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“HOOKLIGHT 1: THE FIFTH DOCTOR TAKES A FANTASY DETOUR IN THIS EPIC, TIME-TWISTED QUEST”

While I’ve never been the biggest devotee of the Fifth Doctor’s audio adventures, recent outings like Genesis of the Cybermen have been encouraging—and the early buzz around the opening half of Hooklight was simply too intriguing to ignore. A 12-part saga blending grand fantasy with rich sci-fi, Hooklight sees the Doctor and his companions trapped in a strange realm, ruled by myth and shadow, where a legendary object of immense power threatens to fall into the wrong hands. Think Lord of the Rings meets Doctor Who, with a dash of Dune and The Mind Robber, and you'll be halfway there.

SETTING THE STAGE: MYTH, MYSTERY, AND IMMERSION

Just like Peter Jackson’s Fellowship, the story opens with a grand, voice-over prologue, recounting the origin of the Hooklight and the devastation it might cause. From there, we’re slowly immersed in this bizarre world and its peculiar denizens. World-building is the name of the game, and Tim Foley clearly isn’t in a hurry. But rather than meander, this deliberate pacing gives the story space to breathe, establishing a realm of political unrest, space-age mysticism, and quasi-Eastern philosophies. The TARDIS loses power, a mysterious lamp glows to life, and soon the team is split—allowing different story strands to develop and overlap across a vast, interwoven plot.

HOOKLIGHT AS THE ONE RING? WELL, IT FITS

The Hooklight itself is a fascinating creation—so ancient and dangerous that even the Time Lords fear it, with the capacity to stop time entirely. The Tolkien parallels come thick and fast: the heroes are pursued by the monstrous Nigh Guard, a band of beastly hunters part-man, part-creature, who feel like Black Riders reimagined for audio. A particularly tense early cliffhanger has Nyssa and Tegan forced to guard the Hooklight from one of their own, now transformed by the object’s power. There’s a real sense of creeping dread as the Nigh Guard draw ever closer.

AMBIENCE, ATMOSPHERE, AND A TRUE SENSE OF SCALE

The synth-driven soundtrack and imaginative sound design evoke everything from crumbling citadels to lava pits, war-torn sky cities to mystical caverns. You get spaceships and robots alongside wizards and rebels. It’s an unashamedly ambitious space fantasy on a scale Big Finish has rarely attempted, and it very nearly pulls it all off.

THE QUEST DIVERGES: STRANGE ALLIES AND DARKER TURNS

The story’s scope continues to widen with the arrival of new players: Halcyon, who captures the Doctor under mysterious pretences, and Vanderseer, a powerful mage tasked with locating the mythical Dark Forge. While the Doctor is dispatched to uncover the truth, Nyssa and Tegan hold onto the Hooklight, knowing they must destroy it before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Adric is sent on his own detour and gets entangled in a swashbuckling side-plot with Davlin, a heroic figure who mistakes Adric for the Doctor in a new form. Watching Adric relish the deception is oddly charming.

A LAYERED NARRATIVE THAT REWARDS PATIENCE

By the halfway point, things get wonderfully timey-wimey. The TARDIS is discovered—torn apart and scattered across the realm—and the narrative splits into two timelines. Nyssa’s consciousness begins to fragment across time, revealing her to be a crucial piece in this tangled puzzle. The mythology tightens: could the Hooklight actually be the TARDIS’ lantern? How is it linked to the Doctor himself? Is the Oracle, the mysterious figure guiding events from the shadows, another incarnation of the Doctor—or something more dangerous?

A STUNNING REVEAL TO CLOSE OUT PART ONE

The performances throughout are exceptional—Peter Davison anchors the chaos with quiet authority, while Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton turn in some of their best work. Special praise must go to Celia Imrie as the enigmatic Kessica and David Shaw-Parker’s commanding Vanderseer.

But it's Part 6 that detonates the biggest twist yet. As timelines fracture and Nyssa reaches full psychic enlightenment, the identity of the Oracle is revealed… and it’s none other than the Eighth Doctor. It’s a jaw-dropping reveal, and it recontextualises everything while setting the stage for a second box set brimming with promise. Why is Eight here? How deep do these connections run?

📝VERDICT: 8/10

Hooklight is something rare: a Fifth Doctor epic that dares to break the mould. It's sprawling, intricate, and occasionally overwhelming—but also rich in imagination, with a scope and ambition almost unmatched in Big Finish’s back catalogue. Fans of epic fantasy, grand quests, and deep myth-building will find a lot to love, and the storytelling rewards patient listeners with a dramatic, genuinely surprising mid-point twist. A slow burn—but one that glows bright.