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TARDIS Guide

Overview

Released

Saturday, February 6, 2021

Written by

Darren Jones

Narrated by

Jacob Dudman

Runtime

73 minutes

Time Travel

Unclear

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Sonic Screwdriver

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Foss

Synopsis

On the edge of a nebula, the TARDIS lands on the strange planet of Foss, which is covered in dense and intricate minerals and vegetation.

The spindly, insect-like Fossians are suspicious of the Doctor and Clara, believing them to be on the side of the large, spider-like Drak-Arzin. But when the travellers meet the Drak-Arzin they discover that Foss is far more than a planet: it is, in fact, a giant life-form, nearing the end of its life-span. But what secret lies at the the heart of the Fossians’ mine?

With the help of a young Fossian named Anura, the Doctor and Clara try to intermediate between Foss and its two warring peoples.

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1 review

This review contains spoilers!

✅8/10 = VERY GOOD!

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

THIS IS HOW YOU DO ALIEN ANTS!

I have a love-hate relationship with Doctor Who stories featuring big, ant-like insects. So I’m slightly worried about Darren Jones’ BBC Original, Paradise Lost, which sees Eleven and Clara meet such creatures.

Paradise Lost proves to be an atmospheric sci-fi story of the sort that would be too ambitious for TV. The text is rich but moves at a good pace, which keeps you invested in the characters and the action. The Fossians and the Drak-Arzin are quite intriguing alien races, even if the ongoing conflict between them is a very eron-out plot point in Doctor Who.

Jones utilises the audio story medium to full effect in creating the vividly atmospheric world of Foss, which the story is set in. The sound effects and music highlight this eerie, alien landscape. Foss turns out to be a living being (think Ego the Living Planet from Marvel Comics), and it's about to wither away. This somehow feels like a story that could have been made both during the Baker/Hinchliffe era and the Series 7B era.

This story is immensely enjoyable and immersive thanks to Jacob Dudman’s narration, which brings Eleven to life effortlessly. Both the Doctor and Clara work very well here. Anura makes for a likeable ally.

The story spins the same themes and the same mystery throughout most of its runtime, not rowing a lot in the process. This means that the final stretch is dragging somewhat.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS: 

  • I should deduce a point or two for the Zarbi mention, but I’m not going to be that cruel.

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AVG. Rating45 members
3.73 / 5

GoodReads

AVG. Rating45 votes
3.73 / 5

The Time Scales

AVG. Rating2 votes
3.25 / 5

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Quotes

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"You can have faith,' insisted the Doctor. 'Just don't use it as an excuse to do evil.'

— Eleventh Doctor, Paradise Lost