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Big Finish: Monthly Range #67
Doctor Who: Dreamtime
'The Dreamtime is living Time. The Dreaming is living myth.'
A city travels the stars, inhabited by stone ghosts. At its heart, an ancient remembrance of Earth. Mythical creatures stalk the streets and alien visitors have come in search of trade. But there is nothing to trade. Only fear. And death. And the stone ghosts.
For Hex's first destination in the TARDIS, it's about the strangest place he could have imagined. Weird and very far from wonderful. Adjustment to his new life could prove tough. But he will have to adjust and do more, just to stay alive, and Ace will have to be his guide through this lost city of shadows and predatory dreams.
And the Doctor is the first to go missing.
The Doctor has crossed into the Dreamtime.
A city travels the stars, inhabited by stone ghosts. At its heart, an ancient remembrance of Earth. Mythical creatures stalk the streets and alien visitors have come in search of trade. But there is nothing to trade. Only fear. And death. And the stone ghosts.
For Hex's first destination in the TARDIS, it's about the strangest place he could have imagined. Weird and very far from wonderful. Adjustment to his new life could prove tough. But he will have to adjust and do more, just to stay alive, and Ace will have to be his guide through this lost city of shadows and predatory dreams.
And the Doctor is the first to go missing.
The Doctor has crossed into the Dreamtime.
Audio CD
First published March 1, 2005
99 people want to read
About the author
Simon A. Forward
35 books28 followersSimon A. Forward is an author and dramatist most famous for his work on a variety of Doctor Who spin-offs. He currently lives and works in Penzance with his wife as a full-time writer.
Forward specialises in sci-fi novels such as Doctor Who. His most recent work is Evil Unlimited for the Kindle. Simon's first published work was the short story One Bad Apple in BBC Books' Doctor Who anthology More Short Trips (BBC Books, 1999). Following this, Simon had a proposal for a Past Doctor Adventure accepted, and the subsequent novel, Drift, was published by BBC Books in 2002.
Having a successful novel behind him, Simon contacted Gary Russell about the possibility of writing for Big Finish's range of audio adventures. The enquiry resulted in him writing the audio play The Sandman (Big Finish, 2002). Simon went on from this to write several short stories for the Big Finish Short Trips volumes, as well two subsequent audio adventures.
Forward also wrote the novella Shell Shock (Telos Publishing Ltd., 2003). This was part of their range of Doctor Who novellas and is now out of print. In the same year, Simon also had another Doctor Who novel published by BBC Books, the Eighth Doctor Adventure Emotional Chemistry (BBC Books, 2003).
2009 saw two novelisations of the BBC television series Merlin, followed by a third in 2010.
2010 also saw the independent publication of an original SF Comedy, Evil UnLtd, in ebook form.
Forward specialises in sci-fi novels such as Doctor Who. His most recent work is Evil Unlimited for the Kindle. Simon's first published work was the short story One Bad Apple in BBC Books' Doctor Who anthology More Short Trips (BBC Books, 1999). Following this, Simon had a proposal for a Past Doctor Adventure accepted, and the subsequent novel, Drift, was published by BBC Books in 2002.
Having a successful novel behind him, Simon contacted Gary Russell about the possibility of writing for Big Finish's range of audio adventures. The enquiry resulted in him writing the audio play The Sandman (Big Finish, 2002). Simon went on from this to write several short stories for the Big Finish Short Trips volumes, as well two subsequent audio adventures.
Forward also wrote the novella Shell Shock (Telos Publishing Ltd., 2003). This was part of their range of Doctor Who novellas and is now out of print. In the same year, Simon also had another Doctor Who novel published by BBC Books, the Eighth Doctor Adventure Emotional Chemistry (BBC Books, 2003).
2009 saw two novelisations of the BBC television series Merlin, followed by a third in 2010.
2010 also saw the independent publication of an original SF Comedy, Evil UnLtd, in ebook form.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 10, 2017
My least favorite of the Seventh Doctor audio adventures (so far), coincidentally (or not), written by the same man who wrote my least favorite Six & Evelyn adventure: Doctor Who: The Sandman.
I really have no idea what happened in this story. Ayers Rock and a big chunk of Australia itself is floating through space because . . . something. And everyone's turning into stone because of bunyips or something. And if there's an antagonist, it's the aboriginal dream state itself. Or something. I really don't know what was going on, and I really didn't care. I just wanted it to end.
A shame that Hex's first trip in the TARDIS was in this strange (and boring) (and thankfully short) script. The only reason I give this two stars instead of one is because I sense there was something here I was just missing.
But I doubt it.
This story is preceded by The Harvest, and followed by Live 34.
I really have no idea what happened in this story. Ayers Rock and a big chunk of Australia itself is floating through space because . . . something. And everyone's turning into stone because of bunyips or something. And if there's an antagonist, it's the aboriginal dream state itself. Or something. I really don't know what was going on, and I really didn't care. I just wanted it to end.
A shame that Hex's first trip in the TARDIS was in this strange (and boring) (and thankfully short) script. The only reason I give this two stars instead of one is because I sense there was something here I was just missing.
But I doubt it.
This story is preceded by The Harvest, and followed by Live 34.
July 17, 2019
Big Finish: Dreamtime by Simon Forward
Dreamtime is Hex’s first adventure with the Doctor and Ace away from Earth. You know you’re in trouble when the characters themselves are asking “What’s going on?” and the only responses are utterly nonsensical versions of “It’s difficult to explain.”
The worst part about this whole mess is that the performances are excellent. Sylvester and Sophie sold the hell out of the nonsensical plot, so kudos to them. I liked the lizards, but overall, a waste of effort.
I really have no idea what happened in this story. Ayers Rock and a big chunk of Australia itself is floating through space because … something. And everyone’s turning into stone because of bunyips or something. And if there’s an antagonist, it’s the aboriginal dream state itself. Or something. I really don’t know what was going on, and I really didn’t care. I just wanted it to end.
A shame that Hex’s first trip in the TARDIS was in this strange (and boring) (and thankfully short) script. The only reason I give this two stars instead of one is because there was something here was just missing.
Interesting concept but the idea felt but it didn’t work out very well.
January 8, 2022
High concept story like ...ISH or ones with non-linear, convoluted premise like Deadline, Scherzo, Architects of History, Creatures of Beauty, or Peri and the Piscon Paradox could be fun. But this one is just failed miserably to be fun, let alone have any clarity on it. Everything is cryptic and everything is unexplained, and at least half of the characters talk vaguely in riddles (not literally, but it'd probably be more entertaining if it was).
As my brain understand it, I started listening about a distress situation in somewhere in space, then Seventh, Ace, and Hex arrived in Uluru that somehow got chucked off into an asteroid drifting in space, then there are people but statues, then Ace faints (I forgot why), then The Doctor zapped out, something about Dream Commando that fights...something, alien lizards with guns, a cacophony of screaming people caught in dream, Seventh talks to a guru, and something about the end of the world.
At this point, around the third part, I fell asleep while still listening to it.
When I woke up, somehow now the story has a villain that is not anyone I remembered from characters I listened before, still cacophony of screaming people, The Doctor's impersonation tried to drown Ace, and what baffled me the most—even after everything—a talk about the native people made the super weapon being handled by woman only??? Probably I was half-asleep and or having a dissociation/derealization, but I honestly wouldn't surprise if I wasn't.
Interestingly though, I still think this story has a lot of interesting ideas, but it just landed very wrongly in the wrong media. You can't explain that many plots, that gajillion characters, that highly abstract concepts, into an audio drama without dumping the dialogue with expositions and or making it at least 7 hours long. It probably works a lot better as a written book or comic instead.
I never left a DW audio drama unfinished, I even hogged on through the Hollows of Time, Nekromanteia, and even the trauma-inducing Unbound's Exile. But I have to throw in the towel for this one. I could not and would not go through the brain-dead feeling of it all again.
As my brain understand it, I started listening about a distress situation in somewhere in space, then Seventh, Ace, and Hex arrived in Uluru that somehow got chucked off into an asteroid drifting in space, then there are people but statues, then Ace faints (I forgot why), then The Doctor zapped out, something about Dream Commando that fights...something, alien lizards with guns, a cacophony of screaming people caught in dream, Seventh talks to a guru, and something about the end of the world.
At this point, around the third part, I fell asleep while still listening to it.
When I woke up, somehow now the story has a villain that is not anyone I remembered from characters I listened before, still cacophony of screaming people, The Doctor's impersonation tried to drown Ace, and what baffled me the most—even after everything—a talk about the native people made the super weapon being handled by woman only??? Probably I was half-asleep and or having a dissociation/derealization, but I honestly wouldn't surprise if I wasn't.
Interestingly though, I still think this story has a lot of interesting ideas, but it just landed very wrongly in the wrong media. You can't explain that many plots, that gajillion characters, that highly abstract concepts, into an audio drama without dumping the dialogue with expositions and or making it at least 7 hours long. It probably works a lot better as a written book or comic instead.
I never left a DW audio drama unfinished, I even hogged on through the Hollows of Time, Nekromanteia, and even the trauma-inducing Unbound's Exile. But I have to throw in the towel for this one. I could not and would not go through the brain-dead feeling of it all again.
July 11, 2018
An interesting story this one. A little less hard sci-fi in this one, with one of the other characters actually having lines I would normally associate with the Doctor, that I think was quite well done. Still a bit of mystery even at the end around exactly what is going on, but certainly doesn't detract from the overall story. I quite enjoy listening to Hex, he is a good character, especially his newness to everything, will be a shame if this does change going forward as I listen to more. The Doctor keeping things to himself a bit again in this story, though little reason to do so made clear, but the characters seem used to it at least, so doesn't cause strife. Ace her usual brash self, and has some good interactions with some of the other characters, one in particular somewhat encouraging her more reckless behaviour.
December 14, 2018
Take this for what it's worth... I also really like "Winter for the Adept" which is another story thick with atmosphere and light on plot. This story, appropriately plays on the fringes of making sense, and it kind of works, not completely, but kind of. I think if you like your Sylv and Soph in terms of "Remembrance of the Daleks" this isn't exactly your story, but if you also like "Ghost Light" and "Greatest Show in the Galaxy", you might enjoy this. I did, though it admittedly falls apart by the end.
October 11, 2024
Bringing the dreamtime into the Whoniverse was a nice move. I'm not sure how accurate it was but it seemed like a respectful attempt, even referring to Uluru tourists as pests. I enjoyed the story. I'm not a big fan of Hex as a companion but he ends with a nice quote about the realm of possibilities.
October 25, 2021
This actually wasn't very gripping. And it looks like I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed.
Read
June 30, 2023夢の中の世界に吸い込まれて、その人は石になって....なんかわかったようなわからないようなでずーっと繰り返し聴き続けてたけどもうそろそろ限界。聴き飽きた....またいつかリベンジするとゆーことで
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2024
It just couldn't keep my attention, which is fairly unusual for this pair.
December 17, 2025
2.5 Stars - Too busy and too much is front loaded into the story. This could be an interesting idea for the 13th Doctor stories though.
June 14, 2010
Originally posted here at Anime Radius.
Companions on Doctor Who, when it comes to their first outing in the TARDIS, never get an easy ride: Tegan is forced to carry a post-regenerated Doctor around a strange planet; Charley Pollard faced down Cybermen while Ace smashed the hell out of Daleks with a baseball bat. Seems only fair that everyone’s favorite male nurse from the near future, Thomas Hector Schofield, should get the same treatment. With a giant chunk of Australia floating through space on a meteor, filled with ghosts and stone people and dangerous monsters round every corner, Dreamtime certainly succeeds in introducing Hex to the wild and wonderful universe that awaits him in future travels.
The story itself is very spooky and beautiful in a way. It’s obvious how much time and research Simon A. Forward put into the backstory of the Dreamtime, a concept which itself originates from Aboriginal mythology. The Galyari themselves actually originate from a previous Big Finish audio, but you don’t need to listen to it to understand their part of the story. I wish I could say that the story itself made sense overall, but a lot of it went over my head and seemed overly complicated at some points. The opening scene, however, is utterly brilliant and a great way to pull in listeners – by throwing them head first into an unknown situation, get them interested, then jump to a seemingly unrelated setting shortly afterward. I also thought the switches between past and future (present?) were handled deftly and at no time did I feel confused or put off by any of the time jumps in the narrative.
It is important to note that this is Hex’s first trip in the TARDIS, which means this story also includes his first encounter with a new world, an alien species, and dangers unlike anything back home. He does so admirably, approaching everything with a sense of awe and wonder but not so much that he loses sight of what’s going on. He feels a bit odd being called upon to bring the Doctor out of the Dreamtime, rightfully thinking that Ace would be a better candidate as she knows him better, but despite all odds Hex does a fine job of helping solve the mystery of the Dreaming and saving the Doctor from the void. Ace, older and wiser since her appearance on the TV, becomes Hex’s mentor in time travel, having done it herself for quite some time. The Doctor is still playing professor for his companions, leading them through the alien world like a teacher on a field trip – well, that is, until he gets snatched up by the void and Ace and Hex have to fend for themselves.
Another something worth noting: the Doctor. Sylvester McCoy once again does a bang-up job as his respective Doctor, and the script gives him opportunity to be the wonderfully dark alien from season 26 that this reviewer enjoyed watching so much. When he plays the Not!Doctor who tries to trick Ace and ends up trying to kill her instead, he is so delightfully creepy that I almost which they had let the Not!Doctor have more scenes. He delivers one of the most memorable lines in the story – “It’s a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea” – and his Doctor’s return from the Dreamtime is a subtle and understated victory for fans who like their Time Lords a little bit devious and not afraid to muck about in the time stream.
As an audioplay, Dreamtime delivers on all fronts. A combination of a great soundtrack and a fully competent cast creates an atmosphere that is both frightening yet interesting. The world of Oz on a rock is one which draws the listener in and entices with its tales of ghosts and stone people. Yes, some of it doesn’t make sense, but once you let go and allow the play to wash over you with its cold charm and non-linear story techniques, you’ll find yourself enjoying it despite its flaws. Also, if this is how Hex is as a companion, I look forward to listening to his following adventures in the TARDIS. As the Doctor said, they’ll make a seasoned time traveler out of him yet.
Companions on Doctor Who, when it comes to their first outing in the TARDIS, never get an easy ride: Tegan is forced to carry a post-regenerated Doctor around a strange planet; Charley Pollard faced down Cybermen while Ace smashed the hell out of Daleks with a baseball bat. Seems only fair that everyone’s favorite male nurse from the near future, Thomas Hector Schofield, should get the same treatment. With a giant chunk of Australia floating through space on a meteor, filled with ghosts and stone people and dangerous monsters round every corner, Dreamtime certainly succeeds in introducing Hex to the wild and wonderful universe that awaits him in future travels.
The story itself is very spooky and beautiful in a way. It’s obvious how much time and research Simon A. Forward put into the backstory of the Dreamtime, a concept which itself originates from Aboriginal mythology. The Galyari themselves actually originate from a previous Big Finish audio, but you don’t need to listen to it to understand their part of the story. I wish I could say that the story itself made sense overall, but a lot of it went over my head and seemed overly complicated at some points. The opening scene, however, is utterly brilliant and a great way to pull in listeners – by throwing them head first into an unknown situation, get them interested, then jump to a seemingly unrelated setting shortly afterward. I also thought the switches between past and future (present?) were handled deftly and at no time did I feel confused or put off by any of the time jumps in the narrative.
It is important to note that this is Hex’s first trip in the TARDIS, which means this story also includes his first encounter with a new world, an alien species, and dangers unlike anything back home. He does so admirably, approaching everything with a sense of awe and wonder but not so much that he loses sight of what’s going on. He feels a bit odd being called upon to bring the Doctor out of the Dreamtime, rightfully thinking that Ace would be a better candidate as she knows him better, but despite all odds Hex does a fine job of helping solve the mystery of the Dreaming and saving the Doctor from the void. Ace, older and wiser since her appearance on the TV, becomes Hex’s mentor in time travel, having done it herself for quite some time. The Doctor is still playing professor for his companions, leading them through the alien world like a teacher on a field trip – well, that is, until he gets snatched up by the void and Ace and Hex have to fend for themselves.
Another something worth noting: the Doctor. Sylvester McCoy once again does a bang-up job as his respective Doctor, and the script gives him opportunity to be the wonderfully dark alien from season 26 that this reviewer enjoyed watching so much. When he plays the Not!Doctor who tries to trick Ace and ends up trying to kill her instead, he is so delightfully creepy that I almost which they had let the Not!Doctor have more scenes. He delivers one of the most memorable lines in the story – “It’s a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea” – and his Doctor’s return from the Dreamtime is a subtle and understated victory for fans who like their Time Lords a little bit devious and not afraid to muck about in the time stream.
As an audioplay, Dreamtime delivers on all fronts. A combination of a great soundtrack and a fully competent cast creates an atmosphere that is both frightening yet interesting. The world of Oz on a rock is one which draws the listener in and entices with its tales of ghosts and stone people. Yes, some of it doesn’t make sense, but once you let go and allow the play to wash over you with its cold charm and non-linear story techniques, you’ll find yourself enjoying it despite its flaws. Also, if this is how Hex is as a companion, I look forward to listening to his following adventures in the TARDIS. As the Doctor said, they’ll make a seasoned time traveler out of him yet.
November 10, 2025
This story seems to have received a bad press from a good number of fans. Somehow, this seems really unfair. By the time I got to the end, I found I had really enjoyed it and found it quite thought provoking.
It seems to me that Forward has tried to write something different, a sort of eco/environmental science-fiction story. Uluru has unshackled itself from the Earth and exploitation and taken to the stars in order to save itself and its ancestral peoples. The premise is straightforward in a way and is executed in a plausible way.
The story does not need a villain and watching the Doctor wrestle with his understanding of Baiame, the all-father who leads his people to freedom is refreshing. The aliens, the Galyari, like us want to find a villain they can overcome and like us struggle with the concept of a mythological Dreamtime both protecting and releasing itself.
In short, I found this story quietly wonderful, well structured and well written. Sylvester McCoy is the perfect Doctor for this story and Hex, in his first adventure as a crew member, is the right companion to express a bit of awe and wonder, whilst Ace does the heavy lifting of driving the action.
I don’t want all my Doctor Who like this, but I enjoy when it throws up something new and challenging.
It seems to me that Forward has tried to write something different, a sort of eco/environmental science-fiction story. Uluru has unshackled itself from the Earth and exploitation and taken to the stars in order to save itself and its ancestral peoples. The premise is straightforward in a way and is executed in a plausible way.
The story does not need a villain and watching the Doctor wrestle with his understanding of Baiame, the all-father who leads his people to freedom is refreshing. The aliens, the Galyari, like us want to find a villain they can overcome and like us struggle with the concept of a mythological Dreamtime both protecting and releasing itself.
In short, I found this story quietly wonderful, well structured and well written. Sylvester McCoy is the perfect Doctor for this story and Hex, in his first adventure as a crew member, is the right companion to express a bit of awe and wonder, whilst Ace does the heavy lifting of driving the action.
I don’t want all my Doctor Who like this, but I enjoy when it throws up something new and challenging.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2016
You know you're in trouble when the characters themselves are asking "What's going on?" and the only responses are utterly nonsensical versions of "It's difficult to explain."
After 3 episodes, I stopped asking myself what was going on because I couldn't be bothered to care anymore.
You know what? It's never explained. If Doctor Who is going to go all mythological, at least make a good faith attempt to rationalize it scientifically. Have that much respect for the source material.
The worst part about this whole mess is that the performances are excellent. Sylvester and Sophie sold the hell out of the nonsensical plot, so kudos to them. I liked the lizards, but overall, a waste of effort.
After 3 episodes, I stopped asking myself what was going on because I couldn't be bothered to care anymore.
You know what? It's never explained. If Doctor Who is going to go all mythological, at least make a good faith attempt to rationalize it scientifically. Have that much respect for the source material.
The worst part about this whole mess is that the performances are excellent. Sylvester and Sophie sold the hell out of the nonsensical plot, so kudos to them. I liked the lizards, but overall, a waste of effort.
Read
April 8, 2009Dreamtime is the first trip in the Tardis for the Seventh Doctor's new companion Hex: some splendid audio-scapes conveying the double weirdness of the landscape - Uluru is bizarre enough in the first place, but to find it on an atmospheric asteroid is extra value. I'm not sure if the plot really made a lot of sense but I enjoyed the ride.
October 4, 2016
Some interesting ideas that didn't gel, a villain who isn't, more supernatural elements without science explanations than should ever appear in Who, and a substandard set of additional characters add up to a poor outing from Big Finish here. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are great as usual, but thats about as far as I can go in this confusing story set in the land down under. Or is it?
July 21, 2015
The TARDIS brings the Seventh Doctor, Ace and new companion Hex to a seemingly dead city floating among the stars, populated by statues that may once have been people. Most startling of all on the planetoid is the familiar sight of Uluru — Ayers Rock — the heart of the Dreamtime.
October 3, 2014
Forgot to review this one which is why the read date is earlier than the started to read date.
Interesting take on the dreamtime concept, and naturally Hex's first trip in the TARDIS throws him into the thick of what it's like to travel with the Doctor.
Interesting take on the dreamtime concept, and naturally Hex's first trip in the TARDIS throws him into the thick of what it's like to travel with the Doctor.
January 21, 2016
The Doctor, Hex and Ace try to help a planet to live a life not in fear. Dreaming is turning people's dreams into nightmares. Can normalcy be brought back?
May 11, 2024
Weak entry. Though any Doctor Who is better than no Doctor Who.
March 7, 2018
Two stars for the story, one extra just because it's the Seventh Doctor
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews