Out 6 September

An unusual materialisation in the countryside in the mid-1920s sees Amy and the Doctor separated from Rory, battling something that goes bump in the night…

The picture of Rory on the cover does nothing to help those who have got sick of the idea of Rory being killed off within a Doctor Who story – but Simon Guerrier provides a twist in this particular tale that is telegraphed sufficiently early for astute listeners, but may well surprise those less used to Who on audio.

Raquel Cassidy returns for another Eleventh Doctor story, with her Karen Gillan impression nigh-flawless, and her Matt Smith capturing the mercurial manner of his speech. Her Arthur Darvill as Rory does make him come over as a bit thick, which is not the way he’s either performed or written, and perhaps it’s a good thing that the story concentrates firmly on Amy and the Doctor.

It seems as if Guerrier has a thing about haunted houses, as his Sara Kingdom trilogy beginning with Home Truths, as well as his recent contribution to the Companion Chronicles would indicate. This is more on the Stone Tapes line than Poltergeist, and also harkens back to an early Hartnell story.

A neat little self-contained puzzle. 7/10

Paul Simpson
Click here to order Doctor Who: The Empty House from Amazon.co.uk

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