The Doctor finds a thin spot in the late 19th century while his companions face a certain Raxacoricofallapotorian family…

Some of the double story CDs for the main range of Doctor Who releases from Big Finish have been complementary, others have worked because they’ve been so different. This most recent pair for Peter Davison’s expanded TARDIS team have them being pursued by aliens, but otherwise they’re not really alike at all.

Dan Abnett’s Thin Time is very much a “house under siege” story, with the Doctor arriving apparently expectedly to give secrets of the future. It’s one to listen to carefully, as there’s quite a few clues as to what’s going on in the first episode that you might gloss over. It also dissects the Fifth Doctor’s character, and what he expects from those around him and travelling with him, in part given from a slightly surprising perspective.

Guy Adam’s Madquake picks up with what’s been happening to Tegan, Nyssa and Marc (the now-part-Cyber converted former Roman) since the Doctor dumped them, and throws the Slitheen family into the mix. The first episode, with the companions’ discussions, is stronger than the hunt in the second (a Slitheen called Bella?!) but it makes its mark, so to speak, with the treatment of Marc, and far more use of internal monologue than we usually get.

Robert Harvey’s sound design and score play a strong part in the storytelling, and Scott Handcock’s direction adjusts the tempo and ratchets up the tension as required.

Verdict: Two contrasting tales to demonstrate how Time Lord and companions react without each other’s presence. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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