Big Finish Productions Phobos

Written by	Eddie Robson
Format	Compact Disc
Released	2007

Starring Paul McGann

Synopsis: The TARDIS lands on Phobos, moon of Mars, where extreme sports nuts of the future indulge their passion for gravity-boarding and wormhole-jumping. But there's something lurking in the shadows, something infinitely old and infinitely dangerous. It's not for nothing that "Phobos" is the ancient word for "fear"...

• Worse than Any Monster by Noe Geric

Worse than Any Monster by Noe Geric 28/12/22

Phobos is actually when I began to wonder if Big Finish really listen to what they're producing and what they're feeling after hearing this. Phobos might be one of the most boring pieces of audio drama I've ever heard, but in Big Finish terms, it's another one of the neverending pile of filling material. If you can't produce good stuff in time, don't bring yourself to do material such as this. And I can't understand what they thought when they decided to broadcast that on radio. There are a lot of good stories that could've been used in such condition, but I don't think an adventure in competition with Eye of Harmony as the dullest story ever is what will bring new listeners to the company.

It's really straightforward in all senses of the word. An evil from the dawn of time under a snowy landscape trying to takes control of everything. The McGann Doctor being incredibly dark of some odd purposes. A bunch of paper-thin characters here and there. Poor score and sound design... I'm happy I bought this at a very cheap price, because if I didn't, I would've asked for my money back. Even McGann didn't make any impression here. He was as tasteless as everyone else. Lucie Miller is far from being my favorite companion, and I find her irritating most of the time. Her arc with the Headhunter isn't really interesting either. And I won't talk about the adrenaline addicts, the paranoid old fool or the interspecies couple. The backstory of everyone reads like a checklist. Actually, they all seem to come from a parallel version of Father's Day, where every character's purpose is bloody obvious.

Setting the story on snowy mountains wasn't really a good idea. It's perhaps one of all these unimaginative places we've seen dozen of times before, like the jungle or the desert. Frozen Time wasn't long before, nor was Planet of the Ood. The cover itself is rather unimpressive. All of the Eighth Doctor's first series covers are incredibly boring. It feels as if they've been made up in fifteen minutes. I'm not an expert in Photoshop, but I think even I could slap two guys and a snowboard on a mountain without having to think much. Actually, Phobos is perhaps a proof that Big Finish is losing its hand on good writing. This one should probably have been cancelled, because it's useless. It adds nothing to the Doctor Who mythology and isn't worth a listen.

It looks like I'm always spitting on the company and saying ''it was better in the good old days'', but I don't think it's false. The company has fallen in mediocrity and facility. Where are the fresh ideas? The new writers? (And not the never ending succession of Morris/Fitton/Dorney/Robson) There's nothing good to say about Phobos except that it's only one hour long and nothing more. Another failure. And the Scooby Doo jokes aren't funny anymore... 2/10