As the title implies, this story is just a big party. You'll have lots of references scattered everywhere (from Simpsons and X Files to Captain Britain and Star Trek), no real danger on it or anything like that. On some pages, it's almost like a Where's Wally board, where you have to pinpoint every character hidden on it. That said, this is not a bad thing at all!

The story also gives some nods to Doctor Who's own history. It's the first appearance of The Nicholas Briggs Doctor and his companion Ria in any official Doctor Who Material. Until this moment, these characters were only in the Audio Visuals, which are not licensed by the BBC, but have a big impact on Doctor Who as a whole. The Audio Visuals stories are basically a proto-Big FInish, so having them interact with the current TARDIS team is a very sweet touch.

The interactions of the two Doctors, Ace and Ria are on point. The Doctors are very happy to see each other and the companions have that sweet bickering with their respective Doctors, which is always fun to see.

In summary, Party Animals is a sweet short story that will get you giggling and that's enough.
Cheers and Happy Birthday Bonjaxx! 🍻