Mrs Wibbsey receives an unusual communication…

Paul Magrs’ quartet of tales in the Beyond the Doctor series comes to a close with this tight tale for Susan Jameson as the Doctor’s housekeeper as Nest Cottage, narrating the tale of what happens when Penumbra get wind of her connection with the Time Lord. It’s a single voice tale, with Jameson providing voices for friends and allies, with more than a hint of the performances given by her predecessors in the series (particularly Stephanie Cole’s Bessie).

It’s a hard story to review without giving away the multiple twists that Magrs throws in, but we get plenty of explanations – as well as a lovely summation of who the Doctor is and what they stand for, in any incarnation. David Roocroft’s sound design gives the feel of Christmas (which was handy given I was listening to this pretty much at the diametric opposite time of year!) and there’s some resolution to the dangling thread regarding Polly, which in part explains her presence on the cover…

This has overall been a very enjoyable series, and I hope we get more standalone stories (like Stephen Gallagher’s that kicked off the range) as well as tales that are larger in scale like this to coincide with the 60th anniversary next year. (Or even crossing the streams, and bringing The Blue Box Files team from Redacted into an episode…)

Verdict: An instalment that neatly wraps up the Penumbra saga while allowing for further stories to be told. 9/10

Paul Simpson