The Doctor and Kazran Sardick’s latest annual trip sees them arrive in the middle of a tree…

Simon Guerrier’s tale for the 11th Doctor and his temporary companion Kazran – the story is set during the 2010 Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol – is one of those that works precisely because of the Doctor and companion teaming involved. Danny Horn reprises his role as the younger Kazran into whom the Doctor is trying to instil some important life lessons so that his elder self will cooperate, and Guerrier gives us a companion who doesn’t necessarily want to get involved with all the derring-do (there’s a wonderful piece of parental deafness on the Doctor’s part when Kazran would rather remain in the TARDIS).

For the most part, Jacob Dudman’s rendition of the 11th Doctor is spot-on – although there are slightly more “drop-outs” in this story than the first – and his narration is clearly delineated from that and the other voices he adopts for the story. The sound design by Richard Fox and Lauren Yason works well, and director Helen Goldwyn allows the story to breathe where it needs to, particularly when it’s at its most downbeat.

Verdict: An interesting interpolation into, and development of, A Christmas Carol, Doctor Who-style. 8/10

Paul Simpson