Reviews

Doctor Who: Phantasmagoria by Mark Gatiss

mrcoldstream's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

🙏🏼61% = 👍🏼16 👎🏼5 = Okay!

Mark Gatiss writes a compelling mystery from the onset, which eases you into the setting and makes you want to hear more. I like the mystery of the "spirit" making people vanish and leaving just one playing card behind.
 
Part 3 sees the Doctor get more involved with the mystery and finally meet Nicholas Valentine, the villain of the piece. The final part brings it all to a close, though it's not very exciting, and somehow the writing here feels much more muddled.
 
The 18th-century era is pretty well realised and feels apt for this incarnation of the Doctor. The guys playing cards and joining Turlough are used well to reinforce the feel of this era.
 
Peter Davison and Mark Strickson slip back into their roles effortlessly, and I find Turloguh a bit more likeable here than in his TV stories. The guest cast is fun as well, especially Steven Wickham, Mark Gatiss, and Nick Briggs.
 
The sound mixing is a bit uneven in places, with some sound effects drowning out the voices. This is a common problem with early BF releases.

nerdy_elle's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

bored_chloe's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

An average story that I didn't love nor hate. I enjoyed it and really liked the ending, even if the beginning was a little confusing. 

librarycobwebs's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

ultron_gold's review

adventurous funny mysterious

3.5

marsrich's review

4.0

Audio play. A little bit diferent.

lavender_ani's review

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

faiazalam's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

nwhyte's review

There was nothing very special about Phantasmagoria, except that it shared a plot twist with The Stones of Blood and I thought got away with it better. The soundscape of London was quite nicely done, though the writers seemed confused about who Queen Anne's father was (making me wonder for a bit if this was supposed to be some parallel universe; but no, it was just a mistake). Since I was never a huge fan of Turlough, his presence here didn't really excite me.

haunted_air's review

4.0

A solid period piece with good twists and characterisation of the Doctor and Turlough.