It all seemed so quaint in part one. I immediately connected with the Fifth Doctor when I first saw him, and I believe it's because he was the most approachable Doctor. It's impossible for me to imagine being most incarnations of the Doctor in my life, but I think it is possible to be the Fifth Doctor. He is always just doing the best he can, begging people to do the right thing, and making the hard choices when others can't to save who he can. While I don't think Davison has mastered his craft on audio quite to the degree of some other Doctors, he's had quite a number of excellent stories, none better than Pursuit of Nightjar which is an essential work for his Doctor. Then, that brings us to Hooklight.

A twelve-part story told across two boxsets, it's hard to review something properly halfway through. Overall I'd say it was a four-star story for me, but it earned the extra half star in terms of audaciousness and a jaw-dropping twist. Simple enough at first, the TARDIS has landed on a planet and is out of power, things get far far out of hand. Welcome to the northern islands on the planet Rift in the realm of Morning, the original home of civilization, the first galaxy. In a museum, there is a lamp, and suddenly, the lamp lights up. All chaos ensues as Hooklight has returned, an ancient and deadly substance that immediately draws the attention of the ghostly Nigh Guard. There's bucket-fulls of lore getting brought up (Dawnbrides - powerful valkyrie witches, the cloned rulers of Morning - the Halcyons), and we still have many episodes to go.

What I did not expect (and sometimes had to keep straight in my head) was that this was going to be a time-screwy story. The Doctor is pushed by a robot through a portal hundreds of years into the past, and Adric tries to save the TARDIS and ends up presumably in the future. The key to this whole story is Nyssa who is somehow infected with the Hooklight becoming its bearer/herald, and is in multiple places and multiple times at once. The Doctor is with Nyssa and the mage VanderSeer going to tip the second age to the third at the Dark Forge, Nyssa and Tegan are taking the light to the planet Hence to be destroyed, Adric is meeting the last of the Everens, the flamboyant pilot Devlan Crux who apparently was in a relationship with the Doctor in the past and thinks Adric is him regenerated.

There are great moments for the cast, especially near the end. Once the Doctor finds the TARDIS destroyed, Davison just about sobs, and it hits you like a sharp knife. Devlan shoots Adric to regenerate him as part of a complex scheme, and Adric comes clean saying he wanted to just pretend he was the Doctor. Tegan hasn't had a major one yet, but she's the one who discovers the Hooklight...is the TARDIS lamp?? Everything is out of control chaos, and out of nowhere...the voice of Paul McGann hit me like a ton of bricks. Hearing him interacting with Nyssa and Adric, revealed as the Oracle who has somehow masterminded this plan, it was a whopper I was very glad to be unspoiled for. Also: he's apparently wearing an eyepatch.

Tim Foley has built an impressively detailed and multi-layered world that might be a little too complicated. The story of course is only halfway through, so a lot feels unfinished. There is no doubt though: this is one of the most ambitious Big Finish releases ever setting up a story on a true cosmic scale. I can only hope we stick the landing.

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

“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.

In Hooklight 1, the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric go and do some kind of Lord of the Rings, in space.

Nyssa is the ring lightbearer, Tegan is the grounded companion, and Adric and the Doctor can't seem to get their bearings in the quite intricate world Tim Foley has created for this epic 12-parter.

And with that sentence, I have summed up most of my positives and negatives about this release.

On the positive side: this is Epic. You have multiple planets with very fantasy names, you have a long history with multiple ages and it is evident that Foley has considered exactly what happens when in this world. The characters are varied and fun, though I got hints of an alternate Doctor and Sisterhood of Karn. The threat is built up well, and the atmosphere is great.

On the drawback side, pacing. The Doctor and co never seem to stick around one situation long enough for it to breathe properly. A lot happens, but it feels like the Doctor and co. are just swept with the flow, reacting but never really standing still. This does not quite fit, however, as the plot does have more tranquil moments, but the play just keeps escalating and that makes it somewhat tiring to listen to at times. Even at the end of the six episodes, new characters get introduced constantly.

It also feels like this play fits in more with the Time War stuff Foley has been writing that with the Fifth Doctor's era. This may be justified, however, seeing the cliffhanger.

And what a cliffhanger it is. I hope 8 and Adric can talk, seeing what 8 is currently doing in the Time War with Alex.

Still, the closest point of comparison wrt to 5s epics, Shadow of the Daleks, feels more in line with 5's general era atmosphere than this does.

For these drawbacks, your mileage may vary. I enjoyed listening to this a lot, and am looking forward to part two. I don't think this is Foley's greatest play due to the pacing, but it is very, very good nonetheless. As a recommendation: binge this. I listened to these episodes separately but it feels like this may be made to listen to in one go.

Fifth Doctor, check. Nyssa, Check. Tegan, check. Adric, check. Eighth Doctor YOU WHAT!?!?!?!

I went into this excited, as even though I prefer the new who format, and wish this was a few hour long stories across multiple sets, it still worked well here. Not much filler, one episode tops. A wonderful guest cast, and some really great worldbuilding. The concepts, the execution, it was all just perfect. I really fell in love with this set, and that ending literally had me gasping. I need part 2 like I need air!

Oooooooo Kay definitely not bad definitely not amazing it’s so hard to review half a story but my interest is there

relistend to it and ummmmmm 10/10 that’s all I can say tim foley I judged you too harshly