Sarah and the third Doctor find themselves in the far future – in a building that feels far too familiar…

After a long gap, this latest set of adventures from Big Finish, that pitches 20th century Doctors against menaces created since the show returned, shines a surprising spotlight on some less well-remembered monsters, kicking off with the Moxx of Balhoon – or, in the case of Tim Foley’s story, the Hoxx. No one would say that the original Moxx was one of the more developed characters to come from the pen of Russell T Davies, but there’s more than enough there for Foley to develop, and use the recognisable attributes that work on audio. (The startle factor of his cyan appearance on TV is rather lost, even more so when, for some reason, the aliens are all washed in purple for the cover!)

Foley neatly ties this in to the other expansions of season 11 that we’re getting with Tim Treloar and Sadie Miller as the Doctor and Sarah (even if The Ghosts of N-Space gets noticeably not mentioned) and there’s a strong rapport noticeable, even though the characters have the capacity to annoy the other. Dan Starkey makes a fun Hoxx, carrying off the necessary verbal tricks, while Ozioma Whenu gives a strong performance as Francesca, whose roots are unusual, to say the least (and yes, I would have loved to see her on the cover!). David Rintoul has an important role as Butler – far more than the nomenclature might have you think – and Barnaby Edwards’ direction and Howard Carter’s spooky sound design are enough to put the wind up you even during a heatwave.

Verdict: A strong start and good to hear the older Doctors involved with this range. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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