There’s a traitor in the Department. But is it Steed or Mother? Each is presented with proof that it’s the other… There’s only one answer: Avengers Assemble!

John Peel and Dave Rogers’ 1990 novel was an attempt to do a “Five Doctors” for the Avengers universe – bringing together the disparate parts of a franchise to face a common foe. It’s not the best of the Avengers tie-in novels – Peter Leslie’s two “Dead” stories, co-written with Patrick Macnee, are my favourites, while Douglas Enefer’s Cathy Gale tale is often unjustly forgotten – but Too Many Targets has that reunion special feel, and adapter John Dorney has pushed things even further, with Lucy Briggs-Owen’s Carol at David Keel’s side and a couple of fun Easter eggs for fans.

There’s a cinematic scope to this (and yes, this would have made a better movie than the 1998 fiasco – although read the script of that cold, imagining Macnee and Riggs in the parts and it works much better than you’d think) and there’s a pretty logical reason for each of the Avengers to become involved in the story. The bad guys have good reason for wanting to target Steed and his companions, and the script builds well on elements of Avengers mythology.

One lovely irony is the presence of VOICE (one of the Avengers pet acronymed organisations) in this tale which sees Julian Wadham, Anthony Howell, Lucy Briggs-Owen and Olivia Poulet recreate the roles of Steed, Keel, Carol and Emma Peel from previous audios. They’re joined by Beth Chalmers as Cathy Gale and Emily Woodward as Tara King, who both carry on the Big Finish Avengers tradition of invoking the vocal and performance qualities of the original cast without descending into either imitation or, worse, parody. (The reason for the irony will become apparent when you understand why Tara visits VOICE.) There’s also some nice moments for Christopher Benjamin as Mother – the boss of Major Steed’s department in the Tara King years (played by Patrick Newell originally).

Guest stars Hugh Fraser, Robert Portal and Dan Starkey are each given plenty to do, with Starkey offering an intriguing hint in the extras as to who one of his characters might actually be – the sort of link that in retrospect you’re quite surprised that Peel and Rogers didn’t come up with in the first place.

Ken Bentley keeps a very firm hand on the tiller as director – each era of The Avengers had its own particular feel and that’s maintained, even during the inevitable grand fight sequence at the end as the massed Avengers face off against the Bad Guys – and Steve Foxon’s sound design and Jamie Robertson’s music complement each other well.

Too Many Targets was the Avengers’ last appearance in print form – although contemporary interviews suggested that Peel and Rogers had plans for further adventures. Let’s really hope it’s not their last audio adventure too.

Verdict: Break out the champagne – it’s an Avengers audio movie! 9/10

Paul Simpson