The Diary of River Song: Series One - Review and Ranking

The Diary of River Song - Series One
Released 25th December 2015

The Diary of River Song's first series, my first proper dive into Big Finish, is a wondrous display of talent: from Alex Kingston's compelling acting to James Goss' poetic scriptwriting and beyond - The Diary of River Song is a match of actors, writers and editors made in heaven.

The Boundless Sea (Full Review Here)
This story had everything needed to make a fun, riveting adventure: River Song - check!; an archaeological dig - check!; reanimated corpses - check! But with a slow start and a questionable alien threat, who makes up for some rather ridiculous moments, The Boundless Sea never really hit its stride. Without a doubt the low point of the boxset, The Boundless Sea came out with mixed results, feeling too much of a filler, but is nonetheless entertaining.

6/10

I Went To A Marvellous Party (Full Review Here)

After a sloppy first chapter, The Diary of River Song picks up the pace with this second installment, I Went To A Marvellous Party (which is a title with River written all over it!). A wonderful cast and a well handled and nicely paced who-dunnit-style plot make I Went To A Marvellous Party, well, marvellous!

8/10

Signs (Full Review Here)

After a mediocre story and then a great one, The Diary of River Song delivers a masterpiece, which is perfect throughout, from the fantastic leading duo to the soundscape and the plot. Signs is a sign - Big Finish know what they're doing and they're doing it fantastically! A two-hander between Alex Kingston and Samuel West, Signs is filled to the brim with clever writing and genuine emotion, delivered wonderfully by the cast who have wonderful chemistry, and is a masterpiece that every Doctor Who fan has to listen to.

10/10

The Rulers of the Universe (Full Review Here)

The Diary of River Song's first series ties up with this fantastic story, featuring all the components of a great Doctor Who story: spaceships, sinister corparations, timey-wimey aspects and the Doctor himself! Whilst this story isn't as good as Signs, (I call this the Heaven Sent - Hell Bent syndrome) I thoroughly enjoyed it. The main storyline feels slightly sidelined by the appearance of the Doctor, but with the great chemistry between Kingston and McGann - who's complaining?

9/10

Overall The Diary of River Song is an amazing collection of amazing stories, essential for all fans of the show. What are you waiting for? Go and buy it!

Also listen to the amazing theme song!

Ranking

Now for the fun bit!

1. Signs (10/10)
2. The Rulers of the Universe (9/10)
3. I Went To A Marvellous Party (8/10)
4. The Boundless Sea (6/10)

Averaging these ratings out means Series One of the Diary of River Song receives an average of...                                                                                                      8.25/10

And a range of                                                                                                       4.0

And that's it! Series One of The Diary of River Song all reviewed! Join us tomorrow for the first of our Classic Who Season Two reviews, Planet of Giants!