It’s time to listen to and discuss LIVE 34
Buy it online using the link above.
Even if you listened to it before and just want to discuss it - dive right in! Just please use spoiler tags!
Everyone who participates will get a coveted Audio Club badge! 
Just for fun, add your rating here:
Think this was the first audio I listened to, and it’s been quite a while.
Had no idea who Hex was and was fairly confused. Neat experimental audio, though, and one I’ll probably listen to again if at some point I have more audios under my belt.
Another Seventh Doctor story with a political side that works even nearly twenty years later. The way it’s told entirely through news broadcasts (although credulity does get a bit stretched right at the end) is a very effective way of conveying censorship in media by the government and enforcing a particular narrative on the population. I particularly like Hex’s section as it puts the most human spin on things (and it’s heartbreaking that the Doctor used Hex’s innocence to better sell the atrocity).
One of the best experimental audios. Love it so much, love the cover, and love the tiny “Italian Job” reference)
LIVE 34 is one of the most innovative and frighteningly relevant Doctor Who stories ever told. Its realism is unflinching, its format unique, and its message clear: authoritarianism doesn’t rise with a bang—it creeps in through fear, crisis, and controlled narratives. With unforgettable performances from McCoy, Hoyland, Sophie Aldred, and Philip Olivier, and a stellar central turn from Andrew Collins as the voice of the media, this is political sci-fi at its most effective.
Here’s my spoilery review for you to read, thank you!
An incredibly effective political thriller told through one of the most ingenious scripts in The Monthly Adventures.
The plot is somewhat clunky in places, sure, but for the most part this is a biting, cynical whirlwind of a story
Full review here, if you enjoy, please leave a like
One of my favourite BF experimental stories. Really love the presentation on this one, like a hybrid of Pontypool, Talk Radio, and Urban Gothic’s ‘The End’. It does well at presenting the logistics of the Chomsky/Herman propaganda model, and the later story revelations… truly monstrous stuff. Much like with The Fearmonger, this is a Seventh Doctor story that has aged like a fine wine in terms of relevancy.
Also, ALL HAIL ACE THE REBEL QUEEN!
ahem
I’ve always thought it a terrible shame that this format wasn’t extrapolated into an entire series. It’s so much more than a gimmick! This is a fully valid way – and wholly unique to the medium – to make audio theater!
One of my favourite Seventh Doctor stories! Live 34 is so scary and so effective. Fantastic use of the audio medium and fantastic characterisation and plot on top of that. Love it!!
Very good audio this, a standout amongst some other really good Hex scripts. Still relevant today as others have said
Really loved this one, it’s very clever, very sharp, and I love the framing for this one, it works really well
I cannot sing the praises of this one enough. I was genuinely floored by how great it was. A prescient, unique exercise in tension building that’s ripe with commentary on media bias and modern politics. That final part where it all comes to a head - chef’s kiss.
Late to post but I really loved this on, very well done and an imaginative take on the audio drama format - makes me wish they did it more.
The only thing I didn’t like was the ending - the Doctor spends 10 minutes monologuing and everything is sorted?
LOVE this one. In spite of how terrifyingly prescient it is considering the state of the US right now. The format is brilliant, the storytelling is outstanding, it has some of the best performances in the Main Range. We’ve just had 4 absolute bangers and it’s a shame that the stellar run of the Main Range is coming to an end with the next installment and we’re entering a more… inconsistent period for the Main Range.
Strong disagree. It’s pretty clear that Charlotte is quickly loosing control of the crowd in those last few moments, exactly as the Doctor warns her. I’d argue that the this is one of those stories where the Doctor doesn’t quite win, he and his companions survive, he tries to get Colony 34 on the way to fixing everything, and he gets the hell out before it all hits the fan.
I agree on the ending! I think the final few moments where we just about hear the Premier falling into the crowd to be be ripped apart are shockingly dark. The Doctor’s anger at the government and Ace’s vulnerability are really powerful too — and so well acted. I’ve always found the ending really effective!
The Doctor does the revolution, he doesn’t tend to stick around for the building of a new government even when he could. I can think of at least one other story that through the final moment hints at the new regime taking more from the one they toppled than they’d care to admit.
@fingersmash @taraoftraken
I listened to the last minute again more carefully and I see what you mean, but I’m not convinced…
The problem is that now I think that not only does a) the Doctor pull a rabbit out of a hat via an extended monologue, but b) it doesn’t even work in fixing the problem? He basically just says “there you go, I’ll leave it all to you Charlotte” and off they go leaving chaos behind them.
This is not to say I didn’t enjoy it and wouldn’t recommend it, but I think that parts 1-3 are really fantastic whereas part 4 is just quite good… If the first half of the story were weaker I’d be less picky but since the setup is so good I feel justified in being a bit let down by the ending 