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“THE HOUSE OF MASKS: MYSTERY, INTRIGUE, AND A GROWING BOND”

The Eleventh Doctor’s new era continues with The House of Masks, an atmospheric mystery set in 18th-century Venice during a grand carnival. It’s the first true adventure for Eleven and Valarie together, and while the story itself has its flaws, it succeeds in further developing their dynamic, laying the foundations for their relationship and the overarching mysteries surrounding their travels.

VENICE, MASKS, AND A WEB OF DECEPTION

Right from the start, The House of Masks plays with contrasts. The Doctor is cautiously excited about returning to Venice, knowing that his last visit involved vampires and chaos, while Valarie is simply delighted to be somewhere so different from her own time. Her awe at seeing real water, buildings, and people – things that no longer exist in her future – adds an emotional depth to the setting, reminding us of how alien even the past can be to a companion from a distant future.

However, it’s not long before the pair find themselves drawn into a murder plot from opposite sides. The Doctor is persuaded by the enigmatic Lady Sicura, who believes there’s a murderer after her, while Valarie, drawn in by the charming Captain Tommasi, is led to believe that Sicura must be stopped. It’s a classic case of misdirection, and the uncertainty over who is telling the truth lends the story a solid air of mystery. Adding to the tension is the reveal that everyone inside the lavish house is trapped, slowly sinking into the water at Sicura’s mercy.

This locked-room setup is engaging, and the story takes its time exploring the different angles, allowing the Doctor and Valarie to slowly unravel the secrets of the house while using their own unique strengths.

VALARIE TAKES THE LEAD

If The Inheritance introduced Valarie as a capable and emotionally rich character, The House of Masks cements her as a true lead in her own right. She doesn’t just follow the Doctor’s lead—she actively takes charge, using her enhanced body and sharp mind to seek solutions that don’t involve bloodshed. Her technological prowess, combined with her strong sense of morality, makes her a standout companion, and it’s refreshing to see a Doctor-companion duo who feel like equals so early on in their journey together.

The story also plays nicely with the Doctor’s quirks, particularly in how he introduces Valarie to staple elements like the psychic paper and the TARDIS translation circuits. What makes these moments fun is that Valarie is unusually quick on the uptake—she understands the mechanics of the psychic paper better than most companions, which throws the Doctor off balance. It’s a small but delightful touch that helps define their dynamic.

And then there’s the deeper, more introspective side of their growing friendship. The final scene, in which the Doctor opens up to Valarie about being the last of the Time Lords, is one of the highlights of the audio. It’s a quiet but weighty moment, strengthening their bond and reminding us that, despite his manic energy, this Doctor still carries immense loneliness.

A SOLID MYSTERY WITH A WEAK PAYOFF

The initial setup of The House of Masks is strong, with its eerie, slowly sinking mansion and the mystery surrounding its inhabitants. However, the resolution doesn’t quite match the promise of the premise.

The twist—that the house is actually a stranded luxury space cruiser—feels somewhat predictable, and the real mystery shifts towards how it crashed and why its occupants survived. The answers, revolving around AI, robots, and the use of masks, are serviceable but not particularly engaging. While the personal drama between the crew members adds some emotional weight, the climax ultimately drags on longer than necessary without delivering a truly satisfying payoff. And then, just as things seem to be building to a final resolution, the story simply… stops.

This abrupt ending leaves a slightly underwhelming impression, as if the story was missing one last strong beat to tie everything together.

A PROMISING VILLAIN AND A FORGETTABLE FOIL

Lady Sicura is an intriguing figure, shifting from a mysterious presence to something far more unsettling as the story progresses. She never quite goes overboard into full-blown villainy, which works in her favour—her calculated control over the situation makes her more fascinating than a traditional over-the-top antagonist.

On the other hand, Captain Tommasi barely makes an impact. Despite being set up as an important figure in the plot, he ultimately fades into the background, failing to leave much of a lasting impression.

BUILDING A SEASON, PIECE BY PIECE

One of the most exciting aspects of this story is how it subtly contributes to the feeling of an ongoing Doctor Who season. From the Doctor introducing Valarie to classic TARDIS tools to the lingering mystery of why their ship keeps being pulled to specific places, The House of Masks isn’t just a standalone adventure—it’s another step in a larger narrative. The slow-burn development of these elements adds intrigue and makes the story feel like part of a bigger picture rather than an isolated tale.

The production values are also a highlight. The music and sound design do an excellent job of bringing 18th-century Venice to life, with its grand ballroom settings and bustling carnival atmosphere. Even when the story falters, the rich atmosphere keeps it immersive.

Jacob Dudman and Safiyya Ingar continue to shine, with their chemistry making every scene engaging. Their performances are so natural that it already feels as if they’ve been playing these roles for years.

📝VERDICT: 7/10

The House of Masks is a solid second outing for the Eleventh Doctor and Valarie, offering a strong setting, a compelling mystery, and further development of their relationship. However, the story stumbles in its final act, with a resolution that feels less satisfying than its setup.

Valarie continues to impress as a companion, and her dynamic with the Doctor is developing beautifully, making up for some of the weaker narrative beats. The growing sense of an overarching season arc also adds an extra layer of intrigue.

While it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential, The House of Masks is still an enjoyable adventure that reinforces why this new era of Doctor Who audios is one worth following.

Another olid story, and probably better pacing than the first. I like Valerie a lot, a great companion, and the story here is fun, albeit a little predictable.

Robot Riot

Prerequisites: The Inheritance is needed, if only for context as to who Valarie is. This boxset is set after the events of Series 7A, so make sure you've seen that.

The House of Masks is another great entry in this boxset, giving us Valarie's first actual TARDIS trip. Dudman's 11 is as impressive as ever, and his chemistry with Ingar continues to shine. The basic plot itself is really nothing special, but the dialogue is truly what feels notable. There are a lot of actual fun quips that these two have, and I have to give props to Georgia Cook here. As others have said, the villain is actually a bit weak, but what really pulls this audio from good to great is the ending five minutes. Here, we get (to my knowledge) one of the only acknowledgments of the trauma caused by the Time War that Big Finish has produced, and it works really well. Dudman sells the self-loathing stupendously, and it caps this adventure off nicely.

Valarie is just space-Charley. Loving her so far. And this story was pretty fun too! Interesting set-up and twist. Really excited to see where the 11DC range goes from here. :)

A.

Oh I love a story like this, encapsulating everything Who in a short, easy to digest manner.

I'm almost reminded of The War Games or The Girl in The Fireplace. Starting off in one where you think you know what side of the whoniverse we're exploring today before then taking that expectation and completely flipping it. I especially like it here with how long before the twist is revealed, but how you've got all that build up and hinting towards the twist that in hindsight make complete sense.

The masquerade balls of Venice are an incredible setting for a story and conjure brilliant imagery in the minds of the listeners, as well as working incredibly thematically for the story when it's revealed that the whole ball is in fact a 'mask' itself for the drowning spaceship, and that the crew are nearly all dead, these partygoers being robots designed to mask that. Eleven also using his Psychic Paper for the first time here and Valarie knowing what it does it great, and again leans into that theme of masking yourself.

Eleven also gets an incredible moment here where he hints about The Time War, about how many people he's killed, and about what it does to a person, in an attempt to empathise with the ship's AI.

And then that's also followed by another incredible moment of Valarie questioning Eleven about it, him explaining what he was talking about (taking off the mask), and then offering to take her home if she wants, with her reassuring him that he's not a monster. Him then offering for her to talk about her mum if she needs to, it's all just brilliant character stuff.

I absolutely adore Bill for a multitude of reasons, but in some ways I think Valarie is what I wish Bill were.