The Doctor picks up a call for help and finds himself investigating disappearances in Scotland…

Lisa McMullin starts off this second box set of adventures for Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor with a story that lives up to the set’s subtitle, Respond to All Calls. It’s a terrific piece of work, benefitting from Eccleston’s clearly now having relaxed back into the role of the Doctor, the man who has two hearts so feels things more strongly, and as with elements of the first set, it feels more akin to the characterisation seen in The Doctor Dances. The scenes between Eccleston and Pearl Appleby as a detective constable whose horizons are widened quite considerably are a delight, and you can almost see the manic grin on the Time Lord’s face.

McMullin builds the story around very recognisable teenage behaviour – familiar to any of us who’ve gone through that stage with offspring – and there’s a lovely sense that nobody is trying to be evil or malevolent, they’re simply misunderstood. Mirren Mack plays the exasperation that Marnie feels spot on and the interplay between her and Forbes Masson as her father rings true. Benjamin Davies’ Douglas has a key role in the story (and allows McMullin to drop a lovely shoutout to earlier Big Finish adventures). The audio conceits required for this are handled well by director Helen Goldwyn and sound designer Iain Meadows while Howard Carter’s score never pushes itself in the way of the story.

Verdict: It does feel like we’ve stepped back 16 years to the summer of 2005 – up to and including this incarnation’s ability to tug at the heartstrings. Highly recommended. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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