Joseph A. Morrison
Bio
26. Fan of Doctor Who, Blake's 7, The Prisoner and more old-fashioned TV. Reviewer, wannabe writer and general twit.
Stories (61/0)
Top 20 Big Finish 'Doctor Who' Fifth Doctor Releases
It has been 20 years since Big Finish Productions released The Sirens of Time, the very first of their long-running range of Doctor Who audio dramas. Since then, they have released audio adventures every month, featuring one of the actors to have played the Doctor on TV. In this special list, I'm taking a look back at some of the strongest audio adventures to feature the Fifth Doctor, as played on TV by Peter Davison. We begin with:
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Futurism
Paul Darrow - Forever Avon
Paul Darrow is a name that, for a generation of science fiction fans, will be famous for one role. On the 9th of January 1978, Darrow made his debut appearance as Kerr Avon in the second episode of the BBC science-fiction series Blake's 7, and became a legend almost instantly. His cold, ruthless nature and his dry, sardonic wit made for a killer combination that appealed to viewers, and Darrow's performance was the icing on the cake. He quite literally became Avon, and, for four years, he gunned and quipped his way through the show, becoming its leading man for the last two series after the departure of Gareth Thomas. Whenever people think of Blake's 7, they think of Kerr Avon. And whenever anyone thinks of Kerr Avon, they think, and will always think, of Paul Darrow.
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Futurism
"The Macra Terror" and the Future of Missing Doctor Who Animations
Since the discovery by the wider fan-base in 1981 that the BBC had been junking episodes of Doctor Who they believed would never be seen again, there have been many attempts to reconstruct these gaps. People have gone to great lengths to recover the episodes themselves, of course, but, with 97 episodes still missing, fans have wanted a way of experiencing these stories as well as all those that exist in the archives. We've had had telesnaps, novelisations, audio releases with linking narration, and even reconstructions bringing a number of these elements together. But, in the past 12 years, we've been seeing more and more of these lost stories be recreated through animation. From Cosgrove Hall's beautifully stark animation of "The Invasion" to Planet 55's almost anime-style animation of "The Reign of Terror," we've seen a variety of styles and a variety of companies attempting to bring these missing episodes to life. Since 2016, BBC Studios have been producing animations themselves, starting with "The Power of the Daleks," and then continuing with the unfinished Tom Baker story Shada. And now, we've reached The Macra Terror, which takes the idea of animating Doctor Who to a whole new level. And now, the big question that Doctor Who fans have is this: what is the future of these animations? Where do we go next?
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Futurism
'Blake's 7: The Spoils of War'—Review
It's been quite a while since Big Finish actually put out any Blake's 7 content. Since the sad passing of Gareth Thomas, Big Finish has had to try and work around this, and since Josette Simon has decided not to return to Blake's 7, Big Finish were in a tight bind. However, producer John Ainsworth decided to recast Dayna anyway, and continue with full-cast audios set during the third season of the TV show. The Spoils of War is the first box set under the new regime, and, while it does have a couple of issues, it is a decent set, with some fairly good stories and an interesting linking theme. It certainly helps that the recast of Dayna is possibly one of the best things that Big Finish have done with Blake's 7, and promises exciting things for the future.
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Futurism
'Doctor Who - The Iron Legion' Review
When Doctor Who Magazine started in 1979, one of the first things that creator and founding editor Dez Skinn introduced was the comic strip; which depicted the ongoing adventures of The Doctor, (played by Tom Baker) outside the TV series. And, 40 years later, that comic strip is still ongoing, now depicting the adventures of Jodie Whitaker's Doctor. Over the 40 years of the magazine's existence, the strip has gone through many changes, (changes in editors and art style, changing from black-and-white to color, the ongoing regeneration of the actor playing The Doctor), but the heart has remained very much the same. And, having now read this collection of strips from the early days of the magazine, I can see why these strips are talked about with such reverence. The Iron Legion collection features some of the most interesting ideas ever seen in a Doctor Who story, some larger than life characters and a wonderful art style thanks to Dave Gibbons, and it is a fantastic read.
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Futurism
Changes to Sex & Health Education in British Schools - My Thoughts
On Monday, it was announced that the Department for Education was changing the law regarding Sex Education lessons in Britain. Not only does the government want to make these lessons compulsory, but they also want to broaden their scope: covering a range of things such as, but not limited to, LGBTQ+ issues, online safety, and mental health. And, speaking as someone who has been through the education system (I'm now 21, and have been through school, college, and university) in Britain, I'm delighted that, finally, measures are being taken to update a curriculum that not only was out of date, but, frankly, taken as a bit of a joke.
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Education
Marvel's 'Spider-Man' (PlayStation 4) Review
I'll be honest, I've never been that big a fan of superheroes. I've always found their characters to be flat, obvious, and a little cliched. I've also never been a massive fan of the 'superpowers' aspect. What can I say, I prefer my protagonists to have a better backstory than 'bitten by a radioactive spider'. And, in recent years, I've found my interest in video gaming declining somewhat. Maybe it's just all those rather flat, dull, repetitive shooters I've been playing, but, apart from the Star Wars: Battlefront series, there's been little I've been excited, or even interested in. Sure, I enjoyed Battlefield 1, but, to be honest, part of me was thinking about selling up my PS4, so I wouldn't have another outlet that was a drain on my time and money. However, I'm very glad I didn't, because, after a little persuasion, I bought myself Insomniac and Marvel's Spider-Man; a game that so perfectly captures the Spider-Man universe, that it's simply a joy to play. With an engaging plot and some fantastically simple but fun game mechanics, this is a true delight, and possibly one of the strongest video games I've played in many years.
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Gamers
'Casino Royale' by Ian Fleming: Review
James Bond is an icon of both literary and cinematographic characters. Since Ian Fleming created the character nearly 70 years ago, he has gone on to become an icon of not just the spy genre, but of British pop culture generally. His name is recognisable around the world and is probably the foremost fictional spy ever created. So, the first story in which he appears, 1953's novel Casino Royale, has become a seminal piece of writing, not just because it introduces the character of Bond, but also in the world and the tone it creates. And, despite it hailing from a very different era in terms of what we expect from fiction, Casino Royale still stands as a very sophisticated novel, with plenty of interesting characters, surprising plot turns and an engaging prose style that brings the world it portrays to life in a very vivid way.
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Geeks
'Blake's 7: Warship'—Review
One of Big Finish's most exciting products in their Blake's 7 range has to be their very first full-cast audio, Warship. After a number of narrated Liberator Chronicle releases and books, Warship was perhaps the closest Big Finish had got to telling an authentic Blake's 7 story up till that point. Set in the gap in between series two and three, and telling the story of the Liberator's fight against the alien fleet featured in the final episode of series two, this is a tight, exciting audio drama. While hardly being novel or original, is an exciting story that bridges the gap between series two and three fantastically, and offers Jenna and Blake the departure from the Liberator that they weren't afforded in the TV series.
By Joseph A. Morrison5 years ago in Futurism
Revisiting 'Doctor Who': 'Asylum of the Daleks'
Hello. I'm Joe. I'm a 21 year old blogger, wannabe writer, and fan of Doctor Who. Since 2006, I've been following the adventures of the good Doctor and his companions, as well as exploring the ocean of canon that led up to this point. My favourite Doctor is Tom Baker, and my favourite era of the show is the three seasons (12–14) that Philip Hinchcliffe produced: the so-called "Gothic horror" era. Now that I've introduced myself, I'll introduce this series: Revisiting Doctor Who. This is, essentially, a review series, with me looking back on past episodes of the show, and judging them with fresh eyes. These retrospective reviews will consist of two elements: "before" and "after." The "before" section will look at my reaction to the story before I re-watch it for the purpose of this feature: what I may have thought of it upon first watch, and then upon subsequent past re-watches. The "after" section will be my reaction to the episode immediately post re-watch, where I shall go into more depth with my dissection, as I will pick apart every element of the story's construction: plot, character, dialogue, direction, acting, music, everything that makes up this story will be analysed and commented upon. At the end, I will give a judgment upon the story, from one of ten categories: "Crank It Up To 11," "Surprise!," "Be Kind Rewind," "Sunday Viewing," "One For The Fans," "Bittersour Ending," "Admire The Workmanship," "Fridge Logic," "Sorry What?," "Watch In The Background At Parties," and "Into The Abyss." These will be designed to sum up the story as concisely as possible and act as a replacement for a numerical rating, which I find vague and non-descriptive. (And yes, I have stolen these from FiveWhoFans, but they're too good to just leave on the shelf). So, without further ado, here we go with the first story... "Asylum of the Daleks!"
By Joseph A. Morrison6 years ago in Futurism
'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons' - Spectrum File 1 Review
The second part of Big Finish's celebrations of 50 years of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons are The Spectrum Files, three enhanced audiobooks of Captain Scarlet novels that were published in 1967. The first of these, simply titled Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, is a globe-trotting adventure with a Bond-esque touch, and features a very novel Mysteron plan. However, it also feels strangely distant from the show as seen on screen and it also feels rather poorly plotted and paced, meaning that it's near four-and-a-half-hour run time does drag considerably, despite the excellent production.
By Joseph A. Morrison6 years ago in Geeks
'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons' - 50th Anniversary Box Set Review
For many years now, Big Finish have been producing audio dramas based on cult properties such as Doctor Who, Sapphire And Steel, The Avengers, Blake's 7, and The Prisoner, among others. But one range of programmes that they have never touched are the Supermarionation series' produced by Gerry Anderson throughout the 1960s. After a successful three boxset revival of Terrahawks in 2015-17, it wasn't going to be long before Big Finish turned their attention to another Anderson property. And now, in time for the programme's 50th anniversary, we have our answer, in the form of four special releases centered on Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons. The successor to Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons is probably one of the Supermarionation programmes that has stood the test of time and endured in the public consciousness, so it's fitting that Big Finish get the chance to do something to celebrate the programmes' anniversary. The first of these sets is a bumper collection of the various mini-LP's that were released to tie in with the series during it's original transmission run. Available from Century 21 Records, these mini-albums are now highly sort after collectors pieces, so a CD boxset collecting all these titles together would be a highly anticipated release, and one that contains enough nostalgia to make any fan of the programme giddy with joy.
By Joseph A. Morrison6 years ago in Futurism