I’m still on first time listening at time of writing this, but at the moment, this might be my favourite DW story, even more so than The Mind Robber.
I remember the whole experience like it was yesterday. I was playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, testing out a mod that introduced a fully-functioning TARDIS into the game. Spent a lot of time wandering through corridors, picking up screwdrivers, gathering potion ingredients in the TARDIS garden, and getting jump-scared by a Weeping Angel.
And while my eyes were awash in the pure joy of seeing a staple of my favourite show making its way into my favourite game, it felt like my mind was burning just from what I was hearing. The absolute pinnacle of Robert Shearman’s genius as a writer, effortlessly weaving from drama to philosophy to metatext to comedy to abject horror. Even as someone who tends to like stories about stories as it is, I was not prepared for the layers upon layers of meaning and theme and heart that coiled around this.
If I tried to boil the whole thing down to just a single idea, I’d say that it’s about the meaning of creation. What it means to create a story, a pattern of behaviour, a tradition, a society… a person. This gets at the heart of the (admittedly poncy) ideals I have concerning storytelling as an act of human creation, about the sheer beauty that is the innate sentient ability to make… well, anything. From the statue revealed after all the excess stone has been chipped away, to whole worlds revealed through drops of ink on parchment.
Also, Frobisher. Just… Frobisher. His very existence as a companion of the Doctor is one of the keystones to why I love this franchise: A shapeshifting penguin detective is a reality in this universe. Getting to hear him accompany Sixth, putting a voice to all those comic strips, only reinforces that for me.
I just listened to this for the first time yesterday while doing yard work, and I have to say I just adore this story, the comedic elements slowing turning to terror as time goes on. This was my first exposure to Frobisher too, and finding out there was only one more audio story with him after this greatly disappointed me. I know there are comics, but I’m not good at reading comics too often. This is definitely one of, if not my favorite audio story that I’ve listened to yet.
BF newbie here, currently getting into the world by following the 8/Charley Web of Time arc and in between popping on odd standalone stories with other Doctors that catch my interest.
I knew this one was highly rated so gave it a go on a whim, and my god I’m a little blown away. This honestly gave me a similar feeling to watching Midnight for the first time, where I was just struck by the dramatic power of this self-contained story, and really reminded of the potential for so many different types of stories to be told in the DW world.
The tone balances the absurd, funny and macabre to great effect throughout, and by the end just absolutely punches you in the gut with how far it’s willing to take the horror and tragedy. I was legitimately a bit shocked at how dark it got, as well as so grateful we have a format like Big Finish’s audio dramas to tell stories that would absolutely never be approved for pre-watershed BBC (or, indeed, Disney+). Phenomenal stuff.
And Frobisher. My guy, Frobisher. Can we get more delightfully weird shit like this in the show proper, please? I’d happily take a shapeshifting noir private eye penguin over whoever the latest companion from modern day London might be. Hell, with Doctor Who being a Disney co-production now, two of that company’s most successful characters of the last few years are a cybernetically enhanced talking raccoon and his sentient tree best bud. I’m largely done with the current trajectory of the show, but if they brought Frobisher in… I might reconsider
The best Big Finish has ever been? It’s debatable honestly like it does everything so right. Colin’s best performance is in the last Part of this I’d say.
This one is really good! I’ve heard of Frobisher but hadn’t actually done any stories with him. He’s fun! This story is funny and absaurd and sad and just a good story all throughout
I listened to a good chunk of this story in bed, in the dark. Certainly a way to experience the regal veneer of Eugene’s World falling to reveal the sad, eerie gruesomeness underneath.
Making the companion Frobisher is the kind of inspired decision you don’t often see from Big Finish these days. He’s also amazing, in large part thanks to his VA, Robert Jezek. I don’t know why the comics are always adapted so well, but damn it, BF should do it more! Bring back the big talking bird!
I absolutely positively love this! Frobisher is amazing! 6 is great! And that twist came (to me) absolutely out of nowhere but in the greatest way. This story starts as a fun revolutionary insane place to a worshiping cult. To the biggest absolute twist/gut punch shock I’ve experienced with.
I will gladly listen to this on repeat it is amazing
They treat the simulated people better than the Agents of SHIELD characters did in this, even when not believing in them being real. Like, Jemma stands with her belief that most of the people there aren’t real even after finding out a magic book recreated the Earth as computational data. I could chalk this up to her character still being tainted by Series 2 like Mack [1], but no, it’s consistent throughout, and some of the rest of them even start dehumanising all the Framework people too. Thinking about it now in 2026, there’s something to be said about the similarities to Sue and Reed in Ultimate X-Men/Ultimate Fantastic Four, collected in Road to Ultimatum and their alternate future there too.
Also I honestly doubt Jemma Simmons would have been effectively taught the same lesson as Frobisher through these means. Frobisher’s great.
That said I only half-remember The Holy Terror now, it’s been a while since the Agents of SHIELD rewatch too and I remember The Maltese Penguin better somehow.
Honestly, this combined with having recently rewatched Legends of Tomorrow before the rewatch just made me frustrated at the SHIELD team’s lack of belief in redemptive justice even when they state that they do believe in it. The Legends effectively redeem or attempt to redeem the majority of the major villains/creatures/people they face and even when they cause the problem like SHIELD does regularly, they still fare better. (look if the Legends fought Hive, he’d be on the team, all I’m saying; I thought about this way too much during Series 3)
(don’t get me started on Series 2; it has my favourite Jemma but I don’t like her eugenics streak and yes I will elaborate in DMs if it’s not obvious even though it’s literally textually intended to come across like that (This is me hoping. Not American and the opposite perspective of her being supposed to be viewed as right by the audience has never occurred to me) and subtextually backed up by the themes of the series and lines up with her past as revealed in Series 7 and her recent past as of the specific Series 2 episodes where it happens. Also Mack, just… look if you can betray your best friend and tie him up and ruin all your relationships as a double-agent for “Real SHIELD” just to switch sides like it’s nothing even though you disagree with how Coulson runs SHIELD based on personal trust and secrets but don’t change that when in his place what’s the point of your character literally why is Mack i get his whole character reportedly came from Chopping Mall but there’s a lot there. He does a lot to stop me liking him even when I want to. like even Bobbi is more affected by all that than the people who carry Series 2 with them like an albatross) ↩︎
I listened to it not too long ago for the first time, and I was a big fan too. I thought it was a cracking story and yeah, I agree, I can see why it is so well regarded!
I was not prepared for how much I would enjoy this. This is my first introduction to Frobisher, I knew of him but I actually finally met him. He is fantastic and I love how much he and Six work together. The story was fascinating too. It stated out so goofy and whimsical only to swing in a very different way. And all because the TARDIS is trying to teach Frobisher a lesson. A very traumatic lesson.
I just wrapped this up last night myself. It’s fantastic and you have to check out Frobisher’s run in the comics! He’s one of my favourite companions (Colin Baker too, who wrote a graphic novel and decided to make Frobisher the companion) and I really wish Big Finish would do more with him.
worshiping cult. To the biggest absolute twist/gut punch shock I’ve experienced with.