The Blooming Menace [AUDIO/2023.2.8]

★★★☆☆

  The oddball release of the boxset, The Blooming Menace contains enough surreal laughs and concepts for me to call it really good. There's the recognisable Big Finish brand of early 20th century 'posh' accent all over the place, so proceed with caution if you're not into that sort of thing. The premise -- a plant that catches the fancy of men seemingly invading London -- is pretty wacky (which is always a good thing), and its execution is pretty much just as eccentric as it could ever have been. Christopher Eccleston seems to be having a lot of fun with the whole "Does this mean I'm hired?" joke; it's dawned on me while listening to this release that his Ninth Doctor, or at least his Big Finish portrayal, is starting to sound more and more like Tom Baker with each passing day. Perhaps it's a subconscious effort from the actor, or it's a deliberate move on Big Finish's part, but either way I don't see this as big a problem as some people are making it out to be. What I do have a tiny bit of reservation about is that, despite being good and enjoyable, The Blooming Menace is one of several Ninth Doctor Adventures installments where I have precious little to say about, due to its very by-the-books nature. I'm glad the series is doing well, but could we have something a bit more ambitious and formula-breaking for a change? That's what made Nine so striking in the first place, when he debuted in 2005. I like the sentient plant taking over the men of the world and everything, but I think I'm ready for something different.