Good effort but must try harder

An uphill task trying to pull off a multi doctor story
By trying to please everybody it can turn into a hotchpotch of doctors and their most notorious enemy - the Daleks

It tries to involve doctor 5,6,7 &8 but I think it dilutes things by trying too hard
And being all things to all people

So the writer gets my sympathy by being given a list of ingredients and being stuck with trying to make a delicious outcome

It has a bit for each doctor and sadly not really any sparklingly relationship between the drs meeting until a hastily tacked on bit at the end

I think things are handled much much better in the 50th anniversary story - 'the light at the end'

However I would recommend the five companions

An almost perfect 50th anniversary story

A great juggling act involving great mixture of doctors and companions

A multi doctor story is nortiously difficult to pull off successfully
By trying to please everybody it can turn into a hotchpotch of doctor , companions & enemies
And being ultimately unsatisfying .

But this story pulls off a multi doctor story like it should be done and concentrates on having only 1 main villain - the ultimate enemy - the Master played with silky villain smoothness by Geoffrey Beevers

It manages to give every surviving doctor in the Big Finish universe something to do and not just a token appearance

Plus it also has a good plot and not just hastily contrived to get multiple drs together

Definitely worth getting , especially the special edition , which I bought as a big finish download and being a real Dr Who geek I liked listening to the extras ( a bit like movie DVD extras, but not just an extended advert for other products)
It is more of a love letter to Big Finish thanking them for keeping the Dr Who flame alive in the wilderness years and playing no small part in helping to make it through to being able to celebrate 50 year anniversary

This episode of the Companion Chronicles I found disappointingly average

However it was great to hear Maggie Stables as Evelyn Smythe again.

She did mention in the interview extras that the reason she thinks people like Evelyn so much is not only the relationship between her and the Sixth Doctor but also because she's like everyone's favourite aunt who buys them nice presents at Christmas

Unfortunately the first reason is why for me this doesn't really succeed . For Evelyn to be at her best she needs to spark off the Sixth Doctor.
Maggie Stables & Colin Baker have a great relationship and this goes partly to explain why Big Finish and her as a companion in particular revitalised the Sixth Doctor .

So in short everything good about this is due to how nice Maggie Stables is as Evelyn, but it loses a lot by not having Colin Baker.
I think this and maybe her health issues is why there was only one companion chronicle involving her.

However I would recommend her main Big Finish releases involving her and Colin Baker.

Bernice Summerfield has to look into a strange spaceship as part of an archeological investigation.
But it turns out to be a sinister plan that involves a cyberman

Lisa Bowerman is a real expert at playing Prof Benny , and not only gives a great performance but injects the right amount of humour and is a great character !

I think her performance alone rates this episode a high number but it probably doesn't get the credit it deserves because it doesn't involve the Doctor so is criminally underrated

I really enjoyed this story and like that it doesn't require heavy thinking about and it just is an enjoyable half hour which you can put on let it wash over you and bask in the pure entertainment

I did try the companion chronicle with her and its also good - 'Bernice Summerfield and the Criminal Code'

I'll have to try some more Benny

Ps nick Briggs is suitably nerdy as Lynton who brings in Benny to investigate
And also gives a great sound to the cybermen