Funny, Fantastical, yet at the end of the day tragic, it is too good.

On numerous occasions now, I've went into Big Finish 'Golden Eras' or even releases, such as this one, expecting something of the same magnitude as the hype. Often, I'm disappointed. This release however, is rightfully hyped up. So incredible the way it balances the comedy, the harrowing and the final part is just downright devastating. I loved Sixie in this, and Frobisher! I've finally met him, and how wonderful he was in this. Honestly, I really really loved this story from start to finish, the tonal shift in the final part felt earned and it worked so well in the context of this story.

The best story of the monthly range so far. The story is very much a dark comedy with existential dread and profound philosophy. there are a lot of excellent jokes and timing that made me laugh at multiple points. This is the first Big Finish story to contain the great talking bird Frobisher and he's immediately an amazing character with his distinct voice and loads of references to his appearance. With its stellar performances, well done characters, and crazy plot twists, it earns its rating with ease

Absolutely phenomenal, perfect story. Hugely dark, with a wonderful dark comedy laced throughout, into an eerie, atmospheric, and at some points horrifying, story.

Every character is so well realised, and layered, and interplay perfectly. Of note, is Frobisher, but every member of the guest cast is wonderful. The plot is so well thought through, revealing layers, and ideas organically, until it builds into a wonderful climax. Shearman layers many themes and ideas throughout, which makes the piece fascinating, with a lot to consider.

It truly is a wonderful story, that I am excited already to revisit.

Not only my favourite Sixth Doctor story but one of my favourite stories period! I could listen to this one forever, I really could! I’d call this Rob Shearman’s best work but trust me it won’t hold that distinction for very long. This story is notable for being one of only two Big Finish audios to feature the comic book created companion Frobisher. A shapeshifting noir-style detective who predominantly takes on the appearance of a talking penguin! Ridiculous? Absolutely! Awesome? You better believe!!! I don’t know if it’s a rights issue but it’s criminal that Frobisher hasn’t appeared in Big Finish since 2002, I’d take him over 80% of Modern Who’s companions any day! Seriously, 20 years of working-class companions from modern day Earth. Would it kill the showrunners to try something bizarre just for once! A talking penguin who’s a private detective, go on don’t be shy Modern Who!

Of course, there’s a lot more to this story than just Frobisher, though he is the highlight, I don’t want to give away anything really as Shearman’s stories are best left going in completely blind and letting the story take you by surprise. But the world Shearman creates in this is incredible, the characters are bursting with personality, the dialogue is equal parts dark and hilarious, and the story itself is a great introspection on religion and traditions. It features a great villain and a twist in the second half that blew me away resulting in one of my all-time favourite cliff-hangers in part three.

Rob Shearman once said in an interview that his stories tend to start off as comedies but by the end they turn into bloodbaths, and you won’t find any better example than this one. So much of this story still makes me laugh today right from the opening scene but as we near the ending and things start to become clearer the story takes quite the dark turn without feeling like tonal whiplash.

This may seem like an odd thing to say for those who’ve not listened to it and again I refuse to give anything away but it’s very clear from the villain and the bloodbath towards the end that Steven Moffat took inspiration from this when he wrote The Empty Child in Series 1. Again, not giving away what the connection is but trust me, you’ll know when you listen to it. The ending especially is one of my all-time favourites, it never fails to bring a tear to my eye it's just such a powerful emotional climax and ends things on such a depressing note.

There’s not much more I can say really without getting into spoilers, you’ll just have to take my word on this one, don’t let the inclusion of a talking penguin put you off, this is one of the most enjoyable, flooring and emotional stories in Doctor Who I’ve ever experienced and I can listen to it once a year every year for the rest of my life without ever getting tired of it.