Nathan, Pal and Devis arrive on Mars and instantly find themselves up to their necks in off the books corporate research, the history of the red planet and the clash between settlers and tourists.

This second two part ‘season’ opens strong and only ever gets stronger. Andrew Smith’s ‘The New World’ is an excellent pilot episode and a great on ramp for anyone new to the show. Smith’s Mars is particularly fun; industrious and driven but also with the slightest hint of the furthest village from home to it. Mars colonists are very proud and don’t take kindly to people belittling them or failing to respect their home. It’s a classic ‘small island’ mentality which, as a former small islander, I found carefully executed and driven between the exact right pair of ribs. Smith also does a great job of keeping the show current to its own fictional time frame while clearly folding in elements of our history, Barack Obama Base for one.

‘The Shadow of this Red Rock’ by Una McCormack is where the pedal gets put on the floor and stays there. Nathan, Pal and the suspect from the previous story are in a downed shuttle. The people coming to ‘rescue’ them are their prisoner’s accomplices. Devis has problems of his own and all seems lost until… Mars’ past saves them.

McCormack has always had a fondness for the odd approach and this is some of her best ever work. The tension rising between the increasingly, and then differently, doomed Devis and Nathan and Kenzy’s plot is brilliantly executed as is the eventual execution of both plots. This all unfolds naturally and does so with such grace that it takes your breath away. McCormack has a keen eye for the puzzle box but also is remarkably happy just nailing things down as is witnessed here by some charmingly efficient nuts and bolts detection. All of which drives home the fact that Mars doesn’t want them here and as the story ends, the ISPF are starting to realize that. Worse still, they’re starting to realize that the conflict they’re there to diffuse is at the core of Martian society. This is tense, complex, chewy stuff and a strong contender for the best Star Cops episode to date.

As is the final story here. ‘Whatever Happened to Gary Rice?’ by Guy Adams is Star Cops by way of Adam Adamant. A deeply odd email leads the three investigators to search for a man who may never have been on Mars at all. What they discover is a co-op growing the next generation of space-based food sources and a secret people will kill to keep.

Adams ratchets the tension expertly, wrapping it around the science at the core of the story and delivering a fiercely tense pair of plots that tie together before exploding apart into a new perspective and a killer ending. He’s also gifted, with Carla de Wansey’s Doctor Julienne Grainger, the best supporting player of the series to date. Completely honest, fiery and clever she’s a great foil for Nathan in a way few others manage.

Verdict: This is the best work Big Finish have done on Star Cops to date. Clever plotting and tense storytelling combine with a new setting and a serialized format to make the series feel new, original and at the same time familiar. Excellent scripts, formed by Helen Goldwyn’s expert and subtle direction into something truly impressive. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart

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Click here for our reviews of the earlier Big Finish stories