Space Security Service agents Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven come to River’s aid – on a planet run by the Mechonoids…

Those who might be expecting some sort of sneaky backdoor crossover here with the Time Lord Victorious Daleks series aren’t going to find their wishes fulfilled – the queen in question, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Doctor Song herself. What this is, though, is a sneaky backdoor crossover with the Dalek Universe series starting up shortly, bringing back Jane Slavin’s Anya (who we heard a few years back working with Tom Baker’s Doctor) and her android colleague, Joe Sims’ Mark Seven (who we’ve heard given voice to a number of times in BBC Audio’s Dalek Annual releases).

Jonathan Morris’ script occasionally feels as if River is guest-starring in the SSS agents’ story, which actually works well at giving a different perspective on the Doctor’s wife, particularly as listeners know quite how devious she can be, and the agents don’t. Suffice it to say that there are plenty of twists and turns involving Derek Griffiths’ character, as well as some intriguing developments for the Mechonoids themselves. Howard Carter’s sound design and music once again stand out by not standing out (in other words, they don’t feel intrusive).

Verdict: An enjoyable tale to conclude the latest set. 8/10

Paul Simpson 

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