On Ghost Beach

📝8/10 → ENJOYABLE!

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

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: “ON GHOST BEACH”

Niel Bushnell brings us the very first BBC Audio Original with Fifteen and Ruby, and he gets the vibe of the era right—with the jukebox and the Doctor being sassy and funny and dancing around, as well as being good friends with Ruby. He even inserts a Susan Twist appearance and a mavity mention to fit the story within Season 1/15/40.

This is a spooky adventure that initially takes the Doctor and Ruby to Earth in the 1950s before moving them on to an alien planet where they are hunted by ghastly apparitions and memories that aren’t their own and meet Reg, a man whose memories slowly seep into Ruby and the Doctor.

There's some good character stuff between the Doctor and Ruby. It feels in line with the era. There's also a lot of back and forth with their memories coming and going, but it's used well during the tense climax.

The supporting characters of Reg and Charlotte remain a bit underutilised, and the alien Kassif, responsible for everything, could have been given more flesh on the bones, even if Ruby's encounter with them makes for a sufficiently exciting climax.

Bushnell brings the story to a satisfying close with a proper sendoff.

Susan Twist is a great narrator and gives both Ruby and Fifteen recognisable voices.