thebeardedpoet's review
5.0
The audio drama Doctor Who: The Marian Conspiracy is top notch! It's a historical that deals head-on with the religious wars in England during the time of Queen Mary's rule. For those who might not be aware of the Catholic vs. Protestant hostilities in England, this would serve as a great eye opener. Much of the conflict rises from the policies and laws of Queen Mary who was a devout Catholic, to the point of declaring any non-Catholic to be a heretic (deserving of the punishment of being burned to death.) Great morality discussion along the way too. Additionally this story serves to introduce Evelyn Smythe as the Doctor's companion, a grey haired history teacher. The bickering between these two is a delight of great acting and scripting.
librarycobwebs's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lavender_ani's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
timelordash92's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
iphigenie72's review
4.0
I'm particularly fond of this one: this is where I came in to Big Finish... a very long time ago even though it feels like yesterday; this one is part of the first batch of CDs I bought, I'm not sure if I started listening with this one or [b:Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight|1014769|Doctor Who The Chimes of Midnight|Robert Shearman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327498048s/1014769.jpg|1000893] but this is the one I try to "sell" to people when I say Big Finish does the Sixth Doctor so very well. I didn't know at the time how early it was in the monthly releases and I'm surprised about that, it really feels like BF got the right formula early.
About the story: the Doctor meets Evelyn Smythe when he disturbs one of her lectures on Queen Elisabeth the First. He is seeking what is causing a time disturbance, Evelyn is literally related to it... her ancestors are being erased from history and our curious Doctor goes off with her to investigate and that's how the two of them come to travel to England under the rule of Queen Mary Tudor. From there, there's plots, counterplots with a good dose of adventures.
Like I mentioned earlier, I think it's a great story: the Sixth is perfect; at my first listening, I thought this had a lot to do with not seeing the costume and I still think that's part of it, but the writing, the acting that is much more important; a new companion is always exciting be it on the telly or audio; historicals are often my favorites and getting Queen Mary is a treat, I didn't know a lot about her when I listened to this first (not even sure, I knew she existed, English history is not a priority in Quebec's classrooms) and I found that the story gave a lot of interesting information about the reign and yet didn't get bogged down by historical accuracy, it isn't as fast paced as running from the Daleks, but I thought it had a nice rhythm.
All in all an excellent audio.
About the story: the Doctor meets Evelyn Smythe when he disturbs one of her lectures on Queen Elisabeth the First. He is seeking what is causing a time disturbance, Evelyn is literally related to it... her ancestors are being erased from history and our curious Doctor goes off with her to investigate and that's how the two of them come to travel to England under the rule of Queen Mary Tudor. From there, there's plots, counterplots with a good dose of adventures.
Like I mentioned earlier, I think it's a great story: the Sixth is perfect; at my first listening, I thought this had a lot to do with not seeing the costume and I still think that's part of it, but the writing, the acting that is much more important; a new companion is always exciting be it on the telly or audio; historicals are often my favorites and getting Queen Mary is a treat, I didn't know a lot about her when I listened to this first (not even sure, I knew she existed, English history is not a priority in Quebec's classrooms) and I found that the story gave a lot of interesting information about the reign and yet didn't get bogged down by historical accuracy, it isn't as fast paced as running from the Daleks, but I thought it had a nice rhythm.
All in all an excellent audio.
faiazalam's review
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nwhyte's review
Sixth Doctor and new companion Evelyn Smythe visit the court of Queen Mary I. A peculiar combination of character and clich
count_zero's review
4.0
A very interestingly done time travel story, and Colin Baker's new companion in this story is, quite possibly, one of my favorite Doctor Who companions of all time.
sshabein's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'd heard only one story with Evelyn before, so I didn't have a proper appreciation for her yet, but now I do! What a great character. Really glad I bought the bundles that contain all her stories so I can hear them all now. This is a good throwback to when the show did more full-on historical tales.
meganmargoking's review
5.0
Wow I'm super surprised that there's a 6th Doctor adventure that I like.