SnakebiteThe Doctor, Rory and Amy arrive at a particularly difficult moment – just as a wormhole is about to be activated…

Okay, forget all the publicity about Sleepers in the Dust being the last Rory/Amy adventure on audio, because this is (as far as we know), and it’s a cracking tale. Scott Handcock captures the rhythms of the TARDIS crew’s speech patterns, which is added to by Frances Barber’s very good rendition of Smith, Gillan and Darvill. She doesn’t do an impersonation of them but gets the inflections and speed of speech spot on.

The snake motif runs through the whole story – and no, there isn’t a link to the Mara, for those who were wondering if this tale saw the return of yet another classic monster to the series. Handcock uses various myths as the basis for the tale (and indeed the tail), with a neat twist just when you think the story is wrapping up far too early.

Unlike some of the audio adventures, this could have been told on screen – there’s a very visual reveal that will bring back memories of classic Eighties sci-fi (oh, and a recent remake) – giving it almost the air of a novelisation of a missing story.

Verdict: A highly enjoyable story that slots seamlessly into the era it’s set.  8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Doctor Who: Snake Bite from Amazon.co.uk

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