What was that about? - Rated 
Oh dear. In this adventure The Doctor and Mel meet a couple of strange sisters and we get the impression that something bad is going to happen. there are lots of allusions to fairy tales etc, but ultimately a very thin idea is stretched out to three episodes - which means that not very much seems to happen. The cast try hard with an underwritten script - Paul Magrs doesn't seem as if he can be bothered to write anything more interesting.
The Wishing Beast - Rated 
In the 3-part 'The Wishing Beast' the 6th Doctor and Mel find themselves battling a pair of witch-like sisters and their hideously mutated brother. A pleasantly spooky fairy tale style story enlivened by some moments of humour (including a ghost-destroying vacuum cleaner), this is brisk, enjoyable stuff, and only slightly let down by the rather cheesy ending.
1-part story 'The Vanity Box' makes a lovely coda, as this linked tale finds the 6th Doctor and Mel encountering a hairdresser with a peculiar talent for making his clients look younger. Much more comedic in tone than the main story, boasting thick Mancunian accents and the 6th Doctor in drag, this is fabulous stuff.
All in all two enjoyable interlinked tales, and one of the more successful of Big Finish's experiments in the double story package.
Wishing (I had a photograph of Who) - Rated
This, the third Big Finish Doctor Who release to feature a main three-part and an extra, one-part story, is an imaginative and enjoyable story from Paul Magrs; a veritable 'Who' veteran with a host of novels and audio plays to his credit. He has also written 'Sick Building' for the new range of original novels featuring The Tenth Doctor and Martha.
Magrs' (pronounced 'Mars') story opens with The Sixth Doctor and Mel receiving a cry for help on the TARDIS scanner from two, seemingly frail and vulnerable old ladies. They are then drawn into a mystery involving a host of phantoms, the eponymous 'Beast' and a deadly vacuum cleaner!
After an admittedly 'slightly clunky' start the story beds down and we are treated to what has now become an excellent double-act on audio. Mel is her usual glib and sparky self but The Doctor is in somewhat subdued form with none of his usual brashness and an almost humble demeanour. This works well here although I would hope that he is more true to form next time around.
Jean Marsh and Toby Longworth provide excellent support and the eerie tone is sustained throughout.
The extra mini-adventure, 'The Vanity Box' is a humorous Earth-bound adventure that sees The Doctor and his companion embroiled in the machinations of a previous adversary...an excellent set all-round, with only a slight silliness and the wooden dialogue at the beginning preventing me from awarding the full five stars.
Yes, a great story actually.... - Rated 
A doctor who story with a real fairytale feel. Yes, that is this tales definition. Does it suffer because of it? Well, in my opinion not at all. For a start the tale is creepy, with witches and old woods and ghosts. Scary...and the wishing beast itself is a believable creature well voiced by Toby Longworth. Colin Baker is as usual strong as the Doctor and Bonnie is great as Mel. Jean Marsh is brilliant in her role, she always gives a really creepy performance in everything Ive seen her appear in, and shes just as good on audio. And the Vanity Box is a real comedic treat. its funny and yet isnt drawn out or stupid. its just great Doctor Who! So, yet another polished production from Big finish actually....
heart's desire - Rated 
another audio adventure for the sixth doctor who, this time with bonnie langford's mel as his companion. as usual with audios that mel is in, the character is written so much better than she ever was on tv and bonnie langford shows what a good actress she is with decent material.
The wishing beast is a three part story, in which the doctor and mel are drawn to a strange world by a message inviting travellers there. two elderly sisters live on this planet, and they have an offer for one of the tardis crew. but things like this usually have consequences, as the doctor finds out when he meets the other inhabitants of the world...
this is a very strange mix of styles that attempts to do something different, throwing in arch comedy - the sisters coming over like the residents from the tv story paradise towers, nice but sinister - fantasy, ghost stories, and a bit of horror with it. as such it is not going to be to everyone's taste. and whilst the first episode is intriguing and quite well played, the pace of the story drops off a lot in the second, which seems to mark time waiting for the cliffhanger. an attempt to present a rather alien environment in this part doesn't quite come off as it feels a bit cliched.
however things do pick in the middle of episode three when the moral of the story comes into play, leading to a decent conclusion and memorable final scene. So personally I found this had it's moments, although it's ultimately a rather light and inconsequential piece.
The fourth episode on the disc is a one part story called the vanity box. unlike the other big finish releases that have been three parters and then a one parter this one parter doesn't stand on it's own and follows on directly from the end of the wishing beast. the tardis lands in salford in 1965, amongst some very interesting accents from the cast, and finds strange goings on in a beauty parlour.
the attempts at comedy are more successful here, particularly one scene that would have been interesting to see on the tv. the old lady of the piece is perhaps better characterised than the ones in the wishing beast, and there's again a decent moral to the tale. although I could have done with finding out more about the central threat.
both discs end with nigh on twenty minutes worth of interviews with cast and production staff. bonnie langford's parts are well worth listening to. although the ones at the end of disc one do give away scenes from part three.
so not the most successful release and one you'll either hate or like, but it has it's moments. I do agree with the other reviewer in regards to big finish this year, though, as apart from circular time they've really produced nothing that has desperately stood out. I hope they can come up with a classic or two again in due course
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