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Publisher's Details |
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Writer: Mark Gatiss | Director: Mark Gatiss
CD Details (Buy the CD from Big Finish) Published: Jan 2002 | ISBN: 1-903654 572 | RRP: £13.99 (UK) |
| The Cast | |||
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The Doctor:
Charley: Mouse: Ellis: Glory Bee: |
Paul McGann
India Fisher Ian Hallard Mark Benton Jessica Stevenson |
John Houseman:
Orson Welles: Bix Biro: Don Chaney: Cosmo Devine: |
Jonathan Rigby
David Benson Paul Putner Simon Pegg John Arthur |
| The Story |
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In the first episode, the Doctor and Charley are on their way to Singapore in 1930 when they land in 1930s New York. When they get there, they find the dead body of a private investigator named Halliday,
who has been killed by a concentrated radiation burst from an unknown weapon. They go to Halliday’s office where they find Glory Bee, who’s looking for her missing uncle.
Meanwhile in Gangland, one of the murderers of Halliday is killed when he is thrown in with a mysterious creature that his gang are holding... The next morning, the Police come to visit Halliday’s office. As the Doctor and Charley flee, Charley is kidnapped by the gang. The Doctor meets Glory Bee and tells her of Charley’s disappearance, but she doesn’t seem concerned. They go to the Excelsior Hotel, where they find the room that Glory’s Uncle was staying in before his disappearance and break in. When they do, they find themselves taken away and locked in a cell somewhere. When they break of their cell a little later and confront the missing scientist, Glory Bee reveals herself to be a Russian Spy... Shortly afterwards, the Doctor and the Professor are taken to a secret KGB safe house nearby, where they are found by Don Chaney. One of his gangsters tells him that the Martians have landed, much to the Doctor’s dread. Charley meanwhile has managed to escape with Ellis, but they get captured by the aliens! After a scuffle with Chaney, Glory Bee falls to her death from the Brooklyn Bridge and they are found by Cosmo Devine and his Nazi soldiers, who rather stupidly open the tank containing the one alien that arrived earlier. The tank is actually holding thirty of them and when they become free, the professor and the Nazis become trapped. The aliens have located the breeding party and are on their way to pick them up… The two invading aliens find the breeding party and Charley re-joins the Doctor. Unfortunately, Cosmo Devine makes a deal with the aliens in order to gain power over America. The Doctor soon realises that the aliens are not as powerful as they say and makes a plan to put an end to their plans. He accompanies Don Chaney and Charley to the local radio studios to join Orson Welles when they broadcast a spoof news report to the aliens, which frightens them away. They soon realise it’s a trick, but the professor is still alive onboard their craft and sets off an atomic explosion that destroys it. |
| Editor's Review |
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Invaders from Mars wasn’t that bad a story. I have to confess that I found the first two parts slightly confusing and more than a little dull. Episode four was, however brilliant. The Doctor’s plan managed to tie Orson Welles
and his ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast into the plot at last. The cast were very good. John Arthur’s Cosmo Devine was particularly chilling and I could hardly recognise Simon Pegg’s voice.
These last four stories have given a nice insight into Big Finish’s productions and I have to say that the evidence suggests that they are quite good. Like me, I’m sure after hearing those four stories you are happy to know that there is more coming our way in December. (Dan Ludlow) |