Danny Pink is a reluctant stowaway on the TARDIS…

Mark Wright’s return for Clara Oswald’s boyfriend and fellow Coal Hill School teacher Danny Pink is a nicely-drawn character study. It’s also one of those stories that interpolates neatly into the season they’re set (series 8 in this case) without disrupting the continuity, but which adds a new layer so you look at subsequent episodes slightly differently.

Wright has clearly studied the relationship between the Doctor and “P.E.” and there’s some very well observed moments, particularly when one of them can surprise the other. Inevitably, there has to be some sort of reset, but even that’s done in a way that works in context, and foreshadows events a few months down the line.

Samuel Anderson sounds as if he’s never been away from the Doctor Who set, and Jacob Dudman continues to impress, not just with the presentation of the 12th Doctor but also the many and varied other characters – including members of a dinosaurian (there must be a better word!) race. Helen Goldwyn’s direction and Lee Adams’ sound design convey much of the setting without need for too much descriptive dialogue.

Verdict: A solid addition to series 8. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Big Finish