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Big Finish: Monthly Range #35
Doctor Who: ...ish
A conference of lexicographers: bromides in tweed. But the leading expert in the field is found dead by her own hand - and by her hologlyphic assistant. Is he responsible? Does the death fit any conventional definitions? Can the Doctor realise who wrote the suicide note and why, exactly, it was riddled with spelling errors?
Peri should help out, but there's a guy. Someone who loves language even more than the Doctor. Maybe, she realises, enough to kill for. Or perhaps just enough to ask her out to dinner. Unless, of course, he's already spoken for...
Is it madness? Seeking transcendence in the complete lexicon? Having the right words on teh tip of your tongue but never quite knowing when to use them?
If so, how?
...ish
Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures Revelation of the Daleks and The Trial of a Time Lord.
Peri should help out, but there's a guy. Someone who loves language even more than the Doctor. Maybe, she realises, enough to kill for. Or perhaps just enough to ask her out to dinner. Unless, of course, he's already spoken for...
Is it madness? Seeking transcendence in the complete lexicon? Having the right words on teh tip of your tongue but never quite knowing when to use them?
If so, how?
...ish
Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures Revelation of the Daleks and The Trial of a Time Lord.
Audio CD
First published August 29, 2002
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
February 4, 2014
Simply one of the best Doctor Who stories in any medium. 'Language and humanity lived in peace long before either of them was sentient..' But all that has changed now as a language-based economy, an ambitious dictionary project, a rogue linguist and a lexicographic AI are caught up in a storm of words. The Sixth Doctor is the perfect foil for a tale that is so much about language, words and the English language and Nicola Bryant's Peri, complete with dodgy US accent, is the perfect foil to him! The way the story is resolved is ... okay, the usual Doc stuff, some sort of reverse engineering that is saved for far too late in the tale to really be explored in any detail, but it doesn't matter, the ideas and dialogue along the way are more than rewarding enough on their own. I definitely need to listen to this one again!
February 14, 2024
I had some fun with this one but I found the overall story a bit meh. I enjoyed the Doctor's elocution and I thought the characters were pretty much all fantastic.
June 5, 2020
Very cleverly written audiobook, peppered with many little in-jokes—a Terry Nation reference, an Alien (the movie) reference, etc.
Involves a great deal of philosophical thought and wordplay, enough so we actually had to pause the story to parse/deconstruct the premise several times. If you’ve ever stared at a word until the spelling looked wrong even though you know on some level it’s right, and felt the whole abstract concept of “words” start to slip away from reality, you’ll get what the author was trying to achieve. And be comforted that it’s not just you who has seen how words are hollow and madness lurks in the spaces between... and I’ll just be... I’ll just be leaving now.
Involves a great deal of philosophical thought and wordplay, enough so we actually had to pause the story to parse/deconstruct the premise several times. If you’ve ever stared at a word until the spelling looked wrong even though you know on some level it’s right, and felt the whole abstract concept of “words” start to slip away from reality, you’ll get what the author was trying to achieve. And be comforted that it’s not just you who has seen how words are hollow and madness lurks in the spaces between... and I’ll just be... I’ll just be leaving now.
November 25, 2023
I think Peri might be growing on me.
June 7, 2018
Sono indecisa. Una storia basata sull'etimologia, sul significato e l'evoluzione delle parole e sul possibile pericolo rappresentato da certi termini mi ha ricordato il mondo di Thursday Next, creato da Jasper Fforde.
Il sesto Dottore sembra perfetto per la storia e anche Peri, giocando sul fatto che la britishitudine del primo si scontra benissimo con l'americanità della seconda... ma il tutto resta un po' indigesto.
Se non avessi potuto sfruttare le atmosfere alla BookWorld ffordiane mi avrebbe lasciata ancora più delusa.
Il sesto Dottore sembra perfetto per la storia e anche Peri, giocando sul fatto che la britishitudine del primo si scontra benissimo con l'americanità della seconda... ma il tutto resta un po' indigesto.
Se non avessi potuto sfruttare le atmosfere alla BookWorld ffordiane mi avrebbe lasciata ancora più delusa.
February 22, 2023
"English! What a remarkable, versatile language! Ever expanding, adapting, surviving but never compromising its integrity nor its poetry. One of the foremost achievements of human kind, a living language in the truest sense, and a language worth living!"
This story was written for Colin Baker, I thought his Doctor was perfect for this story, more than any other Doctor- through his love of language. The use of intelligent dialogue fits his personality perfectly. Colin just shines throughout. I loved the idea of living languages. The Doctor and Peri were brilliant together. The whole story was an experiment, but worked really well.
This story was written for Colin Baker, I thought his Doctor was perfect for this story, more than any other Doctor- through his love of language. The use of intelligent dialogue fits his personality perfectly. Colin just shines throughout. I loved the idea of living languages. The Doctor and Peri were brilliant together. The whole story was an experiment, but worked really well.
January 1, 2019
Very ... Anglo-centric.
...Ish is a living meme that tries to take over the lexicon of the language only to slam into the colorful wall that is the Doctor.
...Ish is a living meme that tries to take over the lexicon of the language only to slam into the colorful wall that is the Doctor.
July 21, 2015
The Sixth Doctor and Peri attend a conference of lexicographers at a college where an unfortunate murder has occurred. The victim was a perfectionist linguist compiling the world's biggest dictionary, and also a personal friend of The Doctor, but the only suspect is her holographic assistant, named Book, who is also a repository for every word in the English language.
The Omniverbum is the mythical longest word in existence. According to records, no one who has found the Omniverbum, or its sentient affix "Ish", has lived to tell of it. Except one. Book found the Ish on an obscure world and accidentally brought back to the college as per his programming. But now it's escaped, and is out to cause havoc on the speech centers of the human brain unless The Doctor can stop it.
Peri is in a different kind of danger. Swiftly falling in with a so-called "word anarchist" named Warren, she might come face to face with the slowly degenerating Book, who is distraught and unhinged over his master's death by possibly his own hands. Distraught and unhinged enough to kill her....
The Omniverbum is the mythical longest word in existence. According to records, no one who has found the Omniverbum, or its sentient affix "Ish", has lived to tell of it. Except one. Book found the Ish on an obscure world and accidentally brought back to the college as per his programming. But now it's escaped, and is out to cause havoc on the speech centers of the human brain unless The Doctor can stop it.
Peri is in a different kind of danger. Swiftly falling in with a so-called "word anarchist" named Warren, she might come face to face with the slowly degenerating Book, who is distraught and unhinged over his master's death by possibly his own hands. Distraught and unhinged enough to kill her....
June 29, 2017
The highest of high concepts here is almost pulled off! This story is a story about words, in a very literal way. Words are characters. Words are places. Words are obsessions. Words may ust be everything there is.
New writer Philip Pascoe stunningly manages to hold this thing aloft by keeping the wordplay constantly swirling and leaving you just enough of a taste of implicit logic to allow you to feel like it all makes sense. And the Sixth Doctor's pomposity works brilliantly in the context.
But it doesn't quite hold together by the end and, when racing to a conclusion, the whole thing sputters and skids to a stop.
Still, the ambition of it all is thrilling and the moments where the Doctor and the artificial intelligence known as "Book" get so linguistically wrapped around each other that one has to stop and say, "Wait, did you just use that word correctly?"
"I believe so?"
"Really?"
Those moments are gold.
New writer Philip Pascoe stunningly manages to hold this thing aloft by keeping the wordplay constantly swirling and leaving you just enough of a taste of implicit logic to allow you to feel like it all makes sense. And the Sixth Doctor's pomposity works brilliantly in the context.
But it doesn't quite hold together by the end and, when racing to a conclusion, the whole thing sputters and skids to a stop.
Still, the ambition of it all is thrilling and the moments where the Doctor and the artificial intelligence known as "Book" get so linguistically wrapped around each other that one has to stop and say, "Wait, did you just use that word correctly?"
"I believe so?"
"Really?"
Those moments are gold.
September 11, 2020
THE CAWPINE OF 'DOCTOR WHO: ...ISH'
The Sixth Doctor fits this story better than any other Doctor would. His obsession with language makes him the perfect candidate to save language itself. Colin Baker clearly enjoys himself in this one, and the intelligent dialogue (which could easily sound pretentious when performed by any other Doctor) fits his personality perfectly. The other characters are also fairly enjoyable, even though most of them remain very ambiguous (Book for instance).
The atmosphere turns from complex and confusing to complex and weirdly fascinating. The idea of language itself being destroyed is actually pretty grim one, and clever writing makes the threat feel real. Much of the atmosphere is downplayed by the messy first half, but it's made up by the more tightly paces second half.
...ish delves deep into what could be described as intelligent academic writing, actually utilizing linguistics as a plot device. It's a unique concept well-suited for the audio format but it also takes away a lot of the magic of science fiction. Story by turning everything overly complex and confusing. All this being said, there are some interesting things and concepts buried beneath all that pretentiously complicated dialogue and the second half of the adventure turns up the dial on tension and the creepy factor.
The climax is breathtaking, clever and sharp, made all the better by Baker and Bryant, who put their hearts into the performances.
This story has one of those few plots I can't really wrap my head around. It is multi-layered and intelligent, yet confined and not too majestic. The scholarly quality to most of the dialogue ake the story seem more educated than most Doctor Who adventures, and the atypical subject matter is unlikely to entice first-time listeners. The first two episodes don't really achieve much in terms of plot progression, but the two latter parts still manage to wrap things up neatly.
The unprecedented subject matter, brilliant acting and surprisingly well-realized themes keep this story intriguing. Had all four episodes been similar to the first two, I would have lost interest fairly quickly and most likely given up on the story.
...ish is tremendously original. There is nothing quite like it in Doctor Who or sci-fi in general. The 2016 film Arrival comes pretty close, and that came out 14 years later. Kudos to the writer for the ingenious originality of the script.
With a tighter paced first half and a somewhat more coherent plot, this story would likely be another timeless classic. As it stands now, it is brilliantly original and surprisingly clever, but not the best example of a great Big Finish story.
CAWPINE RATING: 7.86 / 10 = 4 stars
The Sixth Doctor fits this story better than any other Doctor would. His obsession with language makes him the perfect candidate to save language itself. Colin Baker clearly enjoys himself in this one, and the intelligent dialogue (which could easily sound pretentious when performed by any other Doctor) fits his personality perfectly. The other characters are also fairly enjoyable, even though most of them remain very ambiguous (Book for instance).
The atmosphere turns from complex and confusing to complex and weirdly fascinating. The idea of language itself being destroyed is actually pretty grim one, and clever writing makes the threat feel real. Much of the atmosphere is downplayed by the messy first half, but it's made up by the more tightly paces second half.
...ish delves deep into what could be described as intelligent academic writing, actually utilizing linguistics as a plot device. It's a unique concept well-suited for the audio format but it also takes away a lot of the magic of science fiction. Story by turning everything overly complex and confusing. All this being said, there are some interesting things and concepts buried beneath all that pretentiously complicated dialogue and the second half of the adventure turns up the dial on tension and the creepy factor.
The climax is breathtaking, clever and sharp, made all the better by Baker and Bryant, who put their hearts into the performances.
This story has one of those few plots I can't really wrap my head around. It is multi-layered and intelligent, yet confined and not too majestic. The scholarly quality to most of the dialogue ake the story seem more educated than most Doctor Who adventures, and the atypical subject matter is unlikely to entice first-time listeners. The first two episodes don't really achieve much in terms of plot progression, but the two latter parts still manage to wrap things up neatly.
The unprecedented subject matter, brilliant acting and surprisingly well-realized themes keep this story intriguing. Had all four episodes been similar to the first two, I would have lost interest fairly quickly and most likely given up on the story.
...ish is tremendously original. There is nothing quite like it in Doctor Who or sci-fi in general. The 2016 film Arrival comes pretty close, and that came out 14 years later. Kudos to the writer for the ingenious originality of the script.
With a tighter paced first half and a somewhat more coherent plot, this story would likely be another timeless classic. As it stands now, it is brilliantly original and surprisingly clever, but not the best example of a great Big Finish story.
CAWPINE RATING: 7.86 / 10 = 4 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2021
This is one of those high concept audio dramas that will divide the fanbase – I can imagine some will absolutely love it, while others will likely hate it. I can’t say it’s like any other Doctor Who dramas I’ve heard, and really would only really work in audio form. You might be asking: “Why is that?” Well, it’s entirely about wordplay, flowery language, vocabulary, and what it means to truly comprehend language. It’s an insanely ambitious premise for a Doctor Who story, and is VERY creative, but that’s almost both a pro and con for the story. It many ways, the ambition to create such a story ends up being it’s very undoing as it gets in a bit over it’s head as the story goes.
“A conference of lexicographers: bromides in tweed. But the leading expert in the field is found dead by her own hand – and by her hologlyphic assistant. Is he responsible? Does the death fit any conventional definitions? Can the Doctor realise who wrote the suicide note and why, exactly, it was riddled with spelling errors?
Peri should help out, but there’s a guy. Someone who loves language even more than the Doctor. Maybe, she realises, enough to kill for. Or perhaps just enough to ask her out to dinner. Unless, of course, he’s already spoken for… Is it madness? Seeking transcendence in the complete lexicon? Having the right words on the tip of your tongue but never quite knowing when to use them? If so, how?
…ish”
The acting, sound design, and concept are worthy of a lot of kudos, but I can’t find myself getting to hyped about this to be honest. Perhaps if I was more of a fan of linguistics, or reading about things like that I would have appreciated it more, but aside from the concept being novel I found it gets tiresome after a while. Colin Baker is awesome as usual in his role as The Doctor. Baker is the actor that, more than anyone else in the role, has taken the reigns in audio format and MADE his version of The Doctor matter. Given the short end of the stick for the entire 1980’s, he’s at his best here by leaps and bounds. Nicola Bryant is also very good as Peri, who also wasn’t used to her best potential on TV, but thrives here.
This isn’t one of my favorite episodes, but I respect it for trying something different. Sometimes you run the risk of being “too different”, but this stays just clear of that. Its sometimes teetering the line of being pretentious, but I think that is somewhat intentional, as the entire concept of language and those that try to guard “what language is” is sort of what the message is here. You can’t really control language, it’s always evolving and changing, so trying to reign it in is impossible, and trying to do so would drive someone to murder.
“A conference of lexicographers: bromides in tweed. But the leading expert in the field is found dead by her own hand – and by her hologlyphic assistant. Is he responsible? Does the death fit any conventional definitions? Can the Doctor realise who wrote the suicide note and why, exactly, it was riddled with spelling errors?
Peri should help out, but there’s a guy. Someone who loves language even more than the Doctor. Maybe, she realises, enough to kill for. Or perhaps just enough to ask her out to dinner. Unless, of course, he’s already spoken for… Is it madness? Seeking transcendence in the complete lexicon? Having the right words on the tip of your tongue but never quite knowing when to use them? If so, how?
…ish”
The acting, sound design, and concept are worthy of a lot of kudos, but I can’t find myself getting to hyped about this to be honest. Perhaps if I was more of a fan of linguistics, or reading about things like that I would have appreciated it more, but aside from the concept being novel I found it gets tiresome after a while. Colin Baker is awesome as usual in his role as The Doctor. Baker is the actor that, more than anyone else in the role, has taken the reigns in audio format and MADE his version of The Doctor matter. Given the short end of the stick for the entire 1980’s, he’s at his best here by leaps and bounds. Nicola Bryant is also very good as Peri, who also wasn’t used to her best potential on TV, but thrives here.
This isn’t one of my favorite episodes, but I respect it for trying something different. Sometimes you run the risk of being “too different”, but this stays just clear of that. Its sometimes teetering the line of being pretentious, but I think that is somewhat intentional, as the entire concept of language and those that try to guard “what language is” is sort of what the message is here. You can’t really control language, it’s always evolving and changing, so trying to reign it in is impossible, and trying to do so would drive someone to murder.
January 22, 2021
あらすじ
Part1
辞書編纂者会議に訪れたドクターとペリ。ペリはドクターのオタクぶりについていけずこっそりとバーへ。そこでウォレンという青年と出会い意気投合する。一方、ドクターは英語の辞書最高峰レクシコンの編纂者オシファ教授にに会いにいくが、会議の主宰者コワードリーに研究室に案内されたところ、オシファ教授は息絶えていた。
コワードリーは自殺と嘆くがドクターは他殺とにらみ、警察を呼ぶようにいう。しかし、あくまでも自殺と信じるコワードリーは会議中に余計な騒ぎを起こすと出資者からに心証が悪くなると歯切れがわるい。犯人がまだキャンパス内にいると睨んだドクターは自分が捜査することを引き受ける。一方ペリはレクシコンの編纂は実質A.I.であるブックに任せきりとウォレンに聞かされ、驚く。ウォレンはA.I.のブックにに絶えず変化する言葉を全て集めて辞書載せるというデリケートな作業が本当にできるのか疑っていた。ブックの作業ぶりをチェックしたいとペリと共に研究室に忍び込むが、ブックに見つかってしまう。その頃、コワードリーからブックの存在をきいたドクターは、教授の死について何か知っているかもしれないと居場所を探そうと管理コンピューターにアクセスする。
Part2
ドクターはオシファの神経をコンピュータにコピーし、ブックと何があったのか直接訪ねてみる。その頃ペリもブックから辞書編纂の仕事について深く聞き出していた。オシファブックも惑星シノキュバスに言語を収集に行った時の話をする。シノキュバスでビックバンで宇宙が誕生した時のエコーが言語と信じている種族と話し、ブックはその時から自分の能力に疑問を持つようになってしまっていた。オシファ自身の死については聞き出せなかったのでドクターはオシファの残した書き物を探り“レクサスフェア”という生きた言語により正確にトレースできるレクシコンとは別の辞書をオシファが作っていたことを知る。ペリもブックから“レクサスフェア”について話しを聞かされるが、途中でブックは”ish “とばかり繰り返し始め、ペリを研究室に残して消えてしまう。その頃、セミナー会場では参加者が全員“ish”と口々に唱え始めていた。
Part3
“ish”としか話せなくなる症状が急速に拡散していくなか、ドクターとコワードリーは何故かその症状を免れていた。コワードリーはアナーキストのウォレンがこの混乱を引き起こしたに違いないとドクターに訴える。ドクターはコワードリーと手分けして原因探る。コワードリーはオシファが残した書き物にまで症状が及んでいるのを見つけパニック起こす。ドクターはコワードリーを宥め、自分達のほかに症状に侵されていないものを見るよう指示を送るが、そこにペリがドクターの元に駆けつける。ペリはドクターにブックがおkしくなったこととウォレンの話をする。ドクターとペリはそもそもの原因がオシファとブックが最近行った惑星シノキュバスでの言語調査にあるのではと考える。ドクターはペリにコワードリーとレクサスフェアをシャットダウンするように言う。その間ドクターはオシファの研究室でブックと対峙していた。ドクターはオシファが自分のリサーチを書き留めたノートの文章全てが意味を成さない言葉の羅列となったことに絶望し、自ら命を絶ったことを知る。
Part4
レクサスフェアをシャットダウンしようとしていたペリとコワードリーだったが、ペリに症状が出てしまう。その頃、ドクターとブックの前にウォレンが現れ、言語を意味のないものにするためブックに解けない言語の謎を与えたのがウォレンであることが発覚する。ペリはコワードリーからウォレンもブックと同じくA.I.であることを聞かされる。
感想
言語とはそもそも何か？言語はなぜそのよう存在するようになったのか？そういった言語の謎をうまく絡めていて、最後まで興味深く聴けた。辞書の役割や英語という言語へのプライド感とか、英語をそのようには考えたことなかったなぁという新鮮さとちょっとした怖さもありつつ、ややこしくて内容を把握するまで何度も聴き直さないといけなかった割に飽きることもなく楽しく聴けた。
Part1
辞書編纂者会議に訪れたドクターとペリ。ペリはドクターのオタクぶりについていけずこっそりとバーへ。そこでウォレンという青年と出会い意気投合する。一方、ドクターは英語の辞書最高峰レクシコンの編纂者オシファ教授にに会いにいくが、会議の主宰者コワードリーに研究室に案内されたところ、オシファ教授は息絶えていた。
コワードリーは自殺と嘆くがドクターは他殺とにらみ、警察を呼ぶようにいう。しかし、あくまでも自殺と信じるコワードリーは会議中に余計な騒ぎを起こすと出資者からに心証が悪くなると歯切れがわるい。犯人がまだキャンパス内にいると睨んだドクターは自分が捜査することを引き受ける。一方ペリはレクシコンの編纂は実質A.I.であるブックに任せきりとウォレンに聞かされ、驚く。ウォレンはA.I.のブックにに絶えず変化する言葉を全て集めて辞書載せるというデリケートな作業が本当にできるのか疑っていた。ブックの作業ぶりをチェックしたいとペリと共に研究室に忍び込むが、ブックに見つかってしまう。その頃、コワードリーからブックの存在をきいたドクターは、教授の死について何か知っているかもしれないと居場所を探そうと管理コンピューターにアクセスする。
Part2
ドクターはオシファの神経をコンピュータにコピーし、ブックと何があったのか直接訪ねてみる。その頃ペリもブックから辞書編纂の仕事について深く聞き出していた。オシファブックも惑星シノキュバスに言語を収集に行った時の話をする。シノキュバスでビックバンで宇宙が誕生した時のエコーが言語と信じている種族と話し、ブックはその時から自分の能力に疑問を持つようになってしまっていた。オシファ自身の死については聞き出せなかったのでドクターはオシファの残した書き物を探り“レクサスフェア”という生きた言語により正確にトレースできるレクシコンとは別の辞書をオシファが作っていたことを知る。ペリもブックから“レクサスフェア”について話しを聞かされるが、途中でブックは”ish “とばかり繰り返し始め、ペリを研究室に残して消えてしまう。その頃、セミナー会場では参加者が全員“ish”と口々に唱え始めていた。
Part3
“ish”としか話せなくなる症状が急速に拡散していくなか、ドクターとコワードリーは何故かその症状を免れていた。コワードリーはアナーキストのウォレンがこの混乱を引き起こしたに違いないとドクターに訴える。ドクターはコワードリーと手分けして原因探る。コワードリーはオシファが残した書き物にまで症状が及んでいるのを見つけパニック起こす。ドクターはコワードリーを宥め、自分達のほかに症状に侵されていないものを見るよう指示を送るが、そこにペリがドクターの元に駆けつける。ペリはドクターにブックがおkしくなったこととウォレンの話をする。ドクターとペリはそもそもの原因がオシファとブックが最近行った惑星シノキュバスでの言語調査にあるのではと考える。ドクターはペリにコワードリーとレクサスフェアをシャットダウンするように言う。その間ドクターはオシファの研究室でブックと対峙していた。ドクターはオシファが自分のリサーチを書き留めたノートの文章全てが意味を成さない言葉の羅列となったことに絶望し、自ら命を絶ったことを知る。
Part4
レクサスフェアをシャットダウンしようとしていたペリとコワードリーだったが、ペリに症状が出てしまう。その頃、ドクターとブックの前にウォレンが現れ、言語を意味のないものにするためブックに解けない言語の謎を与えたのがウォレンであることが発覚する。ペリはコワードリーからウォレンもブックと同じくA.I.であることを聞かされる。
感想
言語とはそもそも何か？言語はなぜそのよう存在するようになったのか？そういった言語の謎をうまく絡めていて、最後まで興味深く聴けた。辞書の役割や英語という言語へのプライド感とか、英語をそのようには考えたことなかったなぁという新鮮さとちょっとした怖さもありつつ、ややこしくて内容を把握するまで何度も聴き直さないといけなかった割に飽きることもなく楽しく聴けた。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2020
***Possible spoilers***
Twelve years of school: Grammar, rules, reading, writing, words, words, words.
First day at University: "What is a text?" Answer: Everything.
Am I text? Am I discourse? The more you learn, the less you know. There is no wrong way, everything is text. Everything is language.
Sometimes words get stuck in the mind and have to be excorcised. Say a word too many times and it loses all meaning. When there's a thing you should avoid thinking about, it keeps echoing in your mind.
...ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish.
An aural feast. Like eating a dictionary and hallucinating the wondrous result. The sound-effects are as scary and unnerving as they are perfect. And "Pronounce me!" may just be the saddest and most beautiful sentence ever uttered.
Twelve years of school: Grammar, rules, reading, writing, words, words, words.
First day at University: "What is a text?" Answer: Everything.
Am I text? Am I discourse? The more you learn, the less you know. There is no wrong way, everything is text. Everything is language.
Sometimes words get stuck in the mind and have to be excorcised. Say a word too many times and it loses all meaning. When there's a thing you should avoid thinking about, it keeps echoing in your mind.
...ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish. Ish.
An aural feast. Like eating a dictionary and hallucinating the wondrous result. The sound-effects are as scary and unnerving as they are perfect. And "Pronounce me!" may just be the saddest and most beautiful sentence ever uttered.
June 23, 2023
A really effective little audio drama with some clever concepts and a generally fun atmosphere, even with the Events and Situations. The deconstruction of language was a really cool idea to work with, and the intensity at which everyone studies the spoken word feels satisfyingly alien.
Despite all that I had to dock a star for the uhhhh glorification of the English language in a way that doesn’t acknowledge /why/ it is so common and /why/ it’s spoken in so many cultures/places. I understand this is a British show and maybe they don’t want to acknowledge the imperialism of it all, but I was a little uncomfortable with how blasé everyone was about it within the script’s universe.
Still, Peri is as charismatic as always, Six was great here, and the guest characters were memorable and I liked them. A solid story that I mostly enjoyed.
Despite all that I had to dock a star for the uhhhh glorification of the English language in a way that doesn’t acknowledge /why/ it is so common and /why/ it’s spoken in so many cultures/places. I understand this is a British show and maybe they don’t want to acknowledge the imperialism of it all, but I was a little uncomfortable with how blasé everyone was about it within the script’s universe.
Still, Peri is as charismatic as always, Six was great here, and the guest characters were memorable and I liked them. A solid story that I mostly enjoyed.
September 5, 2024
Pros
Lots of words and wordplay for Baker and Bryant to revel in. Both have a knack for sci fi exposition after all this time and listening to them reduces any real criticism. A decent turn off phrase from either makes the scene.
Cons
Zero internal consistency
A story about the power of words sounds like a great idea. Having the plot driven by new powers for words a couple of times each episode breaks up the narrative. The action is reduced to a series of overwrought conversations about the latest clever ideas.
Plenty of clever ideas get expressed, but a consistent threat would work a lot better.
There are two or three interesting ideas here, but they are lost under the deluge.
Lots of words and wordplay for Baker and Bryant to revel in. Both have a knack for sci fi exposition after all this time and listening to them reduces any real criticism. A decent turn off phrase from either makes the scene.
Cons
Zero internal consistency
A story about the power of words sounds like a great idea. Having the plot driven by new powers for words a couple of times each episode breaks up the narrative. The action is reduced to a series of overwrought conversations about the latest clever ideas.
Plenty of clever ideas get expressed, but a consistent threat would work a lot better.
There are two or three interesting ideas here, but they are lost under the deluge.
January 24, 2023
An entertaining listen full of Lexicon and wordplay.
The Doctor and Peri work well in this audio, however they work better independently than as a duo for me. The wordplay is fun but also feels a little stretched out and the stakes are a little great in scale for this concept.
Alas, I enjoyed the story
The Doctor and Peri work well in this audio, however they work better independently than as a duo for me. The wordplay is fun but also feels a little stretched out and the stakes are a little great in scale for this concept.
Alas, I enjoyed the story
February 26, 2025
As someone who loves books and is fascinated by the written word I should be all over this story, but honestly it was the opposite i felt lost and taken out from the story as if i was listening from afar and could only hear snippets. I can't really explain it but honestly i should of enjoyed this one but I didn't.
March 3, 2021
I loved the plot of this story. Made me wish for a more in-depth exploration. Peri and the Sixth Doctor are always a good team although in this one they were apart a fair amount of time. Overall very enjoyable.
March 25, 2021
Peri and the sixth Doctor attend a conference of lexicographers, letting him indulge his love of overblown language among fellow logophiliacs. Bit poorly during my first listen, and was drifting in and out of sleep, so I gave most of it a second listen to rate it fairly. It's an interesting experiment.
April 3, 2023
I know Doctor Who is never not weird but this is just silly and I mean the childish silly. I know we need to thank these stories for keeping the IP going but come on 'book'. Really?
5 stars on the cover art.
5 stars on the cover art.
April 22, 2025
Just not my cup of tea really. It's unique and intellectual, I'll give it that, but I also found myself bored and dragging myself through most of the story. I can't give it one star because I respect the effort of doing something original, but I doubt I'll revisit this one again.
October 8, 2017
This one was okay. I never want to hear the word "ish" again!
June 8, 2018
It's a very interesting Tale, I'm not gonna lie
June 24, 2018
A good one. I haven't heard too many of the Sixth Doctor adventures, but I've enjoyed everyone I've heard so far.
May 14, 2019
This serial gets too caught up in its own wordplay to actually form a decent story.
August 9, 2020
This is one of the more ridiculous DW stories, which is saying something. Bumped it up from 2 to 3 stars because it's also one of the nerdiest.
October 10, 2020
A word nerd's paradise.
January 15, 2021
Honestly I quite liked this one. It is ridiculous, and very sighingly pro-English in a fairly colonialist way, but it made the whole adventure rather amusing.
December 22, 2021
Excellent story that really shows off the 6th Doctor’s word play.
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