The Doctor keeps a promise – but finds the person he made it to doesn’t remember him…

The last set of stories in Christopher Eccleston’s first audio season starts with this interesting tale from David K. Barnes, which picks up on various areas of the Ninth Doctor from TV that we’ve not seen (or heard) as much of so far in this series.

Removing the Tyler family from the equation means we don’t necessarily see the Doctor feeling uncomfortable with families (“I don’t do domestic”) but Barnes has found a clever way of bringing that in here. He doesn’t need to make the point blatantly, but it becomes clear that it’s not only that he doesn’t “do” domestic, but this incarnation doesn’t really understand it – there’s a nicely directed moment in a flashback where as an audience we get what’s going on but you can almost hear the audible whoosh as it goes over the Doctor’s head. It’s also a treat to hear Eccleston have the chance to show the Doctor’s unbridled love of life (again in the flashbacks) and you can just see the huge grin on the Time Lord’s face as he traverses a chasm.

Barnes structures the story well, providing information to the listener that opens up potential avenues for the tale that keep you guessing for some time. There’s almost a New Adventures feel as well, with the Doctor entering a cyber landscape (no, not that sort, despite what’s on the cover!).

Helen Goldwyn shepherds a strong guest cast and Iain Meadows’ sound design talents once again get more of a workout than you’d expect on a story set at a funeral home…!

Verdict: An intriguing mix of old and new styles of Doctor Who that starts this set off well. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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