It’s time to listen to and discuss Bloodtide
Buy it online using the link above, or listen for free - you’ll find links where to listen free on the story page!
Once you’ve listened, talk about it below! Even if you listened to it before and just want to discuss it - dive right in! Just please use spoiler tags where appropriate.
Everyone who participates will get a coveted Audio Club badge! 
Just for fun, add your rating here:
I honestly enjoyed this one a lot.
I love Evelyn and the Sixth Doctor together. And while I am not the biggest fan of Silurians, I think they worked very well in this one.
This is a cracking story and uses the Silurians well.
I think about this exchange every time I see the Galapagos mentioned.
EVELYN: We’re on the Galápagos Islands! And that is a Galápagos tortoise!
DOCTOR: Well actually, Galápagos is a Spanish word for tortoise.
EVELYN: Oh?
DOCTOR: They named the islands after them, you see. The Tortoise Islands, which I suppose means that that is, in fact, a tortoise tortoise! And that’s something else I’ve tort-oise (taught us)!
I love that exchange. I’ve submitted for the quote page.
Much better than Luke Rattigan in the Sontaran two-parter with the ATMOS System System. My word he was insufferable 
Six and Evelyn are just such a nice, wholesome duo 
I just listened to this the first time recently, and it might be my first 10/10 out of the initial main range run. What particularly works for me about it is that not only is it just a solid Silurian story, it has a lot of fun ideas marrying these lizardmen to Charles Darwin’s work as a scientist. It is really, really cool and in my opinion well done how the Silurians cause a crisis of faith within Darwin and that becomes the emotional centre of the whole audio.
EDIT: In hindsight, after updating the above into a review, I do think it is a 9/10. It’s very fun as an audio and largely works for me but some of the stuff around humans being created by Silurians felt a little underdeveloped.
I do not remember one single thing about this episode, but everyone’s effusive comments have got me excited to relisten!
I didn’t realize it the first time I heard this, but on later relistens it rather noticeable, Darwin is played by Miles Richardson (known to fans Bernice Summerfield and Gallifrey as Braxiatel).
I still need to finish the last part of The Last Day (which, to stretch off topic, in listening to the whole thing as one and knowing that it’s a bit of a mess, I have genuinely enjoyed) but this is next on the BF app playlist. I will report back on my findings.
Oh, unexpectedly a really great one!
First off, it’s great to have Evelyn and Sixie back. Paul McGann being amazing for so long really just made me forget my favorite Doctor huh.
I really like water. Big water fan. Love the watery atmosphere of the story.
Water>not water
Didn’t know anything about the Silurians aside from their name before this (and thought they had some kind of relation to the sea devils? Not that i know anything about those either), but this was a great introduction to them for me. They really feel like a species, where there are different individuals with personalities. Not like a Dalek where they more feel like a swarm of copy pasted monsters. These Silurians aren’t monsters per se, and I really like that. Also helps their origin is really fun (kinda reminds me of Trouble in Paradise · Doctor Who – Destiny of the Doctor: The Complete Adventure · TARDIS Guide too, though it obviously came after)
Lots of interesting philosophical things in here as well. Maybe all a bit predictable, but I liked it.
It’s also so absurd. Darwin realizes evolution theory thanks to aliens, but then aliens created humanity actually which is why there is no missing link. That’s really funny. Then Darwin yelling how much he believes in natural evolution to defeat aliens is even funnier.
And just, it’s very well paced. Keeps the intrigue the entire way through and knows when to go from one scene to another. (This is a really vague statement i like to use whenever i want to make something look better than it probably is)
Wait, you haven’t watched any of the Silurian stories in Classic and New Who?
Anyway, the only thing I remembered from this one before my relisten today was that I found it pretty dull the first time around.
Having listened to it again, I did find it more interesting. The setting is great and the atmosphere is palpable. Six and Evelyn are in top form and the cast is great. The story itself is a pretty standard Silurian story (I tend to feel that most Silurian stories on audio suffer from being too similar and predictable) and the most interesting aspects of the script are the ones that deal with evolution and philosophical debate. I don’t find this one overly exciting or memorable, but it trudges along at good speed and the dialogue is enjoyable.
So a safe 
6/10 for me.
I liked this one. I think that Evelyn makes six so much better than other companions. I think that Silurians are one of the best Who villains but they have one problem. All their stories are more or less the same. I would like to have one set in their prime or in the future where they can be part of human society. I gave this one 4/5.
At this point I have listened to more Big Finish than I have actually watched Doctor Who the TV show.
Like when im going to watch it i have to like, sit down and watch. I can listen to audio drama pretty much always. I just love Big Finish so much that i sometimes forget there is also television attached to this franchise. (and i started with big finish just a few months ago… very glad i decided to download that free short trip. I have been ruined ever since/pos)
Fair enough and good point. I’m so used to most fans getting into DW primarily through either New Who or Classic Who and then digging into the EU, that this was a surprising revelation! I’ve recently begun to focus more on the audio as well because there’s so much out there I’ve yet to listen to!
Oh yes there is so so much, I’ll probably never run out of stuff to listen to lol. One day you’re watching Rose for the first time, and before you know it you’ve sold both kidneys to buy the last part of some really obscure audio series.
Random extra bit of thoughts - while I like how this story dealt with evolution and had some fun with those ideas, the whole Missing Link thing is a bit of a misnomer and reminded me a lot of this clip from Futurama:
What a fantastic Silurian story!
Absolutely adored it!
Maggie Stables and Colin Baker together can not be praised enough. Miles Richardson as Charles Darwin is superb.
The Myrka!!
I will never understand why the Third Eye and the telepathy that stems from it would be axed when the Silurians were brought back in series 5, the Silurians are meant to be superior to us land parasites which is an integral part of their characterisation from their debut in 1970. Would you have Daleks without their gunsticks?
But the Third Eye was used to great effect here in Bloodtide, and I loved that the Doctor used their friendly Silurian to make a Psychic barrier and have Fitzroy and Charles believe they made a difference, humans are just mere cattle to the Silurians (quite literally as it turns out )
A solid 4,5/5 
I enjoy it. It’s not a perfect story but it’s solid enough. I think Silurians are interesting because you can’t do much with them as a species but there’s a lot you can do with them as characters and that showed here.
I quite enjoyed this story, the performances were all great and I am really loving Evelyn Smythe! Truly one of the greatest Big Finish companions 
And a celebrity historical with Charles Darwin, who I am a big fan of, sounded awesome.
But unfortunately the plot was rather copy-and-paste. And the revelation that the Silurians designed humans and are the reason we outcompeted other animals to become the dominant species was just silly. It may have made a good story for something like The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, but to make such a huge change to history in Doctor Who and try to say that’s canon and that’s just what we are going to accept is what happened? No, I don’t accept it.
So in my mind this story isn’t canon, or at the very least, the Silurians lied about what they did. It’s the only way to make sense of it.
And the last 2 parts were all a bit samey and shouty. Why must they always use the mind control trope?
I gave it 3/5, could do better, please let’s have some original ideas for the Silurians. Onwards!