lost-angelBy George Mann and Cavan Scott, read by Kerry Shale

BBC Audio, out now

The 12th Doctor encounters one of the Lonely Assassins in New York state…

The first of this linked series of audios is read by veteran narrator Kerry Shale, giving the story a natural American flavour while still retaining a Scottish accent for the Doctor. Shale doesn’t try to do an impersonation of Peter Capaldi, but captures the essence of this often grumpy incarnation – and also provides a very appropriate tone for those scenes told from the point of view of the Angel. David Darlington’s sound design adds to Shale’s many-voiced performance to give the feel of a larger production than it actually is.

The story takes a little bit of time to get going, but it’s worth being patient. Mann and Scott have produced a suitably timey-wimey plot and incorporated elements of a much older legend into the mythology, while concentrating on a side of the Angels that is inherent in their name, but can be overlooked. For a time I thought there was a neat link to the Angels’ most recent audio appearance, but given the ending, it seems not.

Verdict: Setting aside a couple of niggles (and at least one of these could feasibly still be explained later), this is an enjoyable tale and I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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