Gwen arrives at a UNIT base needing Martha’s help…

Freema Agyeman’s return to the part of Martha Jones after a decade – and her debut for Big Finish – is a very nicely judged two hander for her and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper. The two characters were friends when Martha worked for Torchwood, but now she’s back with UNIT, they seem to have drifted apart – and Martha herself feels somewhat adrift in other senses too.

Tim Foley’s script ends up fulfilling some other functions too – at least one of which I won’t comment on to avoid spoilers beyond saying that what is suggested feels eminently feasible. The dead body that Gwen arrives with poses various questions and along the way Foley has a little go at some of the myths that have arisen around autopsies.

Peter Doggart’s sound design takes full advantage of the storytelling possibilities inherent in Foley’s script, and Scott Handcock’s direction makes both the human and inhuman drama work very effectively. But it’s the performances of the two leads that makes this so good – Agyeman and Myles spark off each other brilliantly, and you really feel that you could have listened to a double-CD version of this story without losing any of the shine.

Verdict: Welcome back, Doctor Jones! 9/10

Paul Simpson

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