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