Planet 14 - Doctor Who

It would be unfair to describe Big Finish's EXCELIS series as a failure, but overall it was pretty average - a reasonable way to keep in touch with Big Finish's "past" Doctors while they were concentrating on the Eighth, but not as good as it could have been.

So is Bernice Summerfield's trip to Artaris a satisfying coda to the "main" arc, a strong one-off story or a bit of a damp squib?

Being cynical, I suspect that the PROFESSOR BERNICE SUMMERFIELD audios sell fewer copies than the WHO ones, so tacking this story onto the rest of the EXCELIS series is a handy way of promoting the series proper.

In fact, I have to confess that apart from the DOCTOR WHO audio THE SHADOW OF THE SCOURGE, I haven't heard any of Big Finish's Benny audios. Admittedly I didn't like that story, and I wasn't particularly impressed by Lisa Bowerman's performance of Benny, but that could have been the series of smug put-downs she was given.

Fortunately, Benny is much more likeable here. Lisa Bowerman has been playing the character for long enough to have got a good handle on her, so my previous opinion was down to the characterisation and lines she had to work with, rather than Bowerman's actual performance.

Of course, those who haven't been following Big Finish's audio and book series will be a little out of touch with what's been happening to Benny lately. Fortunately, Stephen Cole avoids over-doing the continuity, with only a couple of references to her changed circumstances.

Katy Manning cropped up as Iris Wildthyme in EXCELIS DAWNS, and she returns to Artaris once more. She works well with Benny, with some early squabbling proving quite amusing.

We return to Artaris with Excelis under siege and the Empress Vitutia (Kate Brown) having to undergo a trial in order to continue to rule (and avoid being executed). As Benny and Iris discover, being a stranger in these times in not a smart move, especially since the prophet Snyper (Trevor Littledale) seems to know more than he's letting on.

The cast is small, even for a Big Finish audio, but the guest actors all work pretty well, although the nature of the threat from the dead animals means that the characters do occasionally have to explain what's going on.

However, after a disappointing end to the "main" EXCELIS saga, this is a reasonably entertaining coda. BACK TO THE TOP

PROFESSOR BERNICE SUMMERFIELD
AND THE PLAGUE HERDS OF EXCELIS

Written by STEPHEN COLE

Directed by JOHN AINSWORTH

Starring LISA BOWERMAN
and KATY MANNING

BIG FINISH PRODUCTIONS

£9.99 CD

RATING: 5/10

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