It’s time to listen to and discuss Medicinal Purposes
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:
Listened to this last year and gave it 3/5 stars. My thoughts were that Knox is a fun villain and I like the premise, but I really hated how Six and Evelyn were written. Evelyn felt very much dumbed down, and Sixie felt like his pre-Evelyn characterisation to me instead of his softer personality that we should have had at this point in time
Pretty sure I’ll be an outlier on this one because I quite like it.
I rated this one 4*. I don’t have a great memory of it but I think I do remember enjoying it and being surprised to see it’s a low rated one
I remember nothing about this audio except the name Daft Jamie, but don’t think I found this audio to be that bad. I can still picture myself listening to it. It’s a 3/5 at the least, probably a 3.5 at the most. I think it reminded me a bit of Grave Matter, the PDA (which I love).
My least favorite Main Range story. It’s boring, it thinks it’s smarter than it is, the Doctor and Evelyn are characterized awfully, it’s got a genuinely ableist character in Daft Jamie. I hate this story. At least Nekromanteia tries something with it’s attempted Shakespeare pastiche. I find Medicinal Purposes to be purposeless, dull as dishwater, and infuriating.
Yeah, this one’s bad. Horribly formulaic, dreadfully dull, with poor character writing and poorer dialogue. There was some nice atmosphere here and there and I enjoyed Leslie Phillips’ hammy perfomrance but very, very much not a favourite.
And apparently it isn’t even Robert Ross’ worst story. Yikes.
Full review here, if you enjoy, please feel free to drop a like
I obviously listened to a different story!
I wouldn’t call it a favourite, but I think it’s better than the reviews make it out to be. Interesting historical setting and an event I wasn’t familiar with, so I read up on it afterwards. This guy called David Tennant pops up in his final BF before moving into bigger things a few months later. He’s certainly memorable and believable, even though the role can be a bit problematic these days.
Yeah, it can be a bit slow, and the Doctor and Evelyn are characterised weirdly, but I had a good time overall.
7/10.
Medicinal Purposes has an intriguing premise and a strong atmosphere but struggles with pacing and underused elements. The historical setting is well-realised, and Knox’s reveal as a time-travelling scientist adds an interesting twist, but the story never fully capitalises on its potential.
David Tennant’s performance as Daft Jamie is both compelling and uncomfortable, adding a layer of tragic depth to the narrative. His fate provides the story’s most powerful moment, underscoring the Doctor’s limitations in the face of fixed history.
Despite its shortcomings, Medicinal Purposes remains an engaging listen, particularly for those interested in Doctor Who’s historical stories. It just never quite reaches the heights it aspires to.
Medicinal Purposes: Starring David Tennant as Simple Jack.
Okay, that’s a bit much, but it’s definitely uncomfortable listening to him here, having grown up with his Doctor. But overall, I like it for how it builds on Sixth as the pragmatic Doctor, taking a holistic view of Burke & Hare in the context of medical history. It’s not one I see myself revisiting, but as part of the larger Sixth/Evelyn arc, I get why it is the way it is.
