Jenna and Hinton arrive on a planet but discover that someone has somehow managed to increase the supply of a key commodity…

This set of adventures focusing on Colin Baker’s guest star from Blake’s 7’s City at the End of the World unsurprisingly kicks off before that episode which – so far as we known from on screen evidence – saw his demise. Baker is now a veteran of audio drama, with 20 years of Big Finish drama under his belt (and as recently announced, a load of other roles coming our way during 2022), and he’s aware that constantly bellowing and going so far over the top you’re coming round the other side does not make a good audio. Controlled bursts of mania and violence are important – and very effective. And used here well by directors Louise Jameson and Nigel Fairs.

What’s fascinating about this is the way that Katharine Armitage and script editor/producer Peter Anghelides balance the attention paid to Sally Knvyette’s Jenna at this stage in her career with developing what we know of Bayban. And that’s before Abigail Thaw’s Hinton is thrown into the mix – we already know from her involvement in earlier Worlds tales that she’s someone who has her own agenda, so we’re asking questions about her presence with Captain Stannis before the smuggler herself is…

Baker builds on his reprisal of the character opposite Avalon and while Bayban is never going to be someone you’d feel comfortable being too involved with, he’s definitely someone whose company you’ll enjoy at ear-length…

Verdict: A cleverly titled tale that expands our knowledge of both Jenna and Bayban. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Big Finish