The Doctor, Leela and Margaret encounter the survivors of a luxury cruise who are being attacked by an unseen enemy…

If anyone tells you that the Weeping Angels don’t work on audio, then play them this – ideally, one episode a night in a darkened room. It’s one of the creepiest, most effective use of the Angels that I’ve heard in their fifteen years, up there with the shivers that the original Blink induced in me watching it for the first time on a small screen on the train going into London on a bright sunny day…

Roland Moore uses every aspect of the creatures’ modus operandi for this story, as established in their TV appearances (and given this was written and recorded well before Flux was even considered, it fits in very well with what we learn in Village of the Angels). Tom Baker’s performance is up there with his finest ever for Big Finish – there’s no two ways around it, the Doctor is scared by what he is dealing with, and unforced errors are hardly surprising as a result. Louise Jameson and Nerys Hughes give similarly strong performances – their characters are clearly unnerved by the Doctor’s demeanour, and there’s a couple of lovely conversations between them that don’t feel forced.

Director Nicholas Briggs and sound designer Simon Power do an excellent job in increasing the tension, and making all too clear what the Angels are doing, with Jamie Robertson’s score expanding the emotional field where needed. The guest cast, led by Olivia Poulet, are put through the wringer as things get progressively worse, and Moore’s script plays with both their and the listeners’ expectations.

Verdict: One of the best Big Finish Doctor Who stories of this year. 10/10

Paul Simpson

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