Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

“STARDUST AND ASHES – A FIRE, A STRANGER, AND A LIFE REMEMBERED”

Stardust and Ashes, the second entry in the Families Companion Chronicles set, is a deceptively quiet, emotionally resonant story that gives long-overdue narrative weight to Susan Foreman. It opens with an older Susan—now grieving the loss of her grandfather, husband David, and son Alex—sitting by a fire and talking to a stranger named Perimen. This simple framing device immediately distinguishes the story from a standard adventure, as Susan begins to reflect on a lifetime of grief, identity, and how she was always perceived as “just a child.”

To illustrate her point, Susan recounts a little-known adventure with the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara—one which showcases her deeper intelligence, courage, and independence. And in doing so, Big Finish delivers a moving recontextualisation of a character long overdue for one.

A FAMILIAR ADVENTURE THROUGH A FRESH LENS

The recounted story is classic Doctor Who in structure: a mysterious distress signal, a derelict spaceship, a malfunctioning AI, and a creeping sense that something is deeply wrong. The TARDIS team arrives on a ship devoid of crew, guided and hindered by an onboard computer that slowly reveals a disturbing truth: the crew is dead, and the computer now sees the Doctor and friends as replacements.

While this kind of plot would fit snugly into the early Hartnell era, the Companion Chronicle format allows the tale to unfold with richer psychological depth—especially from Susan’s perspective. Carole Ann Ford’s narration is as warm and textured as ever, offering a vivid sense of Susan’s inner world. Her voices for Ian, Barbara, and the Doctor aren’t perfect imitations, but they’re close enough to evoke the spirit of those characters while reminding us this is Susan’s story.

RECLAIMING SUSAN

What makes Stardust and Ashes so compelling isn’t the mystery aboard the ship, though it’s well-told and surprisingly tense for a narrated format. It’s the effort to reframe Susan’s characterisation—not as the screaming teenager of 1960s TV, but as a clever, capable, and intuitive Time Lady forced to play a role. Here, Susan’s instincts prove sharper than even the Doctor’s, her understanding of the ship’s psyche forming the key to resolving the situation. It’s a thoughtful bit of metatextual commentary, one that finally gives Susan the autonomy and maturity the show never fully explored.

There’s even a faint echo of Wild Blue Yonder in the isolated sci-fi eeriness of the ship, the growing sense of unease, and the strange intelligence manipulating the environment. The tone is light on action but rich in atmosphere, with a slow build toward the revelation that the AI is confused, lonely, and dangerous because of its loss—mirroring Susan’s own emotional state.

A STORY OF GRIEF AND RELEASE

The climax is subdued but satisfying, with Susan using empathy rather than force to guide the AI into letting go of its obsessive purpose. It’s a nice parallel for her own arc, which reaches its emotional peak in the beautiful final scene. Holding her son Alex’s ashes in a firework rocket, she finally lets go—of him, of her past, and perhaps of the grief that has defined her.

This coda is quietly devastating, and Ford’s delivery is exceptional—layered, raw, and real. What could have been a maudlin moment becomes instead a cathartic release, aided by the understated direction and a script that trusts its lead performer to carry the emotion without overstatement.

PERIMEN AND THE POWER OF KINDNESS

The story’s framing device, with Susan speaking to a kind stranger, is revealed to be more than just a narrative trick. Perimen is not merely a confidant but a gentle guide, someone who helps Susan contextualise her grief and move forward. In many ways, he’s doing for her what Susan did for the ship’s AI—recognising pain and confusion, and offering compassion as a way out.

📝VERDICT: 84/100

Stardust and Ashes is a Companion Chronicle of rare emotional resonance—both a re-evaluation of Susan Foreman’s character and a mature, moving meditation on loss. The spaceship adventure at its centre is solid and atmospheric, but it’s the framing narrative, and Carole Ann Ford’s heartfelt performance, that elevates the story into something truly special.

Big Finish deserves credit for giving Susan the depth she always deserved, and for showing that even in a universe of monsters and wonders, it’s the quiet, personal moments that leave the greatest impact.