big Finish's best, worst, and most mediocre output. This is a shame considering just how great Tim Treloar is at playing The Third Doctor. It's nice to see him interact with the different companions and characters from the era, so hopefully, this set will be one of the better ones!
Conspiracy in Space:
After The Tardis is taken out of time and to the planet Draconia, at the brink of war between the humans and Draconians, The Third Doctor and Jo find themselves in a middle of a conspiracy that could shatter both empires with devastating consequences, that could alter the course of history.
I was a little nervous about this story, considering its mixed reviews. But despite what some people have said, I honestly found this to be a really fun, action-packed adventure with plenty of twists and turns. It's very much inspired by the James Bond books, which delighted me because I don't think a Doctor Who story with The Third Doctor, despite the similarities at times within his own era, really went full on with the idea, so to see Alan Barnes use this to his advantage was brilliant.
This story was tense with some really good ideas and I love the space opera element to this, which in some ways reminded me of Frontier in Space, so much so, I could honestly imagine Malcolm Hulke himself having written this himself. Despite the clever twists and tension, it also has some very heartfelt moments too with Jo (played by the wonderful Katy Manning) very much at the core of them. 9/10
The Devil's Hoofprints:
Back in Devon, in 1855, mysterious hoofprints appear in the snow. For a good century, people have always wondered what they belonged to. Now in the present, The Doctor and Sarah have been called in by The Brigadier to help investigate a new research lab being run by a mysterious Clinton. However, it isn't long before it all goes wrong, The Brigadier is trapped with Clinton and being hunted down. Whilst The Doctor and Sarah find themselves in the past, about to uncover the truth of the devil's hoofprints.
Robert Valentine has written a terrific tale that is very reminiscent of the era with two chase scenes, a mad scientist, and of course our friends at UNIT in the midst of it all. I love how this story was told in two different time periods, really extending the cast of characters with a likable trio of Victorian characters who were an absolute joy to listen to. Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller, and Jon Culshaw were amazing in this as always! 8/10
Overall: 17/20
Conspiracy in Space:
After The Tardis is taken out of time and to the planet Draconia, at the brink of war between the humans and Draconians, The Third Doctor and Jo find themselves in a middle of a conspiracy that could shatter both empires with devastating consequences, that could alter the course of history.
I was a little nervous about this story, considering its mixed reviews. But despite what some people have said, I honestly found this to be a really fun, action-packed adventure with plenty of twists and turns. It's very much inspired by the James Bond books, which delighted me because I don't think a Doctor Who story with The Third Doctor, despite the similarities at times within his own era, really went full on with the idea, so to see Alan Barnes use this to his advantage was brilliant.
This story was tense with some really good ideas and I love the space opera element to this, which in some ways reminded me of Frontier in Space, so much so, I could honestly imagine Malcolm Hulke himself having written this himself. Despite the clever twists and tension, it also has some very heartfelt moments too with Jo (played by the wonderful Katy Manning) very much at the core of them. 9/10
The Devil's Hoofprints:
Back in Devon, in 1855, mysterious hoofprints appear in the snow. For a good century, people have always wondered what they belonged to. Now in the present, The Doctor and Sarah have been called in by The Brigadier to help investigate a new research lab being run by a mysterious Clinton. However, it isn't long before it all goes wrong, The Brigadier is trapped with Clinton and being hunted down. Whilst The Doctor and Sarah find themselves in the past, about to uncover the truth of the devil's hoofprints.
Robert Valentine has written a terrific tale that is very reminiscent of the era with two chase scenes, a mad scientist, and of course our friends at UNIT in the midst of it all. I love how this story was told in two different time periods, really extending the cast of characters with a likable trio of Victorian characters who were an absolute joy to listen to. Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller, and Jon Culshaw were amazing in this as always! 8/10
Overall: 17/20
October 29, 2022
In story one jo and the doctor visit draconian. In story two the doctor and Sarah go to the past to save the brigadier in the present.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews