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Big Finish: Monthly Range #126
Doctor Who: Blue Forgotten Planet
'So, this is the blue planet you've forgotten about. But take another look. You helped us once. I know you can help us again.'
On Earth, civilization has ended and time is running out for the Doctor and Charlotte Pollard.
Will the mysterious Viyrans really help?
'Without you, the human race will die out. And Planet Earth will surely be our tomb.'
On Earth, civilization has ended and time is running out for the Doctor and Charlotte Pollard.
Will the mysterious Viyrans really help?
'Without you, the human race will die out. And Planet Earth will surely be our tomb.'
Audio CD
First published September 1, 2009
About the author
Nicholas Briggs
375 books134 followersNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs. Some of Briggs' earliest Doctor Who-related work was as host of The Myth Makers, a series of made-for-video documentaries produced in the 1980s and 1990s by Reeltime Pictures in which Briggs interviews many of the actors and writers involved in the series. When Reeltime expanded into producing original dramas, Briggs wrote some stories and acted in others, beginning with War Time, the first unofficial Doctor Who spin-off, and Myth Runner, a parody of Blade Runner showcasing bloopers from the Myth Makers series built around a loose storyline featuring Briggs as a down on his luck private detective in the near future.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 24, 2025
Finally, I have finished every story of my first ever Big Finish companion. Charlotte Pollard. The Eighth Doctor run with her is what got me into Big Finish to begin with.
So what did I think of the end of this character's run? (Spoilers I cried).
I do like that we get a respectful end to the short-lived character of Mila. It also means any stories set during the 6 and Charley period could be either Mila or Charley which could be fun. The Viyrans are such great villains that are very unique for this 60+ year franchise. The first ever Big Finish thing I listened to was the one where Peri and 5 meet the Viyrans which is such a great jumping off point for this story too.
And the last 20 minutes of the final story wrap everything up beautifully. I cried at Charley's final scene with 6.
So what did I think of the end of this character's run? (Spoilers I cried).
I do like that we get a respectful end to the short-lived character of Mila. It also means any stories set during the 6 and Charley period could be either Mila or Charley which could be fun. The Viyrans are such great villains that are very unique for this 60+ year franchise. The first ever Big Finish thing I listened to was the one where Peri and 5 meet the Viyrans which is such a great jumping off point for this story too.
And the last 20 minutes of the final story wrap everything up beautifully. I cried at Charley's final scene with 6.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2025
This was such a great ending for the 6th Doctor and Charley. On an Earth where nothing is as it seems, the Viyrans have returned on the hunt for the Amythest Viruses, and it comes to a head between Charley and Mila. It was just a very good episode, and a poignant ending for Charley's time with the 6th Doctor.
India Fisher was particularly good in this audio as she voiced both Charley and Mila-Charley and while both have the same voice, it was easy to tell which one was speaking at any time, and India Fisher did a fantastic job of differentiating the two characters.
India Fisher was particularly good in this audio as she voiced both Charley and Mila-Charley and while both have the same voice, it was easy to tell which one was speaking at any time, and India Fisher did a fantastic job of differentiating the two characters.
June 19, 2023
This one was pretty good. The interactions between the Doctor and the two Charlies was a lot of fun. There’s also some wonderful stuff about the complications and morality of the alien’s plans.
Update: I’ve since learned that this release includes a short that is another chapter of a serial featuring Polly, the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster that ran month-by-month for about a year, threading through the Doctor Who Monthly range.
Update: I’ve since learned that this release includes a short that is another chapter of a serial featuring Polly, the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster that ran month-by-month for about a year, threading through the Doctor Who Monthly range.
October 1, 2009
With Blue Forgotten Planet, Big Finish managed to pull of a perfect conclusion to Charley Pollard's travels with the Doctor. This is no mean feat. Charley's exit had to be big - her story has nearly come to an end so many times before, that an ordinary ending just wouldn't do.
When I was at the Clarion West writing workshop in 2002, one of our instructors, John Crowley, used to talk about storytelling as "management of revelation". I thought about that phrase a lot while listening to Blue Forgotten Planet, because there are lots of moments of revelation in this story. The Blue Forgotten Planet project isn't what it initially appears to be, the intentions of the Viyrans aren't what they initially appear to be, the madness affecting the human race isn't what it initially appears to be, and, of course, Charley hasn't really been what she appears to be since the ending of Patient Zero. All of these twists and turns are deftly handled. I've recently come to think that Nick Briggs is a bit underrated as a script writer for Big Finish. This story ought to do a lot to correct that.
Plus, it's a very emotionally affecting script. I was expecting Charley's departure to be heart-wrenching, but there are other moments of poignancy in the script that I wasn't expecting. Particularly the way it's made clear that the Doctor and Mila-as-Charley have travelled together for a long time, and developed a very close relationship - a relationship based on a lie.
India Fisher manages an impressive dual performance as Charley and Mila-Charley, playing two characters who are biologically/vocally identical, and yet distinct in personality. The fact that I was rarely confused about whether Charley or Mila-Charley was speaking is a real testament to her skill, as is her playing of a fairly dramatic final conversation between the two versions of Charley.
I've really come to like the Viyrans as well. They're aliens who aren't evil so much as just possessed of very different values. I like the way Michael Maloney plays them as well. He makes them sound detached, but not flat.
I have a few minor plot niggles. The solution to the virus problem was a bit timey-wimey, and in a script that didn't have as much else going on probably would have seemed weak. In the context of this overall story, it didn't really matter.
Really excellent work from everyone involved.
When I was at the Clarion West writing workshop in 2002, one of our instructors, John Crowley, used to talk about storytelling as "management of revelation". I thought about that phrase a lot while listening to Blue Forgotten Planet, because there are lots of moments of revelation in this story. The Blue Forgotten Planet project isn't what it initially appears to be, the intentions of the Viyrans aren't what they initially appear to be, the madness affecting the human race isn't what it initially appears to be, and, of course, Charley hasn't really been what she appears to be since the ending of Patient Zero. All of these twists and turns are deftly handled. I've recently come to think that Nick Briggs is a bit underrated as a script writer for Big Finish. This story ought to do a lot to correct that.
Plus, it's a very emotionally affecting script. I was expecting Charley's departure to be heart-wrenching, but there are other moments of poignancy in the script that I wasn't expecting. Particularly the way it's made clear that the Doctor and Mila-as-Charley have travelled together for a long time, and developed a very close relationship - a relationship based on a lie.
India Fisher manages an impressive dual performance as Charley and Mila-Charley, playing two characters who are biologically/vocally identical, and yet distinct in personality. The fact that I was rarely confused about whether Charley or Mila-Charley was speaking is a real testament to her skill, as is her playing of a fairly dramatic final conversation between the two versions of Charley.
I've really come to like the Viyrans as well. They're aliens who aren't evil so much as just possessed of very different values. I like the way Michael Maloney plays them as well. He makes them sound detached, but not flat.
I have a few minor plot niggles. The solution to the virus problem was a bit timey-wimey, and in a script that didn't have as much else going on probably would have seemed weak. In the context of this overall story, it didn't really matter.
Really excellent work from everyone involved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2022
This ends the Doctor 6/Charley combo. Writer Nick Briggs has tried to go out with a big, bombastic finish, full of zombie-like hordes, maniacs with guns, ruthless aliens, and the Earth in peril. It's another one of those somebody is messing with the time line sort of story. Herein lies one of the problems. Clearly if this is Earth and nothing corresponds to any known history of Earth, then The Doctor should be a little more perturbed about it than just "it doesn't feel right." Also, the plot that runs in constant crisis mode means that there is no way to go bigger once the engines are revved, at about 10 minutes into part 1. Still, the story follows the logic of its setup. The Viyrans turn out to be one of the more interesting Big Finish creations in their own way, because their ethical code works well as a foil for The Doctor's ethical code.
July 3, 2023
The truth comes out and the story sticks the landing. I thought this one was quite good. The performances were top notch, and a lot of credit needs to go to India Fisher for her dual role.
While I don’t think this conclusion is as explosively interesting or insane as Patient Zero or as gripping as Paper Cuts, this is still a really well put together and solid outing. The music was solid, the cast was solid, the culmination was satisfying, and the send-off felt earned.
I almost wish there had been more intensity in the reveal but that wouldn’t really be Six’s style, now would it…?
Honestly coming out of this thing I just desperately want to see Charley and Eight reunite and I doubt I’m alone with that thought.
While I don’t think this conclusion is as explosively interesting or insane as Patient Zero or as gripping as Paper Cuts, this is still a really well put together and solid outing. The music was solid, the cast was solid, the culmination was satisfying, and the send-off felt earned.
I almost wish there had been more intensity in the reveal but that wouldn’t really be Six’s style, now would it…?
Honestly coming out of this thing I just desperately want to see Charley and Eight reunite and I doubt I’m alone with that thought.
July 23, 2020
A decent conclusion to the events of Doctor Who: Patient Zero.
October 1, 2021
This is a great conclusion to the Sixth Doctor and Charley's adventures together. It makes great sense of how The Doctor doesn't remember her later, thanks to the Vyrians and the Mila aspect. The final goodbye was a very emotional moment.
August 20, 2023
A near-perfect ending to a great arc, Charlotte Pollard meeting the Sixth was a brilliant creative decision and those stories ran with the concept extremely well. 4,5*/5
March 18, 2025
Paranoia at its finest!
December 21, 2025
3.5 Stars without the ending. This only gets the last star for the canon elements in Part 4.
February 8, 2026
The Viyrans discover every human alive has a dormant gene in their DNA harbouring a virus. So, they decide the only solution is to erase the entire species... It's very generic Who, but it's not a bad premise by any means, and I think this could've been pulled off really well considering all the elements at play including Charley's timeline, Mila, the Viyrans themselves and this future desecrated Earth (which we don't get much of a look at beyond the two groups of survivors and some exposition that 2 billion humans died out within a decade).
And as to the whole "two Charleys" thing, I don't know if I'm being stupid but... Surely Charley and Mila would have been wearing different clothes, right? Therefore, the Doctor should have been able to tell right away which Charley was which?
For the first three parts, it's just fairly average storytelling. Neither good nor bad. For the final part, the stakes ramp up, and Charley's emotional exit was beautiful - It was a fitting conclusion to her time with the Sixth Doctor, so as far as the overarching storyline is concerned, this is a very satisfying conclusion.
However, if we look at the final part purely as the final part to this story by itself, it has the fatal error of a deus ex machina; the Doctor is able to save the day because a human stepped into the TARDIS - Yes, stepping into the TARDIS is literally the cure to this apocalyptic virus which the Viyrans were willing to wipe everybody out for.
So yes, I think the overall conclusion to the Six/Charley arc is good, but I wouldn't write home about this story if I was talking about it as its own self-contained release.
And as to the whole "two Charleys" thing, I don't know if I'm being stupid but... Surely Charley and Mila would have been wearing different clothes, right? Therefore, the Doctor should have been able to tell right away which Charley was which?
For the first three parts, it's just fairly average storytelling. Neither good nor bad. For the final part, the stakes ramp up, and Charley's emotional exit was beautiful - It was a fitting conclusion to her time with the Sixth Doctor, so as far as the overarching storyline is concerned, this is a very satisfying conclusion.
However, if we look at the final part purely as the final part to this story by itself, it has the fatal error of a deus ex machina; the Doctor is able to save the day because a human stepped into the TARDIS - Yes, stepping into the TARDIS is literally the cure to this apocalyptic virus which the Viyrans were willing to wipe everybody out for.
So yes, I think the overall conclusion to the Six/Charley arc is good, but I wouldn't write home about this story if I was talking about it as its own self-contained release.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2017
At last we reach the final departure of companion Charley Pollard, who had been with the audio plays since Storm Warning over eight years prior. After the unfortunate misstep of the preceding story, Paper Cuts, we are back with the conclusion to the story started in Patient Zero, and a plot arc started quite a bit before that.
The story itself is set in a near-future Earth that has been the victim of what is essentially a zombie apocalypse - although, unlike in most such stories, there is a temporary cure, the attempts to get hold of which form a significant element of the plot. Combined with this, of course, we have the resolution of events with Charley and Patient Zero.
There is something of a weakness here, in that characters spend quite a lot of the story refusing to explain what's going on to one another (or the listener). That's probably needed to prevent the story ending too soon, but it does become rather obvious after a while, with the mystery being dragged out longer than there's any in-story reason for it be.
Other than that, though, it's a spectacular ending, and a satisfying conclusion to the events set up in the first part of the trilogy. Of course, there's also the matter of Charley's departure, which manages to be as poignant this time as it was in The Girl Who Never Was. Except this time, it's permanent. It's this that really makes the story, and means that I can't quite deduct more than half a star for the plot itself.
So, 4.5 rounded up to the full five.
The story itself is set in a near-future Earth that has been the victim of what is essentially a zombie apocalypse - although, unlike in most such stories, there is a temporary cure, the attempts to get hold of which form a significant element of the plot. Combined with this, of course, we have the resolution of events with Charley and Patient Zero.
There is something of a weakness here, in that characters spend quite a lot of the story refusing to explain what's going on to one another (or the listener). That's probably needed to prevent the story ending too soon, but it does become rather obvious after a while, with the mystery being dragged out longer than there's any in-story reason for it be.
Other than that, though, it's a spectacular ending, and a satisfying conclusion to the events set up in the first part of the trilogy. Of course, there's also the matter of Charley's departure, which manages to be as poignant this time as it was in The Girl Who Never Was. Except this time, it's permanent. It's this that really makes the story, and means that I can't quite deduct more than half a star for the plot itself.
So, 4.5 rounded up to the full five.
Read
December 23, 2009"Blue Forgotten Planet by Nicholas Briggs, is India Fisher's swansong as Charley Pollard. Once she hooked up with the Sixth Doctor after her adventures with the Eighth, it was clear that some pretty dramatic resolution was needed, and the stakes were raised a couple of stories ago by the introduction of a fake Charley identical to the real one. Briggs brings back the virus-hunting Viyrans, who he introduced for a series on one-episode stories a while back, for a resolution which barely works in plot terms but pays off very well emotionally and dramatically. Fisher is brilliant as the two versions of Charley - we are rarely in much doubt as to which she is acting. The setting of a devastated post-apocalyptic Earth is superbly portrayed, and the fact that the few surviving sane humans are making nature documentaries (with lovely background music) about their blue, forgotten planet, seems tragic rather than ludicrous. I didn't find it quite as good as Paper Cuts, but it is pretty good. (Unfortunately one of the guest cast, J.J. Field, takes most of the first episode to wake up to the fact that he is supposed to be acting.) See also Why Charlotte Pollard Pwns Rose Tyler."
April 4, 2012
I thought this was a wonderful, if sad, ending to Charley's time with the Doctor. The supporting cast was great. I really liked both David McAllister and Ed.
I don't know what else to say at this moment. A wonderful audio I will be happy to revisit. It's actually put me in a mood to go back to the beginning of Charley's run with Eight, which I might.
Big Finish really does churn out some of the best Doctor Who stories around.
I don't know what else to say at this moment. A wonderful audio I will be happy to revisit. It's actually put me in a mood to go back to the beginning of Charley's run with Eight, which I might.
Big Finish really does churn out some of the best Doctor Who stories around.
April 11, 2014
It was really nice for Colin to get a far future post-apocalyptic style adventure. Seems like those normally go to the other Doctors. But this was really well done an interesting plot and the characterisation of the two Charlies was done really well. The ending was quite heartbreaking. I'm really glad I listened to this after Charley's new series had been announced as it made it more exciting to know that she'd be going on and having her other adventures.
March 12, 2012
I'm really conflicted about this one because the "Charley" arc didn't sit well with me... but regardless of that, good adventure with very interesting villains, and a satisfying, if heartbreaking, conclusion to Charley's arc.
January 21, 2016
The Doctor and Charley or should I say Mila end up on the planet Earth right as the Viyrans are about to distort the Planet because of a virus. The doctor needs to stop them but in the process finds out about the other Charley and her secret. Will this be her last adventure.
October 5, 2015
An excellent departure story for Charley. Again. Also, the idea of a charity appeal video to aliens asking them to "save the humans" is genius.
November 14, 2015
This was a wonderful send-off for a wonderful character, but if course as a JJ Feild fangirl, I'm going to have to say the best part was the guest stars (Alec Newman, too!).
November 4, 2016
The ending.... :(
November 15, 2016
Good ending for Charley's run with 6. I liked the way they dealt with the timey wimey already travelled with 8 issue.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews