Product Description

The circus has come to town - and so has the Doctor! Watching the parade pass by in 1832, he finds the people of Blandford strangely drawn towards the garish big top, and knows that something is terribly wrong. The only thing to do is pay a visit. Meanwhile Adam Farrow finds his sister caught up with the circus and its sinister ringmaster. What is behind Antonio's almost hypnotic power, and how is it connected with an event in the Doctor's future? Seized by clowns and forced into the centre of the ring, the Doctor encounters the fiercest of all circus acts. Yet something much more terrifying lurks in the wings - and the sound it makes is horribly familiar. Lives will be lost before the circus moves on - and the Doctor will face his own doom on the high wire. With Tom Baker as the Doctor, Richard Franklin as Mike Yates, Susie Riddell as Sally, Michael Maloney as Farrow, Jilly Bond as Francesca and Stephen Thorne as Antonio, "The Circus of Doom" is the third of five linked stories written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7900 in Books
• Published on: 2009-11-05
• Released on: 2009-12-01
• Formats: Audiobook, Import
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

If this is old rope then keep coiling it in!
I find it hard to understand all the negative reviews here, as someone who grew up with Tom Baker's melifluous tones as The Doctor on television, I think the opportunity to hear him reprise the role is simply irresistible. This series has been hugely enjoyable - but it's not supposed to be high theatre; the evocatice music and Baker's dulcet drawl just make me smile constantly, and the story featuring a macabre circus troupe and it's sinister ringmaster are superb. Surely the opportunity to hear a group of outstanding actors play their roles without frills and endless explosions is what audio drama is all about? And Richard Franklin, Tom Baker et al acquit themselves with aplomb - Paul Magrs' script is sharp and witty, and the endless bandying of polysyllabic words is ideally suited to Baker's style. Fun, cosy, and hugely entertaining - for me this series is going from strength to strength,

A real Circus of Delights!
The third installment of the Hornet's Nest saga sees events take a much darker and serious tone, as the Doctor finds himself involved in a very sinister and dark tale, revolving around a macabre circus in rural england in the early part of the 19th century. (what a wonderful setting, for a fantastically gothic and creepy Doctor Who story). Appropriately, Tom Baker is more restrained and serious sounding this time around, but still gives a committed and enthusiastic performance, often reminiscent of his early Phlip Hinchcliffe-produced seasons and his sonorous tones have never sounded more perfectly suited to the material. He really brings the macabre story to life and there are several moments, thanks to Baker's reading, that are positively chilling. Writer Paul Margs certainly has a love for the bizarre and creepy, and The Circus of Doom is easily the darkest and most chilling of the Hornest Nest saga so far. He also knows how to write a good Doctor Who story, and this certainly has 'classic Doctor Who' written all over it. Sadly, Richard Franklin's Mike Yates is again virtually none- existant, but it's clear by now that the final episode will be the one where he's given more to do, but he's still great with the little material he's given. The sound effects and music are also top-rate, adding greatly to the story's overall atmosphere. The balance between spoken narration and audio drama is, again, about 50/50 and the guest performers are very well played.
The Hornet's Nest saga is now in full swing, and is consistently improving on itself, delivering some excellent drama, an intriguing and gripping storyline with some horrific imagery and best of all, Tom Baker, now fully back in character and proving just why he is the best Doctor of all time. I personally cannot wait for the next chapter, which, Tom assures us, has 'A Sting in the Tail!".

big top of evil
third in the talking books series featuring tom baker reprising the role of the fourth doctor. There's an ongoing storyline here that is slowly taking precedence so casual listeners might be better off starting with the first one "Doctor Who": Hornets' Nest: Stuff of Nightmares v. 1 (BBC Audio).

Those who've followed the series so far will find this adopting the format as before. A complete story in roughly seventy minutes spread over one disc, with the doctor telling mike yates about an encounter of his with the strange alien hornets. There's a short reprise of the first two parts at the start of the story that lasts roughly three minutes.

The main story here involves the doctor investigating a circus that is visiting a rural town in 1832.The quality of the performances they put on are hypnotic. literally, it would seem. The doctor investigates, teaming up with a victorian doctor called farrow who is trying to make his sister leave the place, and finds a little more than he bargained for as the truth about the hornets slowly comes out.

Whilst this does slightly have middle of a series problems in that it really only exists just to push the main plot on somewhat, it makes up for that for the most of it by being a delightfully atmospheric and absorbing listen for the most part. the script is superbly evocative and tom baker really gets his teeth into it, plus the ringmaster and doctor farrow are very strong characters and very well played by the cast members who take the roles, as they make them believable and never go over the top.

Come the last third though the pace does drop off somewhat. Still, the plot development is pretty intriguing, and it did leave me eager to find what will happen next. So I'll be back for part four