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Big Finish Monthly Range #86
Doctor Who: The Reaping
On the morning of 9 May 1984, Peri woke up. She was expecting to spend the day relaxing in Lanzarote and, that evening, leave her mother and stepfather to go travelling with some guys she'd only just met.
But things don't always go as expected as her friends and family discover when, four months later, she returns home having travelled further than anyone could have imagined.
Meanwhile her friend, Katherine Chambers, mourns her father and Peri finds herself meeting some other familiar faces.
Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures, Revelation of the Daleks and The Trial of a Time Lord.
But things don't always go as expected as her friends and family discover when, four months later, she returns home having travelled further than anyone could have imagined.
Meanwhile her friend, Katherine Chambers, mourns her father and Peri finds herself meeting some other familiar faces.
Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures, Revelation of the Daleks and The Trial of a Time Lord.
Audio Play
First published September 1, 2006
About the author
Joseph Lidster
75 books35 followersJoseph Lidster is an English television writer best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
His debut work was the audio play The Rapture for Big Finish Productions in 2002. Numerous further audio plays and prose short stories followed for Big Finish, for their Doctor Who line, spin-offs and other series (Sapphire & Steel and The Tomorrow People).
In 2005, he started working for the BBC, writing tie-in material for the new Doctor Who television series. He made his television writing debut in 2008 on the second series of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood and subsequently wrote three two-part stories for The Sarah Jane Adventures. He has written the two-part story "Rebel Magic" for the new CBBC series Wizards vs Aliens.
Lidster wrote the content for the tie-in websites relating to the fictional world of the television series, Sherlock. Alongside co-producer James Goss, he has produced Big Finish Productions' dramatic reading range of Dark Shadows audio dramas since 2011.
In 2012, he won the 'Audience Favourite Writer' award for his first play Nice Sally in the Off Cut Theatre Festival.
His debut work was the audio play The Rapture for Big Finish Productions in 2002. Numerous further audio plays and prose short stories followed for Big Finish, for their Doctor Who line, spin-offs and other series (Sapphire & Steel and The Tomorrow People).
In 2005, he started working for the BBC, writing tie-in material for the new Doctor Who television series. He made his television writing debut in 2008 on the second series of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood and subsequently wrote three two-part stories for The Sarah Jane Adventures. He has written the two-part story "Rebel Magic" for the new CBBC series Wizards vs Aliens.
Lidster wrote the content for the tie-in websites relating to the fictional world of the television series, Sherlock. Alongside co-producer James Goss, he has produced Big Finish Productions' dramatic reading range of Dark Shadows audio dramas since 2011.
In 2012, he won the 'Audience Favourite Writer' award for his first play Nice Sally in the Off Cut Theatre Festival.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 8, 2014
Oh dear. This started off so well. I was going to give this four stars after listening to the first episode. Then I listened to the second one. I'm afraid it didn't live up to its potential.
I'm betting some of the plot threads left hanging in this audio will be resolved in the next one, but I wish someone had warned me about that before I bought this. Far too much is unresolved here for me to be comfortable with how this ends. And what does end doesn't end well.
I'm betting some of the plot threads left hanging in this audio will be resolved in the next one, but I wish someone had warned me about that before I bought this. Far too much is unresolved here for me to be comfortable with how this ends. And what does end doesn't end well.
May 4, 2021
Not great
May 23, 2019
Eine sehr atmosphärische, ruhige Einführung und auch sonst eine relativ unaufgeregte aber spannende Geschichte. Endlich kann Colin Baker mal wieder die etwas arrogante Seite seines Doctors zeigen und vor allem für Peri tut sich hier einiges als Charakter. In der zweiten Hälfte wird das ganze zwar etwas schmalzig und die Musik fängt mal wieder an zu nerven, aber insgesamt ein wirklich gutes Hörspiel mit ein paar ziemlich cleveren Twists.
Interessant auch, dass man sich hier, parallel zur damaligen TV Serie, dafür entschieden hat, einen Zweiteiler mit zwei längeren Episoden zu machen, anstatt der üblichen vier kürzeren Folgen.
Interessant auch, dass man sich hier, parallel zur damaligen TV Serie, dafür entschieden hat, einen Zweiteiler mit zwei längeren Episoden zu machen, anstatt der üblichen vier kürzeren Folgen.
September 18, 2024
i’m very confused with the direction this story took in the last 15 minutes or so and i genuinely try not to let endings like that affect my overall enjoyment of the story but, in this case, it really did dampen the whole thing for me.
this story is gritty, dark and emotionally charged which i loved. i really liked seeing peri’s backstory and family be explored. however, like i said, the ending kind of threw me and not in a good way. i’m not entirely sure why they decided to do that, it felt so abysmally contrived for the purposes of trying to make the story even more dark than it already was but it was so ridiculous and out of nowhere it didn’t really hit as it intended to.
this story is gritty, dark and emotionally charged which i loved. i really liked seeing peri’s backstory and family be explored. however, like i said, the ending kind of threw me and not in a good way. i’m not entirely sure why they decided to do that, it felt so abysmally contrived for the purposes of trying to make the story even more dark than it already was but it was so ridiculous and out of nowhere it didn’t really hit as it intended to.
January 16, 2019
In many ways this play is a setup for the far superior "The Gathering" which directly follows.
While it has some genuinely exciting moments, it doesn't really work. The narrative has this strange sort of cavalier attitude towards The Doctor getting a lot of people killed and the attempt to flesh out Peri as a character actually sets her a few steps back from where she has been in the run with Erimem.
Worth listening to only in that it sets up the far more worthy sequel.
While it has some genuinely exciting moments, it doesn't really work. The narrative has this strange sort of cavalier attitude towards The Doctor getting a lot of people killed and the attempt to flesh out Peri as a character actually sets her a few steps back from where she has been in the run with Erimem.
Worth listening to only in that it sets up the far more worthy sequel.
August 9, 2018
An absolute classic. Peri’s backstory is given in great detail, and Nicola Bryant is given material to shine. Colin Baker is, as always, great as the Doctor. Joe Lidster’s managed to make the Cybermen utterly terrifying by putting them in an eerie domestic setting. The guitar score works wonders, too. I cannot love this enough. 10/10.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2020
4
Interesting to have the Cybermen depicted in this way - alone, desperate and struggling - and without much of a plan to invade the world. Instead, this is much more focused on Peri’s shame and guilt, and a fascinating bit of Who history is filled in with her story, and it is an emotional journey that I really enjoyed. The kind of story you don’t see on TV.
Interesting to have the Cybermen depicted in this way - alone, desperate and struggling - and without much of a plan to invade the world. Instead, this is much more focused on Peri’s shame and guilt, and a fascinating bit of Who history is filled in with her story, and it is an emotional journey that I really enjoyed. The kind of story you don’t see on TV.
March 23, 2022
Another fantastic story. This one dives into exploring Peri’s family & friends, giving her some great character development. However, that ending though. It was jaw-dropping and emotional, but I honestly loved this audio.
It’s perfect for Peri fans and seeing her get character development.
It’s perfect for Peri fans and seeing her get character development.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2017
It was great to get some backstory on Peri.
May 25, 2023
[audiobook]
2-3 stars
2-3 stars
July 10, 2024
I thought the production was terrible. The mix at times was hard to make out, and what's with the really weird echo effect? The story is ok, but does get confusing at times.
August 28, 2024
Started out pretty well, but by the end I was completely unimpressed
Read
April 8, 2009I found the script and plot of The Reaping almost offensively bad. It is saved by the cast, particularly Nicola Bryant, who is given some of the worst material of her Who career to work with (and that's saying something) and mostly pulls it off. The story is that Peri discovers that her best friend's father (who is mysteriously only 40) was murdered a few months after she started travelling with the Doctor. They return to Baltimore to investigate, but it is all an absurdly complex plot by the dying Cyberleader. The Doctor delivers the Cyberleader to Mondas, leaving Peri's mother to take charge of a dangerous device, which in due course explodes killing her. Written at a time when New Who was exploring the impact of Rose's travels on her family left at home, this is an obvious attempt to reconstruct Peri's story in the same mode. It fails.
January 21, 2016
I loved this story. The Doctor and Peri go back to her hometown of Baltimore Md in 1984 so Peri can attend the funeral of a friend's father. While there they find out the Cybermen are trying to take over the planet. This would have been fantastic to see on screen. The shock was to hear Claudia Christian from B-5 doing one of the voices. It was great. The old music and familiar story and voices. Great.
June 27, 2017
Another reasonably good offering in the 6th Doctor range, this takes the time to explore the impact of Peri's disappearance in Planet of Fire on those she left behind. That's perhaps more interesting than the actual cyberman plot that's behind it all, but that's functional enough, too, and has a nice resolution to it. The beginning is perhaps, a bit strange, but makes more sense once you've also listened to The Gathering, which was published together with this.
July 29, 2012
I actually quite enjoyed this, the entire Cybermen plot seemed kind of convoluted but listening to this is not a bad way to pass the time at all. I am a huge fan of Six and Peri, so that might influence my enjoyment, but overall I was happy with it.
August 30, 2014
Peri and the Sixth Doctor travel to Baltimore, 1984, four months after Peri left her stepfather and mother in Lanzarote. As she tries to explain to her mother where she has been, the Doctor discovers an old enemy has laid a trap for him…
October 11, 2013
Another Peri story I liked! I thought this was really good, it had family drama and almost incidently cybermen. Claudia Christian was lovely as Peri's mom. It was great to watch how much their relationship developed just over the space of the audio. I also liked the way Mondas was used at the end.
October 30, 2016
Full review to come at www.travelingthevortex.com
Mostly good, a bit confusing in parts, especially the end, which unfortunately feels flat until you listen to the next story which kinda retcons parts of it.
Mostly good, a bit confusing in parts, especially the end, which unfortunately feels flat until you listen to the next story which kinda retcons parts of it.
June 3, 2024
Peri (Nicola Bryant) and the 6th Doctor (Colin Baker) visit Baltimore four months after Peri first joined the Doctor in his previous incarnation. We learn a lot about Peri's blended family; the history and strained relationships are the focus in this clever Cyberman story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2015
Six and Peri go to Baltimore 1984 to attend the funeral of a friend of Peri's family. Uh oh, 6 8 6 9... Cybermen!
November 13, 2012
Funny, touching, varied and gripping - really enjoyed it.
September 24, 2018
Sounds like they need a pop filter.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews