Review of The Scent of Blood by MrColdStream
16 August 2024
4️⃣🔽 = ENJOYABLE: GOOD!
Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!
"VAMPIRES AGAIN!"
The 8th Doctor fits the Victorian era superbly, and Andrew Lane clearly understands this, as he brings this era and its character to life well. Adding a mystery surrounding vampires makes the story wonderfully creepy and tense.
The story spends a lot of time with the supporting character and building the atmosphere, which makes it slightly less interesting, even if it is immersive. This is a dialogue-heavy story, and that makes it slightly slower than some of the other BBC Audio Originals.
The third act is a tense showdown between the Doctor and the villains, and it’s a vividly described sequence.
James MacFarlane is the one-off companion for this story, and he’s pretty much a man of his time and not especially memorable like most of Eight’s companions.
Dan Starkey has always been a great narrator, and this Paul McGann impression is great. Starkey’s narration, coupled with Lane’s dialogue, makes Eight very recognisable.
Lane seems to set up a potential sequel at the end there.