Skip to content
TARDIS Guide

Overview

Released

Saturday, January 20, 1996

Written by

Barry Letts

Runtime

162 minutes

Time Travel

Past, Present

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Sonic Screwdriver

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Sicily

Synopsis

"When the barrier gives way, this planet will be flooded by all the evil in N-Space; and at the moment I have no idea how to stop it."

The Brigadier's ancient great-uncle Mario seems unsurprised by the spectres which haunt his even more ancient Sicilian castle. But when the Doctor comes to investigate he finds himself faced with a danger as great as any he has yet encountered.

Is the answer to be found in the past, in the corrupt alchemy of the black-hearted sorcerer said to have walled up alive for his evil deeds? Or must the Doctor — and the faithful Sarah Jane Smith — brave the realm of ghosts and face the very fiends of hell?

Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat

Edit date completed

Characters

How to listen to The Ghosts of N-Space:

Reviews

Add Review Edit Review

3 reviews

just cant recommend boring


This has a really interesting structure, both in that it constantly shifts between the Doctor's and the Brig's (and later Sarah's) perspectives and in its combination of multiple genres and elements: post-medieval and Regency historical, Gothic, hard sci-fi, Christian/European mythology, probably more I'm forgetting already. I didn't enjoy it as much as its predecessor, The Paradise of Death, as its dialogue isn't as snappy and it's denser (hard sci-fi is always hard for me to follow, though). But Christian mythology specifically is something I've always felt is underused in Doctor Who – probably to avoid offense – so it's very cool to see it get some use here. The Brig's uncle is a good comic relief character, and Jeremy is still a solid quasi-companion. On the other hand, by this time Jon wasn't always audibly recognizable as the Doctor, and Sarah is a bit weak and imo even out of character in this.


The Ghosts of N-Space is a great story with the Third Doctor, told over six, 30 minutes episodes. While on the surface, and in the beginning, it feels like a simple ghost story, but about a third of the way through it changes and turns into the Doctor Who we know and love from the era depicted. The plot keeps moving at a decent pace, with enough breathing room to put the expansive plot together, and rarely has a dull moment. The characters, and situations, are interesting. The cast is wonderful, with the returning Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor bringing all the charm I was expecting. Elisabeth Sladen and Nicolas Courtney also give great performances as Sarah Jane Smith and The Brigadier, respectively. The rest of the guest cast is solid, including a couple of over-the-top accents. The only real criticism I can give is that sometimes there is too much 'explaining' narration of other's actions. While it happens a few times, generally it is very quick. Overall, I think this is a great story that is well worth seeking out if you are a Third Doctor fan.


Open in new window

Statistics

AVG. Rating25 members
3.46 / 5

The Time Scales

AVG. Rating15 votes
3.00 / 5

Member Statistics

Listened

41

Favourited

1

Reviewed

3

Saved

3

Skipped

2

Owned

3

Quotes

Add Quote

DOCTOR: The best thing that you can do is to change gender again.

— Third Doctor, The Ghosts of N-Space

Open in new window