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

"VAMPIRE WEEKEND – HENS, TRUTHS, AND A BLOODSUCKER IN THE DRAWING ROOM"

After a long wait, Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill finally make their Big Finish debut in Vampire Weekend, a lively, sinister, and very Thirteenth Doctor-style tale penned by Tim Foley. Set during the gap between Revolution of the Daleks and Flux, this is a story that manages to be both a zippy reunion comedy and a gothic murder mystery—with chickens. Naturally.

A HEN DO TO DIE FOR

The premise is delightfully absurd and perfectly in tune with the tone of the Thirteenth Doctor era. Yaz, reconnecting with her earthbound life, heads off to a hen do with her old mates—only to have the Doctor crash it, hens in tow (named Ian and Barbara, of course). What begins with awkward small talk and guitar-backed car rides soon escalates into comas, missing friends, and a shape-shifting vampire on the loose. It’s The Unicorn and the Wasp by way of Knives Out, with a bit of State of Decay for good measure.

Foley’s script keeps the tone light but layered, using comedy and banter to ease listeners into the creeping dread. Yaz is the emotional anchor, and it’s a pleasure to see her back at the forefront. Her dynamic with the Doctor feels relaxed, with years of experience evident in how she handles strange goings-on. There’s also emotional friction with Zoya, a rival for Yaz, which adds human tension to the paranormal plot.

FANGS FOR THE TRUTH

The central twist—that the vampire feeds not on blood but truths, infecting others through unwanted confessions—is a brilliant genre subversion. The idea of weaponised honesty is both clever and thematically rich, especially in a group of friends reuniting after time apart. There’s comedy in the chaos (and a few hens clucking about), but also an underlying melancholy: the notion that some truths are too painful to bear, and some friendships don’t survive full honesty.

The vampire being a Great Vampire, a call-back to the ancient Gallifreyan enemies first introduced in State of Decay, adds scope and mythos to what is otherwise a contained whodunit. The reveal that the vampire is the dead dog—a gloriously weird twist—is both shocking and hilarious. The moment it kills Barbara the chicken is genuinely unsettling, in the way only Doctor Who can manage when it turns the absurd into the horrific.

The script smartly uses the classic country house setting, but doesn’t rely too heavily on it—though it must be said, the atmosphere could’ve been painted more vividly. The tone, music, and pacing, however, feel absolutely of a piece with the Chris Chibnall era, especially in how the tension builds gradually through banter, confessions, and disappearances.

TIME, TRUTH, AND TENSION

Jodie Whittaker’s return is triumphant. She slides straight back into Thirteen’s motor-mouthed, effervescent energy, and Mandip Gill is clearly relishing a Yaz who’s grown in confidence and competence. The script taps into Yaz’s experiences and her loyalty, setting up intriguing new dynamics now that Graham and Ryan are gone. There’s also a nice hint of mystery brewing beneath the surface, as the vampire’s ability to time-travel raises future questions.

The resolution is tidy but perhaps too easy—the vampire, once discovered, doesn’t put up much resistance. The climax lacks the grandeur of the best finales, but the journey is entertaining enough to forgive that. And while some characters blur together vocally (especially with Kat and Zoya voiced by the same actress), the ensemble still lands the comic and emotional beats with panache.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE:

Vampire Weekend is a sharp, funny, and occasionally creepy return for Thirteen and Yaz, capturing the warmth and weirdness of their era while introducing fresh story concepts. With hens, truths, a whodunit structure, and a dog-shaped vampire, it’s a wonderfully Doctor Who sort of absurd. Tim Foley once again proves he understands the rhythm of a good character comedy wrapped in sci-fi horror. It's a strong opener that promises good things for this long-awaited audio era.

8/10