Only one obstacle stands in Reya’s way – the Doctor…

New Short Trips producer Alfie Shaw is the author of this tale for the Seventh Doctor (he also script edits, but doesn’t write or sing the theme tune!), ably read by Sophie Aldred. It seems to take the Time Lord into the realms of fantasy – the dragon on the cover being something of a clue – but as with most such forays, there’s more going on that’s scientifically based than originally meets the eye.

There are some clever conceits in this, particularly the use of the numbers, which will make more sense, I’m sure, to those who’ve loved gaming over the years, and there are some fun visual images – let’s just say that we see a whole new side to one of the Doctor’s companions in this story. If BBC Studios ever went down the route of producing new animated Doctor Who featuring the classic incarnations, then they’d do well to consider this tale as the basis – without a Game of Thrones level budget, it would be hard to do this justice on the small screen otherwise… which of course makes it perfect for audio!

Verdict: A different sort of adventure for the Doctor that works well. 8/10

Paul Simpson