Terror of the Sontarans Free

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Be among the first to hear about exclusive offers, news and latest releases from Big Finish by signing up to our Newsletter. We love Stories Big Finish produce great full-cast audio drama for CD and download, Terror of the Sontarans many popular television fantasy series. Written by Dan Starkey John Dorney. Once it was a mining facility. Then later its corridors rang with screams generated by grotesque military experiments. However when the Doctor and Mel arrive on a hostile alien world after detecting a Terror of the Sontarans signal, the base they find themselves in is almost deserted. But not for long. Soon the Doctor's old enemies, the Sontarans, have landed, and are searching for the remnants of their previous research team. Before long they uncover evidence of strange occurrences on the planet. Of madness and death. They are warriors bred for war, strong of spirit and unafraid of death. To fear the Terror of the Sontarans is an act of betrayal. Nothing holds terror for the Sontarans. DS : Alright thanks. I am standing up with the laptop on Terror of the Sontarans kitchen worktop, as oddly there's very good wifi reception here. And it stops me from dozing off when I'm writing JD : That would help certainly. I'm tempted to put that in the writers notes DS : Why not? Although I think I wrote most of our script in the last flat I was in, not my current one. However, I think I'm going to adopt it as Terror of the Sontarans handy way of keeping alert — I bruised a rib a month or two ago, which made it difficult to get comfortable sitting down, so I adopted this method. And we all know how bad sitting down is for you JD : You know, that's what I mainly remember about writing old scripts. Where I was. I have distinct memories of wandering around a park in Bromley trying to generate ideas for Echoes of Grey. Key lines for Solitaire on Grove Park station I think I wrote some of Requiem for the Rocket Men standing at the kitchen top as I was moving into a new house. DS : Yes! The first scene I wrote for Terror of the Sontarans was on a train from somewhere like Nottingham I think. JD : What was it like to write that first scene? For me, that was the very last scene of Solitaireand because it was my second play I was so used to it by then I missed it completely DS : Hah! Yes, I've yet to actually write that, since you did all the Doctor and Mel scenes initially. Terror of the Sontarans for the first scene OK deep breath. JD : Yeah, the freedom of being able to change things is great. You take risks and sometimes they pay off because you're not obliged to keep them. DS : Completely! I think I was aware just how nasty I could make him from then on. JD : Ah, so you decided to go straight for the Sontarans? Ease your way in as you're so familiar with the voice. DS : Yes. As I'm sure you've found, the planning can only go so far, because when you start actually writing the scenes, interesting tangents can spark off! DS : Ah, a nice list of dried ingredients waiting Terror of the Sontarans be stirred together. Into the cake of drama. Or something. JD : I kept finding bits where I thought 'well, actually, this has to happen next, as this has just happened'. And scenes ending before you'd expected because they reached the dramatically correct moment. JD : Yeah, it's the tricky thing with a synopsis. You want to tell the story, but if a synopsis was the best way to tell the story, we'd sell the synopsis. DS : Yes, but mostly from my own edifications rather than stuff put in the public realm — you know, submitting unsolicited scripts — but I had written stuff for my comedy theatre company The Fitzrovia Radio Hour. And there was always a lot of workshopping with our shows anyway — where we pulling the scripts apart and pitching in with ideas, so it's not entirely alien process. I think it's having a forum to actually write in and then directing your energies. Actually being given a deadline! That's really handy! And being told what not to write — in terms of plot or themes — that's really handy as well. JD : People always assume guidelines are restrictive, but they're a good way to fire the imagination. DS : Yeah, there's a lot of improv games — like the ones from Whose Line Is It Anyway Terror of the Sontarans where the point is to deal with a Terror of the Sontarans, and it's the pleasure of seeing the performer succeed or more likely fail brilliantly that makes it work. I think that my 'improv head' is a very handy resource when writing, especially dialogue! Terror of the Sontarans : That's why actor's make good writers I think. I tend to view a script as an improv exercise where I'm playing all the parts. And, if need be, where I can hone it all a bit later. DS : Exactly! The creative head and the editor head need to be swapped. Like Worzel Gummidge. JD : And you've done a bit of improv as a Sontaran, so I can see why they wanted a Sontaran story from you — it's automatically an interesting prospect. You've Terror of the Sontarans the potential to offer insights the rest of us don't have. DS : Well, I have had a lot of time inside the suit to think about it. And obviously there's not just the depiction of them on TV, there's the spin-off media too, so it's all had time to percolate into my head when I'm producing a performance. And hopefully this script will give another interesting perspective on them. I don't think that you can be too 'definitive' about it too. As I see it, they've been fighting an un-winnable war for umpteen thousand years, so I imagine they're going to try different horrible things out every-time we meet them! JD : Terror of the Sontarans certainly what sets them Terror of the Sontarans from the other alien races in Doctor Who. Usually humanity is just collateral to them. DS : I'm sure I mutter to myself — even on the train — when coming up with dialogue. JD : Oh I do as well. David Richardson and I once share a train journey together when I was writing the opening scenes of The Assassination Games. His Facebook post said Terror of the Sontarans 'Dorney is muttering to himself. Well, of course he is. That's how you do it. DS : Yes, I had the delights of trying to speak some of my own dialogue in this one. So, I only have myself to blame for some of the knottier bits of technobabble or overly long clauses which take ages to resolve and can't really be said in one breath even if they have to JD : I've rarely been in productions that I have written. There's always the faint worry that writer-me will screw it up for actor-me and vice versa. So I rarely take part — unless it's getting killed off in Scene 1 of Iterations of I JD Terror of the Sontarans Well, as I've said many times, we've killed each other more times than is strictly decent. Although technically, I think you've only actually killed me once. Too much fun. DS : And in the case of Sontaran punch-ups, best left until the end to save on the old cough syrup JD : Yeah, that was my main take away from my one scene Sontaran guest part in this story. It hurts the throat. I'm amazed Terror of the Sontarans can do it all day! DS : I'd like to say it's all good technique dear boy, but I think I've just managed Terror of the Sontarans trick my throat into feeling that it's normal. Up to a point JD : Anything else you'd like to add? Or anything from the Sontarans themselves? Sontaran : Do not buy this recording human scum! It depicts another ignominious defeat at the hands of the Doctor! Free Big Finish Newsletter. Doctor Who: Terror of the Sontarans by John Dorney

Terror of the Sontarans I'll agree this one disappointed a little compared to the last two releases, though there were still things I liked. As you said, some definitely interesting characters, I loved the way Anvil Jackson reminded me so much of Zap Branigan from futurama. Also the creapy horror definitely worked for me, or at least Terror of the Sontarans did most of Terror of the Sontarans way. I don't know why, but the Sontarans seem ideally suted to horror elements, precisely because! I agree this one wasn't pacing wise one of my favourites, but mostly I attribute that to the Sontarans themselves. While I agree on Strax being a one trick pony and these days not that interesting having been run into the ground for comedy potential, it'll be interesting whether a meeting with jago and Lightfoot and presumably some better writing can give him more scopeI personally rather like the individual approach to Sontarans. With most monsters like Daleks and Cybermen, making individual characters out of the amorphus mass of threat often doesn't sit easily especially with the Cybermen sinse that's sort of the point of them. But with the Ice Warriors or Slithene that isn't the case. The Sontarans as individuals I find interesting precisely because! They're clones with a similar upbringing and an overriding military philosophy, however they have different experiences and often different genes, and thus can! Despite those differences though, because they are an army and a clone race, they can also be as faceless and menacing as any other group of monsters. This is another reason I personally really! King of Sontar was another one, indeed I loved how King of Sontar showed probably the most down right scary Sontaran we've met sinse styr or Links, but also made at least one Sontaran a Terror of the Sontarans less of a faceless threat. What I take exception to here however is that the Sontarans really didn't feel dealt with consistantly. To say the title is "terror of the Sontarans" it wasn't really about the Sontarans that much, indeed none of the Sontarans felt like half as strong or well defigned characters as the humans, well only the insane one, and he was so insane he wasn't really a Sontaran at all, just stock random mistical mind manggled man :D. Also speaking of Sontarans, where was Terror of the Sontarans Sontaran theme? Sorry but sinse Heroes of Sontar I really miss it not being there, and after all if any species deserves their own national anthem it's the Sontarans, "Sontar! Post a comment. Untitled Page. What's it about: Once it was a mining facility. Then later its corridors rang with screams generated by grotesque military experiments. However when the Doctor and Mel arrive on a hostile alien world after detecting a distress signal, the base they find themselves in is almost deserted. But not for long. Soon the Doctor's old enemies, the Sontarans, have landed, and are searching for the remnants of their previous research team. Before long they uncover evidence of strange occurrences on the planet. Of madness and death. They are warriors bred for war, strong of spirit and unafraid of death. To fear the enemy is an act of betrayal. Nothing holds terror for the Sontarans. The Real McCoy: I've always said that McCoy seems at his most comfortable during the light Terror of the Sontarans period of season 24, being much more of a showman than an actor. This trilogy has given that argument some weight as torn free of the continuity and burdens of the Hex arc, McCoy is turning out one energetic, enjoyable performance after another. It does us good to remember that the seventh Doctor wasn't just the cosmic manipulator, juggling the fate of a thousand worlds but also something of a jolly showman who too great joy in adventuring the universe in his first year on the job. It's the seventh Doctor I prefer if I'm honest. When has he ever been cautious, even when answering a distress beacon? The Doctor hypothesises that if they had time to launch a distress beacon then they can't have been in that much distress at the time. I'm not sure if the Doctor wants to head into potential danger because he genuinely wants to see if their are people that need help or simply because he loves something of a mystery. Probably a little of both. When Mel suggests that people in cells are usually dangerous the Doctor chips in that he has been in cells throughout all of his lives Terror of the Sontarans he is little more than a puppy dog. Does he play the clown Terror of the Sontarans lull you into a false sense of security? Despite having spent a great deal of his life bringing down men with dreams of avarice, the Doctor will never understand them. He never thought he would compliment a Sontaran on the nature of aesthetics. There's a lot in the Doctor's Terror of the Sontarans that a psychic creature would not want to see. Is this the first suggestion of the darker Doctor to come? Computer Programmer: Mel is not combat trained, she has only had a few self defence classes in the Terror of the Sontarans hall. She's brave enough to stand up to Sontarans even when it is clear they could do her great harm. Great Ideas: IMC often springs up in future based Doctor Who stories, a mining conglomerate that is set upon mining the wealth out of every civilised world to line their pockets Terror of the Sontarans credits. Naked fear in the face of adversity, entreaties for help and Terror of the Sontarans The idea that there is a greater menace than the Sontarans Terror of the Sontarans the mining facility and that they have to work together with the humans is a novel one, I suppose. I love the assertion that the Sontarans use over elaborate vocabulary to make their points because that was certainly a gift that Robert Holmes instilled in them. They are obsessed with the hollow myth of their own superiority and their lives have little meaning beyond empty parade ground bombast. Psychic creatures feeding on everything around them like a newborn, learning about it's surroundings. The gemstones are part of a larger organism, using the people here to carry them from the mineral seams below into the atmosphere above. Like corral polyps and the dust cloud pollinates them. Whilst the summation of how these creatures came to be makes sense of Terror of the Sontarans the elements of the plot the power cuts, the dust, the statuesthe culmination of a species that leeches on emotions is hardly a thrilling or original prospect. It works insofar as it dovetails all the plot points together but it never threatens to raise an eyebrow of interest. Musical Cues: Quite minimalist, I thought. Sometimes Big Finish stories are wallpapered with music and it smothers. Sometimes they get it just right, creating a unique atmosphere and pace. And sometimes the story is too quiet for it's own good and the dialogue dribbles on interminably. This is definitely a case of the latter. A more dominant Terror of the Sontarans score might have pushed things along a little. It wouldn't revolutionise the story but the nearest comparison I can think of is something like The Stones of Venice. That was a similarly verbose tale albeit with much crisper, frutier dialogue but it was supported by a stunning musical score Terror of the Sontarans enhanced the Terror of the Sontarans and made it bloom like a beautiful flower. The near silence that accompanies the wealth Terror of the Sontarans words in Terror of the Sontarans flattens the atmosphere even further. Isn't it Odd: The first episode is nothing special and if I'm honest I expect something a little more attention grabbing from John Dorney given his past form. Whilst I was perfectly prepared for this story to develop into something a bit more substantial there was no real attempt to pull off another 'the Doctor answers a distress call' which Terror of the Sontarans one of the most obvious ways Terror of the Sontarans kick starting a Doctor Who Terror of the Sontarans. Despite the presence of IMC, a mining facility isn't the most inspiring of settings either. I got the impression that the frightened Sontarans and growling nasties in the darkness were supposed to send chills down the spine but neither worked out of context. I always say that a story should grab you from the off to prevent fatigue from setting in. Most Doctor Who stories ace their introductory instalment and run out of steam as they progress. Terror of the Sontarans reverses that trend. A common complaint that I have had about Big Finish audios is how they use old monsters as a marketing ploy an absolutely sensible approach and yet still try and plot their appearance as a surprise within in the story itself. There is no mention of the word Sontaran throughout the first episode and so their appearance at the climax is clearly supposed to be a surprise I also question how effective the Sontarans can be on audio as they were originally devised - a clone army of thugs. Audio tosses aside visuals and so the most memorable hook of the species their stature and hideous masks cannot be factored in and so to make them more memorable than stock military heavies you have to deviate from the norm to make them stand out. But if with every appearance you have to stray from the original concept of the race I've lost track of how many Big Finish stories have featured the line 'it's inside my miiiiiiiind! Hardly a novel idea in Doctor Who. Halfway through the third episode and I was Terror of the Sontarans a little unsure what this story was all about aside from an awful lot of waffle about the Sontarans. The plot kept being halted Terror of the Sontarans lengthy dialogue scenes about what it means to be a Sontaran, which isn't as thrilling as it sounds. With an ending that is practically blink and you'll miss it after four episodes of posturing without atmosphere there is a general feeling of 'is that it? Result: Middling without ever being inspiring, Terror of the Sontarans continues the current popular trend to turn the Sontarans into something rather more gentle than we are accustomed to in classic Who. Your reaction to this story might depend on what your opinion is about that development. I'm on the fence. Whilst I enjoy Strax in small doses on the TV, he's little more than a one trick pony and I'm starting to get scared that that is how the Sontarans will be remembered, as comedy buffoons rather than an impressive military force. Even Big Finish have jumped on Terror of the Sontarans bandwagon with comedy Sontarans propping up stories like Heroes of Sontar. Terror of the Sontarans wants to paint them as individuals rather than a clone race and give them personalities, something that would be a laudable goal with any other species but this essentially continues the redefinition of the species. What I was hoping for with this story was for them to claim their title as warrior badasses and to get Terror of the Sontarans with some mass slaughter to show that they can still mean business. Instead what we get are a number of uninspiring dialogue scenes that attempt to define what a Sontaran is Terror of the Sontarans displaying examples to the contrary. Whilst the trilogy format can still be used effectively, I'm starting to wonder if shaking up the schedules might not be the way forward with the main range. After Terror of the Sontarans initial excitement of the return of the seventh Doctor and Mel in standalone stories in We Are the Daleks the rest of this trilogy has suffered in comparison. What generally happens is that there is an initial buzz of excitement as we switch regulars in a new trilogy and then unless something out of the ordinary is done with them it is same old, same old for the next two months. McCoy and Langford have done solid work in all three adventures it has hardly seen the most inspiring use of either of their characters. Imagine if each month we were treated to a shake up. Given that these are stories unencumbered by an arc there is no reason at all that they couldn't be spread out amongst the year. One concession though and I think I have mentioned it in each release is that McCoy seems far more at home in his debut season than he has been for some time, revelling in the mad professor rather than playing the master manipulator. It is nice to hear some other actors get the chance to play Sontarans but this Terror of the Sontarans like an indulgent exercise for Dan Starkey to play an array of new Sontaran Terror of the Sontarans. He's superb, but I don't think we really needed a four episode story to indulge that kind of whim. Rather than a return to form for the race, it confirms that they have mutated into something quite different from what Robert Holmes originally envisioned. ‘Terror of the Sontarans’ (Audio) | Bradley's Basement

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Doctor Who by John Dorney. Dan Starkey. Sylvester McCoy Narrator. Bonnie Langford Narrator. Once it was a mining facility. Then later its corridors rang with screams generated by grotesque military experiments. However when the Doctor and Mel arrive Terror of the Sontarans a hostile alien world after detecting a distress signal, the base they find themselves in is almost deserted. But not for long. Soon the Doctor's old enemies, the Sontarans, have landed, and are searching for the re Once it was a mining facility. Soon the Doctor's old enemies, the Sontarans, have landed, and are searching for the remnants of their previous research team. Before long they uncover evidence of strange occurrences on the planet. Of madness and death. They are warriors bred for war, strong of spirit and unafraid of death. To fear the enemy is an Terror of the Sontarans of betrayal. Nothing holds terror for the Sontarans. Until now Get A Copy. Audio CD. More Details Big Finish Monthly Range Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Doctor Whoplease sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Doctor Who: Terror of the Sontarans. Oct 03, Derelict Space Sheep rated it it was ok Shelves: doctor-who. A specious comedy where only Bonnie Langford takes her role seriously. Jun 02, April Mccaffrey rated it liked it. Mar 23, Jamie Revell rated it liked it Shelves: 7th-doctoraudio-plays. This is a base under siege story with the unusual twist that the defenders are a squad of Sontaran soldiers. The presence of Sontarans in the story isn't revealed until the minute mark, but given the title, and I think it's fair to say it isn't a spoiler. It Terror of the Sontarans very different from the previous audio story to use a vaguely similar premise, Heroes of Sontar in that, despite the odd humorous line here and there, this isn't played for laughs - the intention is something darker and more psycholo This is a base under siege story with the unusual twist that the defenders are a squad of Sontaran soldiers. It is very different from the previous audio story to use a vaguely Terror of the Sontarans premise, Heroes of Sontar in that, despite the odd humorous line here and there, this isn't played for laughs - the intention is something darker and more psychological. This is achieved Terror of the Sontarans keeping the real foe mysterious and having slowly affect the minds and sanities of those on the base. This gives us the chance to see Sontarans in a way Terror of the Sontarans we normally don't, as much victims as anyone else, and slowly cracking under the strain. There are human prisoners in the story as well, to remind us of Sontaran brutality, not to mention a murderous crustacean that just seems to be there to jump out randomly at the other characters. But the personalities of the Sontarans are at least reasonably well done, and the one of them that, for whatever reason, is unaffected by the monster comes across as almost sympathetic - if only by contrast with his fellows. Although she does get a chance to work on a computer program at one point, Terror of the Sontarans is not particularly developed here, being mostly generic, if less irritating than she often was on TV. She is also unaffected by the foe, which was possibly missing a trick - not so much for the sense of peril, which she's in Terror of the Sontarans of anyway, but because of the potential insight into her mind. We're also before the scheming, slightly darker, version of Seven from the final two seasons, Terror of the Sontarans makes him less interesting, too. In the end, the Sontarans are too single-minded, the prisoners too bland, and the occasional attempts at Terror of the Sontarans too ill-judged for this to be any more than merely average. It's an interesting idea, but one that doesn't quite reach its true potential. Feb 24, Richard Harrison rated it liked it. Fairly standard 7th Doctor and Mel story. Nice to hear Dan Starkey and Bonnie Langford but not much else stuck with me. Nov 30, Christopher Buchanan rated it it was ok Shelves: big-finish-main-rangedoctor-who. It starts out with some interesting characters and a conceptually interesting Sontaran with PTSD but then it tries Terror of the Sontarans get too clever with the alien and to poetic and about the time the sontarans start waxing aesthetic it kind of crawls up its own ass and dies. Jan 08, Debra Cook rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobooks. The Doctor and Mel battle Sontarans. Scott Vandervalk rated it really liked it Sep 15, Brett rated it liked Terror of the Sontarans Dec 03, NephriteON rated it liked it Mar 25, Rick Ewing rated it liked it Oct 27, Steven rated it liked it Oct 03, Tony rated it really liked it Mar 05, Aidan rated it really liked it Sep 22, Rob5yke5 rated it really liked it Aug 01, Danny Welch rated it liked it May 26, Christos rated it liked it Oct Terror of the Sontarans, Joseph S rated it really liked it Dec 21, Ollie Hawkins rated it it was ok Aug 18, Nicholas rated it really liked it Jul 27, Samm Serrinnitty rated it it was amazing Oct 06, Jesse rated it really liked it Dec 18, John Higgs rated it it was amazing May 18, Mac Mathghamhna rated it it was ok Sep 05, Mikael Kuoppala rated it liked it May 23, Elizabeth rated it really liked it Feb 06, Lisa rated Terror of the Sontarans it was ok Oct 01, Tatiana rated it really liked it Jun 20, Saturnberry rated it it was amazing Sep 06, David rated it did not like it Sep 24, MJ rated it liked it Feb 03, There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Readers also enjoyed. Science Fiction. About John Dorney. John Dorney. His script 'Solitaire' was rated the most popular Doctor Who Companion Chronicle of on the Timescales website and was the runner up in Unreality Sci-fi net's poll for Story of the Year Other books in the series. Big Finish Monthly Range 1 - 10 of books.