Demon Records, out now

The six-part, Doctor Who season 2 William Hartnell adventure is presented across three discs, with all-new linking narration.

There’s not a lot of love for Bill Strutton’s 1965 ambitious drama, which reads better on paper than in execution. While still imaginative for British TV, the clunky ant-like Zarbi and fluffy Menoptra moth-men are unconvincing to modern eyes. That’s not a problem for audio, where costumes are not a distraction, presented for the first time in this format.

As per other Demon Records releases, each 25-minute episode takes up one side of an 180g platter. Maureen O’Brien (who played Vicki) provides the narration of the events down on Vortis as the Doctor and his companions – Barbara, Ian and Vicki – interact with the local fauna.

The bumper package contains full episode billings, cast and credits and eight illustrated panels, together forming an artwork montage. The regular release is pink vinyl, the Amazon exclusive being Animus Splatter.

Verdict: Nothing can help the plodding pace of this slow story, and even four episodes might have been a stretch for the slender narrative. But the packaging is a delight and there’s still a charm about these original webisodes. 8/10

Nick Joy

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk