BBC Radio 4, 11 November 2022, and BBC Sounds

Things become increasingly complicated for Dan…

The multi-layering of Lucy Catherine’s supernatural thriller becomes clearer in this middle episode of the second season as Dan encounters a talking fish (as you do) and seems to travel between worlds. His involvement with the Enchanter’s Law game gives him avenues that aren’t open to everyone – notably Lindsay – but he’s determined to find out what happened to Sarah. And just what power do the Hare Witches hold?

The core of any drama such as this – whatever the medium in which it’s told – is that the characters need to be credible; the listener/reader/watcher needs to be able to put themselves in their shoes and ask what they’d do themselves. Tyger Drew-Honey picks up on the elements of Catherine’s script that reinforce Dan’s Everyman credentials, so that when he steps into different worlds – or at least seems to – we’re there with him, and accept that help will come in all sorts of odd forms. That makes for an interesting contrast with Jasmine Hyde’s very focused former vicar, Lindsay… actually, very focused is an understatement. Seriously obsessed would be a better way of putting it!

There’s plenty of background world-building going on, with references to how life has been affected by climate change, in ways that you might not expect but which impact the characters. It’s an element that’s slowly but surely coming to the fore…

Verdict: Some gloriously surreal moments as the mystery deepens. 8/10

Paul Simpson