The Doctor and Jamie land on a planet which is not just dark but which seems to have a total absence of light…

Bob Ayres concludes this year’s set of adventures for the Second Doctor and Jamie with a story that plays to audio’s strengths (and even has a lovely little joke about the black and white nature of the original TV episodes). It’s a tale that seems at times to break some of the cardinal rules of audio storytelling, but as you might expect, there’s a good reason for this, and it has repercussions throughout.

Listening to it I was oddly reminded of the final season of The A-Team, where the supposed freelance helpers became agents working for The Man (from UNCLE). That concept grated quite a bit, as does the idea of our two heroes here being in thrall to the Time Lords on an ongoing basis (and yes, I know there’s the canonical precedent in The Two Doctors) – and for a lot of this story it’s a relief to find they’re back more as they were before, arriving somewhere, encountering the locals and their own very specific problems, and doing what they can to help, without ulterior motives. Sure, at the back of your mind as you listen there’s a sense that Raven must have sent them there for a particular reason, but there’s more than enough going on, with misunderstandings and intrigue, to keep the listener (and the Doctor) occupied.

Very long term Big Finish fans may remember an early Eighth Doctor release, Embrace the Darkness, which posited something of a similar situation in terms of the characters’ experiences; this tackles the questions rather differently, and director Nicholas Briggs ensures that we’re reminded of the lack of visual input of the normal sort, and the ramifications of that throughout.

The concluding act sets things up for the next box set neatly, potentially addressing some of the issues raised above, but with only six episodes a year, it could be a long time before we get answers.

Verdict: Some clever ideas make for an engrossing tale. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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