"This is excellent. It feels very much of the show’s era, and as events progress, there are some very smart little shifts in direction." Doctor Who Companion
"This for me has been one of the best Companion Chronicles I have listened to in recent years," Sci-Fi Pulse
"This latest addition to the Companion Chronicles range offers brave storytelling, standout performances and hours of pure entertainment. Fans of the First Doctor era and audio drama, in general, will be enthralled. Set this high on your ‘Want List’!", We Are Cult
"With its mix of history with drama, suspense and even hints of horror, Fields of Terror is an excellent way to begin The First Doctor: Volume 2," Doctor Who Watch
"[Across the Darkened City] has to be my favourite of the stories and really above par for even Big Finish’s high standards," Indie Mac User, "It’s pretty much a two-hander between Peter Purves and [Nicholas] Briggs, and both actors deliver powerful performances," Sci-Fi Bulletin
"[The Bonfires of the Vanities' writer] Una McCormack perfectly knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat without giving anything away," Gallifrey Archive
"[The Plague of Dreams] And then there is this. Possibly the best Companion Chronicle I have ever had the honour to listen to, beautifully written, beautifully framed and set, perfectly pitched by Anneke Wills & Elliot Chapman," Planet Mondas, "Then, on a dime, the emotional shift occurs. It’s so bittersweet, knowing exactly what the events that come after The Plague of Dreams are. The First Doctor just got a hell of a lot more heroic in my eyes, 97%" Gallifrey Archive
Four new stories from the First Doctor's era...
1. Fields of Terror by John Pritchard
The TARDIS has brought the Doctor back to Revolutionary France, a place that's always fascinated him. But this time he, along with Steven and Vicki, are drawn into a devastated land, caught between the soldiers who are burning all before them and a monstrous shape that follows in their wake.
2. Across the Darkened City by David Bartlett
On the planet Shade, The Chaons, an invading race of strange, amorphous creatures that ravenously absorb energy, have reduced the city there to a desolate ruin. Separated from the Doctor and Vicki, Steven has to join forces with an unexpected ally to find his way back to the TARDIS. Ahead, lies a nightmare journey through the dark - a test of endurance and trust.
3. The Bonfires of the Vanities by Una McCormack
When the Doctor, Polly, and Ben arrive in Lewes in the late 1950s, they’re just in time to celebrate Guy Fawkes’ Night. But there’s no fun on the streets tonight – the town is in the grip of fear. There are imps on the loose in Lewes, the Bonfire Boys are on the march, and nobody is safe from the fire.
4. The Plague of Dreams by Guy Adams
"Pray welcome, one and all, to this, a fantasy in two acts, presented, most humbly, for your pleasure. We bring you drama and magic, angels and demons, a tale of mysterious plague... of nightmares made flesh... of a war fought both in this world and those immeasurably distant. A war, in fact, fought through the mists of time itself. It will make you gasp! It will make you weep! It may even make some of you wake-up..."
