Doctor Who: Silver and Ice

The Seventh Doctor Adventures

by Dan Starkey, Jonathan Barnes

The Seventh Doctor and Mel encounter old foes at the edge of the galaxy — where tinsel proves to be a dangerous commodity — before heading to a familiar planet going through turbulent times — and meeting another old acquaintance.

Bad Day in Tinseltown by Dan Starkey (2 parts)
The Doctor and Mel drop in on the frontier town of Brightedge – dubbed ‘Tinseltown’ after the curious by-products from its depleted mine. The Mayor thinks the future lies in entertainment, but as the locals start behaving oddly, a hidden force of Cybermen has other plans.

The Ribos Inheritance by Jonathan Barnes (4 parts)
The Doctor and Mel arrive expecting Suntime on Ribos, but find a world still shrouded in snow and ice – but it’s not just the climate that’s gone awry… As forces plot against the young King, a soothsayer predicts doom. And out in the wilds, the Doctor finds wily conman Garron caught up in events on Ribos once again.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published June 30, 2022

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad Day in Tinseltown ~ This one is authentically circa late 1980s Doctor Who. For good or for worse, this one is haplessly stuck in those last years of JNT’s era as show-runner. The Cybermen return and menace the Doctor and Mel. Dan Starkey did a nice job evoking this particular era, keeping the vibe, texture and atmosphere without missing a beat. If that’s your nostalgic Doctor Who era, you’ll love this (3/5).

The Ribos Inheritance ~ The Doctor returns to the planet Ribos with Mel in search of some warmth and fun in the sun. So we know how that’s going to turn out. It seems that Ribos is now 10 years or so overdue for a seasonal switch and the Doctor has to work out what the problem is and how to fix it. Another fine and serviceable story, but nothing really grabbed ahold of me, although I did enjoy the final wrap-up (3/5).

And, of course, there’s the usual behind-the-scenes interviews with cast and crew. The download edition also includes an exclusive bonus adventure: Doctor Who: Interludes: The Haunting of Bryck Place.

[Xander Toner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting release, this. The closest thing connecting the two stories, aside from the TARDIS team, is the settings. Both take place in chilly places and try to (rather successfully) emulate the tone of Season Twenty-Four. Out of the two, I'd say that the first, Bad Day in Tinseltown, was the one I preferred more. It had a little bit more fun with itself, in comparison to the slightly bland The Ribos Inheritance.

Let's just say I'm glad I got this one as a present, and didn't buy it with my own money.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two stories featuring the Seventh Doctor and Mel, the first “silver” part being one hour long, and the “ice” part being two hours. They have no plot or thematic connection with one another beyond both taking place between Delta and the Bannermen and Dragonfire.

Bad Day in Tinseltown – No, not that Tinseltown. In fact, this story, the shorter of the two, is set on a 31st century mining colony where the ores have been exhausted and the government is considering a pivot towards an entertainment-based economy. The science here is ropey, not least in the planet being habitable despite not having a sun. If you can get past that, however, it’s an enjoyable romp with the Doctor and Mel investigating the colony as a bossy government official is scoping out its suitability as a tourist destination.

All is, of course, not what it seems, although, again, the grounds for the Doctor looking into it in the first place are pretty thin. The investigation turns to action in the second half as the monsters illustrated on the cover make their appearance. It’s not one of their great appearances, making some nods to Nightmare in Silver and mixing in a couple of different models, but otherwise not ringing any particular changes. But it’s fun and fast-paced, with a plucky supporting character helping Mel and an overly confident villain… just don’t think about the logic behind it too much. 3.5 stars.

The Ribos Inheritance – The second, longer, story is the better of the two and is, of course, a sequel to the Fourth Doctor story The Ribos Operation. The story sees the Doctor return to the planet during its multi-decadal summer only to find that the weather is just as cold as on his previous visit. That provides the core of the mystery, but there’s much more to the plot than that, with an apparent usurper on the throne, rebels in the wastelands, and more. As the cover indicates, Garron is also back, and the how and why of that is also key to the story.

Part of the strength of the story is the worldbuilding, which expands on what is already hinted at in the TV serial. Obviously, we do get shrivenzales again, as well as a new Seeker advising the king but there’s also much more explanation of what lies outside the city, where much of the action takes place. At times, there’s a Game of Thrones vibe to things, although obviously without the sex and imaginatively gory deaths. It may not be as expansive as Westeros, but at least there’s a feel that there’s more to Ribos than a single city-bound story could show us (although, if you're not a fan of that story, this isn't going to change your mind). Garron is good, if a little overshadowed by a barbarian warrior-woman, and there’s also some nice foreshadowing of what’s to come in TV episodes set later in the Doctor’s timeline. 4 stars.

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it's fair to say that I found the change from Monthly Range to boxsets a little worrying, but a decision I could totally understand and feel Big Finish could benefit from in some respects. But I got so accustomed to the range that I honestly really miss it. This is the first set in The Seventh Doctor Adventures range from the change and I've heard some pretty mixed things about it, so let's see what I think!

Bad Day in Tinseltown:
When The Doctor and Mel arrive at Tinseltown, they discover that this snowy, western environment has more going on than meets the eye, and not one but two Cybermen factions are involved, soon chaos is about to occur and everybody might not make it out alive.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from this story but I'll give Dan Starkey credit whilst I'm not a fan of Season 24 at all, he perfectly captures the vibe of that season whilst also writing a really fun story. The villain of this piece in particular feels like they've come right out of that series, incredibly campy and silly but fun. It's a strange Cyberman story but an enjoyable one. 8/10

The Ribos Inheritance:
Deciding to go on a vacation, The Doctor and Mel arrive on Ribos to find that the planet's climate is all wrong, it should be summertime, but instead, it's Winter... Meanwhile, the King is suffering from threats of a war between his kingdom and insurrectionists. All the clues may lead to The Doctor's old friend Garron who seems to be up to no good again.

Jonathan Barnes has written a fantastic script with some brilliant dialogue. It may seem run-of-the-mill in the sense of it being a rebel vs authority kind of story, but it's actually done really well with some exciting action and plenty of humor. But what I appreciate the most is how this story actually sets up 7 as being a master manipulator, giving out hints as to what he will become someday and Sylvester McCoy pulls this off brilliantly with a chilling ending. 9/10

Overall: 17/20

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor Who: The Seventh Doctor Adventures: Silver and Ice - 3/5 stars

Bonnie Langford’s Mel and Sylvestor McCoy’s 7th Doctor are back and they are a delight as always.

Bad Day in Tinseltown by Dan Starkey - 3.5/5 stars

After a lot of 2 part stories from Big Finish, I’m really starting to enjoy them. They’ve seemed to have created a fun formula for these episodes while also managing not to overfill them with too much story. This one has fun comical beats to it while also having some classic Cybermen run around. Not gonna lie Australian Cybermen made this quite the entertaining listen.

The Ribos Inheritance by Jonathan Barnes - 2.5/5 stars

This one was painfully okay. As someone who hasn’t really got much of a memory for the Key to Time, I barely remember the Ribos episode. This story has a returning character, that I hardly remember and a slow story about rebels vs royalty that is… alright.

[Aidan Brack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad Day in Tinseltown - Clever idea to evoke S24. Emulates the structure and tone of that season really well, though I didn't care for some of the performances. Otoh, if this had been made, you can imagine the stunt casting we would have gotten.

The Ribos Inheritance - A rather tedious return to a planet that no one has ever previously felt compelled to return to with good reason. It is sadly a waste of McCoy (who is great).

[Joseph S · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY interesting they go into how 7 changes into a Machiavellian planner.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The doctor and Mel battle the cybermen to save a planet. Then they land on ribos for a vacation but investigate why the seasons weren’t changing.

[Craig Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought the main stories were a bit so-so but enjoyed the bonus ‘interlude’.

[Jurgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.1 'Bad Day in Tinseltown' by Dan Starkey (2 parts): 3*
2.2 'The Ribos Inheritance' by Jonathan Barnes (4 parts): 4*

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither story was quite as exciting as I expected.