Dust Breeding [AUDIO/2001.6.18]

★★★☆☆

  Geoffrey Beevers is such a silky bastard in Dust Breeding that at times, he carries the entire audio drama and forcibly drags it up a few notches. How can you not enjoy an audio drama where the Master gets to wear the most ornate mask imaginable, manipulate the most despicable of high society and act as an agent of chaos as he invokes an ancient power from an almost desolate planet. When you get to listening to Dust Breeding, it's the Master that's going to either make or break the audio drama for you; I'm glad to say that he very much made it for me, saving the moment whenever the scene threatens to become boring or overdrawn. I doubt there could have been as confident a first Master story for Big Finish as this one; putting Mike Tucker's obviously strong grasp on the character and Beevers' assured together, it's no wonder that this thing is remembered fondly by fans these days. Whenever you think of the Master in Big Finish, the first image that comes to your mind will probably be that of the crispy incarnation -- must be if you've gone through this and the audio drama Master.

  There's a lot to appreciate in Dust Breeding overall, with the assured direction & sound design and confident perfomances from both Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred (and I must say, the part in Episode 3 where McCoy has to act possessed by the Krill is highly amusing regardless of your opinion on McCoy's acting chops) and a host of other things that can only truly appreciated by actually listening to it. If you consider yourself a fan of the works of Edvard Munch, go check this out.