The search for the final segment of the Key to Time leads to the starship Eschaton, which is itself on a search for a destination known only as the Chaos Pool. But pursuing the Eschaton is a shipload of Teuthoidians, carnivorous slug-like creatures who, according to the Doctor, shouldn’t be there: they’re at the wrong end of time, which may mean that the decaying final segment of the Key is causing events near the death of the universe to “wrap around” and meet events at the dawn of time itself. Zara is also here, having ingratiated herself with the crew of the Eschaton, and she uses the power of the segments in her possession to take Amy’s place and throw the Doctor off his search. The Doctor is stunned when he meets a familiar face in command of the Eschaton, but things are not as they seem: the Guardians are no longer trapped in Earth’s distant past, and rather than simply relying on a few hand-picked agents, they have amassed armies, each hoping to claim the Key for himself. But the Guardians didn’t actually create the Key; the beings who created Amy and Zara did. When they appear, all bets are off, and they expect everyone, from Amy and Zara to the Doctor, to do their bidding without question… or die.

written by Peter Anghelides
directed by Lisa Bowerman
music by Jamie Robertson

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Ciara Janson (Amy), Laura Doddington (Zara), Lalla Ward (Madam President), David Troughton (The Black Guardian), Ben Jones (Captain Pargrave), Toby Longworth (Commander Hectocot), Cate Hamer (The Voice)

Notes: Chronologically, this story takes place before the Gallifrey audio spin-off series, and as such, Amy’s fate ties in with elements of the Gallifrey storyline, even though she isn’t featured in that series by name.

Timeline: between The Destroyer Of Delights and ??

Review: The Chaos Pool is a wrap-up to the “Key 2 Time” cycle that only a fan could love. The same could arguably be said about the entire concept of sequelizing the original Key to Time storyline, but The Chaos Pool brings things home with continuity references to characters and events that, quite frankly, I never expected to appear again. (more…)

Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner (1980-1990) relates the story of his tenure as the longest-serving producer of the series, virtually guiding it through the entirety of the 1980s until the BBC quietly cancelled it. In this volumes, he takes listeners,episode-by-episode, through his work on the show, starting halfway through 1986’s Trial Of A Time Lord, and then covering the tumultous unseating of leading man Colin Baker, the casting of his successor Sylvester McCoy, and the making of McCoy’s three seasons as the Doctor. Nathan-Turner’s continuing association with Doctor Who, even after the show was no longer being made, is covered, as are his thoughts on the show’s future (a few years before Russell T. Davies’ new series was announced) and some of its more vocal fans.

Review: A bit closer to what I was hoping to hear from The John Nathan-Turner Memoirs, the second volume of the former Doctor Who producer’s audio memoirs still comes in for a landing wide of the mark. Like the first volume, this one concentrates too much on story-by-story anecdotes in a way that doesn’t pause for breath and doesn’t allow for a more elaborate exploration of JN-T’s opinions of any particular event. (more…)

Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner (1980-1990) relates the story of his tenure as the longest-serving producer of the series, virtually guiding it through the entirety of the 1980s until the BBC quietly cancelled it. In this volumes, he takes listeners,episode-by-episode, through his work on the show, starting as a studio floor assistant in the Patrick Troughton story The Space Pirates, through his work as production unit manager, through his rise to the position of producer at the end of Tom Baker’s reign. At the end of the second disc, “JN-T” discusses the 1985 cancellation/hiatus crisis and the beginning of production on The Trial Of A Time Lord.

Review: I’ve had both 2-CD volumes of the late John Nathan-Turner’s memoirs sitting on the shelf for some time, but they sat there until a recent listen to fellow Doctor Who producer Barry Letts’ memoirs spurred me to listen, contrast and compare. As with the two wildly different epochs of Doctor Who itself, trying to compare the two showrunners’ memoirs is an exercise involving apples and oranges. (more…)