Find and Replace [AUDIO/2010.9.13]

★★★★★

  Yeah, hard not to give this five stars when after all these years, it still manages to tug at my heartstrings. 

  When you have one of my favourite writers of Dr. Who pen a story with one of my favourite musical scores from Big Finish, one of my favourite Dr. Who characters and her magic travelling double decker TARDIS, and a companion I've grown to truly love over recent years, played by one of my favourite companion actors from Dr. Who... there's really no chance for me not to love it to bits. Find and Replace is a fun adventure full of heart and love and tears, a stunning homage to the Third Doctor era in Paul Magrs' unique way (i.e. with a Novelisor from Verbatim Six). Katy Manning, that stunning and talented actor that she is, delivers not one, but two incredible performances at the same time in the form of Jo Grant and Iris Wildthyme; it's so fun to listen to them, bouncing off one another and having fun towards the end, and the knowledge that this is just Manning talking to herself somehow makes it even better. Huxley the Novelisor's a cute character who's been in two superb Companion Chronicles now -- how come we haven't gotten another outing from him? He's just the cherry on top of this already full basket of goodies, with genuine heart slap bang in the middle as Jo comes to terms with the fact that she cannot relive her past and be with her Doctor again. Manning's Jon Pertwee impression feels more than an impression; it's an ode to a close friend, someone she clearly loved dearly, and that overlap of the emotions of actor and character makes this one very special Big Finish release indeed. Fun and devastating in equal measure, Find and Replace is one of the most memorable Big Finish Dr. Who audio dramas ever made.