I liked Nev Fountain's first Big Finish effort (Omega) significantly more than this. The humour here didn't land primarily because he does not write women very well, a shame as the entire thing is from Peri's perspective. It turns out in life her only defining character trait is that she wants children.

There's also this odd, "edgy" humour peppered throughout. Peri commenting on "transsexuals on roller skates", the perkiness of her younger self's boobs, her aunt who imported "thousands of gollywoggs from the UK"... I don't get it. If any of these comments were tied into a satisfying or justified joke they could work but on their one they're just feel a bit off for Doctor Who.

Nev's prejudices shine throughout. The way Peri talks about the "gigantic lipped", "white trash" character Carburettor is typical of this. "Her parents wanted to give her an Italian name", she's full of so much silicone that "when she got on a plane she half exploded". It just goes on and on like this and puts you off Peri. She doesn't have a shred of respect for any other women in the story - including her younger self.

On the bright side I like that the two halves of the story fit together nicely. The plot is elegantly developed, reminding me of Flip Flop - a story you can listen to in any order.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Acheron Pulse

I think this might just be my favourite companion chronicle of all time. It's funny, it's clever, it's self-aware and it's heartfelt and serious all at the same time. There are so many twists and turns that leave you absolutely reeling. There's some fantastic performances from Nicola Bryant, she really brings this narrated story to life in a way not many actors can do.

The first half of this story is the silliest. Without any context for what's going on, it's a bonkers story about fish aliens trying to kill themselves to reincarnate as humans, with a super-spy older Peri. Once it's all explained in the second part, it makes so much sense. I had thought it was just a heavy dose of Nev Fountain's brand of whimsy but it's all fantastically explained.

Sixie's role in this story is fantastic, the idea of the Doctor dressed up in a stuffy monster suit trying to trick his younger self. It's very self-aware. In fact, this whole story is extremely meta. The revelations towards the end of the second part, why older Peri had been concealing her backstory so much was jaw-dropping.

And the way it tied into Season 23 was something I very much appreciated, considering that was only a few stories ago for me. Overall, easily the best companion chronicle, maybe even one of the best audio stories in general.

Next Story: The Lure of the Nomad