Madame Vastra’s help is sought after a local landowner vanishes – the only clue, the footprints of a giant beast…

As soon as you read the description, odds are that you’ll instantly connect this to the famous story that brought Sherlock Holmes back to the reading public’s attention – The Hound of the Baskervilles. Madame Vastra’s dislike (OK, that’s a mild word for it) of the Great Detective is very evident throughout – despite Strax’s way of attempting to put an end to any further problems.

Robert Valentine has a lot of fun with this story with some laugh-aloud moments, notably for Strax towards the end of the piece in a delightfully Scooby Doo moment, but there’s a lot of serious material here as well, as Vastra is forced to face some of her own species’ heritage. This brings her into conflict with Jenny, and there are some strong scenes between Neve McIntosh and Catrin Stewart as some of the inequalities of their relationship are forcefully brought home. Guest star Annette Badland plays dual roles that are diametrically opposed and play to her strengths.

Verdict: These audios allow for more character development than the TV series could for supporting characters, and there are sure to be ramifications from this instalment. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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