A safe yet enjoyable start to the new Thirteenth Doctor adventures. Fans won't be disappointed.

This was a really lovely opener to the 13th Doctor BF era with Yaz. As someone who only recently found an appreciation for this era I've been eagerly anticipating this. I love Flux and I really like Dan, but I hoped for just the Doctor and Yaz together to flesh out their dynamic more and also have an female-led TARDIS team. Here we are !

Vampire Weekend is a really fun start to this series, it balances the tones and themes really quite nicely with a lot of fun humour thrown in. The situation itself is just really great with the Doctor gatecrashing the hen-do. There are some lovely little callbacks to classic who from the Doctor, which are just a joy to hear her say! Yaz is really the focus of this story, as we are introduced to her friends and the dynamics between them are fractured and interesting to say the least. There's one particular scene with Yaz and her friend regarding gender identity and its subtle but so lovely.

There is a tease towards the series arc which have left me very intrigued, and I really can't wait to hear what's going on with that even if its just a very brief tease thus far.

What an excellent Big Finish debut for Thirteen, possibly the strongest debut for any Doctor at Big Finish. This is a strong solid story, filled with humour and great character moments and heralds an exciting new era and exploration of this wonderful Doctor. The guest characters are great and the mystery keeps you guessing until the reveal. Would thoroughly recommend this!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

"VAMPIRE WEEKEND – HENS, TRUTHS, AND A BLOODSUCKER IN THE DRAWING ROOM"

After a long wait, Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill finally make their Big Finish debut in Vampire Weekend, a lively, sinister, and very Thirteenth Doctor-style tale penned by Tim Foley. Set during the gap between Revolution of the Daleks and Flux, this is a story that manages to be both a zippy reunion comedy and a gothic murder mystery—with chickens. Naturally.

A HEN DO TO DIE FOR

The premise is delightfully absurd and perfectly in tune with the tone of the Thirteenth Doctor era. Yaz, reconnecting with her earthbound life, heads off to a hen do with her old mates—only to have the Doctor crash it, hens in tow (named Ian and Barbara, of course). What begins with awkward small talk and guitar-backed car rides soon escalates into comas, missing friends, and a shape-shifting vampire on the loose. It’s The Unicorn and the Wasp by way of Knives Out, with a bit of State of Decay for good measure.

Foley’s script keeps the tone light but layered, using comedy and banter to ease listeners into the creeping dread. Yaz is the emotional anchor, and it’s a pleasure to see her back at the forefront. Her dynamic with the Doctor feels relaxed, with years of experience evident in how she handles strange goings-on. There’s also emotional friction with Zoya, a rival for Yaz, which adds human tension to the paranormal plot.

FANGS FOR THE TRUTH

The central twist—that the vampire feeds not on blood but truths, infecting others through unwanted confessions—is a brilliant genre subversion. The idea of weaponised honesty is both clever and thematically rich, especially in a group of friends reuniting after time apart. There’s comedy in the chaos (and a few hens clucking about), but also an underlying melancholy: the notion that some truths are too painful to bear, and some friendships don’t survive full honesty.

The vampire being a Great Vampire, a call-back to the ancient Gallifreyan enemies first introduced in State of Decay, adds scope and mythos to what is otherwise a contained whodunit. The reveal that the vampire is the dead dog—a gloriously weird twist—is both shocking and hilarious. The moment it kills Barbara the chicken is genuinely unsettling, in the way only Doctor Who can manage when it turns the absurd into the horrific.

The script smartly uses the classic country house setting, but doesn’t rely too heavily on it—though it must be said, the atmosphere could’ve been painted more vividly. The tone, music, and pacing, however, feel absolutely of a piece with the Chris Chibnall era, especially in how the tension builds gradually through banter, confessions, and disappearances.

TIME, TRUTH, AND TENSION

Jodie Whittaker’s return is triumphant. She slides straight back into Thirteen’s motor-mouthed, effervescent energy, and Mandip Gill is clearly relishing a Yaz who’s grown in confidence and competence. The script taps into Yaz’s experiences and her loyalty, setting up intriguing new dynamics now that Graham and Ryan are gone. There’s also a nice hint of mystery brewing beneath the surface, as the vampire’s ability to time-travel raises future questions.

The resolution is tidy but perhaps too easy—the vampire, once discovered, doesn’t put up much resistance. The climax lacks the grandeur of the best finales, but the journey is entertaining enough to forgive that. And while some characters blur together vocally (especially with Kat and Zoya voiced by the same actress), the ensemble still lands the comic and emotional beats with panache.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE:

Vampire Weekend is a sharp, funny, and occasionally creepy return for Thirteen and Yaz, capturing the warmth and weirdness of their era while introducing fresh story concepts. With hens, truths, a whodunit structure, and a dog-shaped vampire, it’s a wonderfully Doctor Who sort of absurd. Tim Foley once again proves he understands the rhythm of a good character comedy wrapped in sci-fi horror. It's a strong opener that promises good things for this long-awaited audio era.

8/10

I was very excited when we first heard the News of Jodie & Mandip joining BF, I really thought it would take longer, but thankfully it didn't. I was already quite a Fan of her TV Tenure, even if it's of course not perfect (but then again, which Era really is?) And hearing that Tim Foley would write it had me really up there, he has been working his way to become one of BF's finest Writer in recent time.

So did Vampire Weekend live up to my Expectations? I will say mostly yes, there are a few Things, that don't work for me, but for the most Part, I enjoyed myself greatly and think it's a great Story.

The biggest highlight here is of course the Return of Mandip & Jodie, who are just amazing here. Their chemistry is incredible, and they really work quite well on Audio, maybe more than I would have expected it. Usually it takes a bit more time for Actors to adapt to the Audio Medium and at times you can really hear that in their early Performance, I would say that's almost not noticeable with those two. It very much feels like they slipped right back in their Roles without any Issue. The Script is to thank to it, Foley delivers quite an era accurate script with its own spin. While I wouldn't call it an attempt to emulate the Chibnall Era, it does still feel very fitting for its Era and each new touch is quite lovely done. The Dialogue in particular for 13 is amazing, her naming her Chickens Ian & Barbara is just adorable and maybe my favorite bit of this entire Story. Or the Scene where Yaz and 13 try to confront each other if any of them might be not who they seem to be, are such big highlights. To me, this Story is one where there are plenty of great Moments to be found, and that's probably the best way to describe it.

What it adds to the Lore of the Vampires is just a blast and works quite well. The Concept of a 'Truth Vampire' is a fun one, and I think it was done quite well here, especially with smaller Moments of doubt between some of our Side Characters. Sadly our Side Characters are a bit much, while I like the Concept to see more of Yaz's Life outside the Doctor through the Lense of some of her close Friends, I think the Cast is quite big and at times I feel like I didn't get to know quite a few. Don't get me wrong, there are good Scenes with some of them, and you get a pretty good Characterization for all of them, but at times I wish we got a bit more to chew on and maybe with another Story we will! I will say, having one Character just be known as Gina's Mom was quite amusing.

The Music worked for the most Part, the only time it didn't was at the End. I do think the End Track is okay, it just felt a bit weird, I mean I didn't mind it all that much, but it just didn't feel quite right for the Era and/or the Story. But that's honestly more a nitpick, I doubt many, if any, will take much issue with it.

Overall this Story is just a fun Introduction to 13 on BF, to me, it very much feels like a modern Storm Warning, both Stories are really fun, while they have some Issues, you get a great Grasp of each Doctors in them, and they are just sooo incredibly fun.

Looking very much forward to the next Release of this Series!

I had a lot of fun listening to this. It is really noticeable how much love went into this and it is really sweet how much they tried to make sure that would do justice to the fans.
My best friend an I were guessing along who the vampire might be and went back and forth on who it might be till the end. But honestly the heart of the story were all the interactions not only between Yaz and the Doctor (which hit right in the feels), but also between Yaz and her friends.

It's no secret that I'm a big Thirteenth Doctor fan.

The Chibnall era is my happy place, somewhere I can go to get comfort when everything feels rough.

I love spending time with this Doctor and her friends. The Thirteenth Doctor episodes have helped me get through some difficult situations, and I have nothing but respect for those involved in bringing this era to life.

The Thirteenth Doctor means so much to me, so I get excited every time she appears in a new EU story.

But Vampire Weekend had me even more excited than usual.

After leaving Doctor Who in 2022, Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill were back to reprise their roles as the Doctor and Yasmin Khan in a series of audio dramas from Big Finish Productions!

I couldn't wait - and I was not disappointed.

There's so much in this audio I want to talk about.

Jodie and Mandip are as enthusiastic as always, delivering a great performance. The chemistry between the two on screen is just perfect and I'm glad that translated so well into the audio medium.

I loved the character exploration in Vampire Weekend - Tim Foley definitely understands the Doctor, Yaz, and their relationship with each other.

The plot itself was also super fun, with some actual laugh-out-loud moments, some ingenious twists, and a well-realised side cast - I thought the character of Daryl was wonderful, and the conversation between them and Yaz was one of my favourite scenes.

I'm absolutely overflowing with love for this phenomenal audio!

Thank you Big Finish. You've made me very happy.

Vampire Weekend

We're so back, after 3 long painful years peak is back.

The day I've had, waiting in agony at work to be able to listen to this masterpiece.

Yaz had friends? Whoa, Chibnall never told us that and in true companion fashion, they didn't know where Yaz was at all.

As one Amy Pond once said, They're not vampires they're aliens. Massive vampire lore drops. Chickens are the motal enemies of vampires. The Vampire Timelord wars, is that going to be new Big Finish range?

The Doctor apparently speaks and understands Chickens. Poor Barbera, they won't be forgotten.

If I was to compare it to Jodie's episodes, I'd say Kerblam!, Village of the Angels, Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror and Power of The Doctor are better.

Flux reviews coming soon.

Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Vampire Weekend

(13 and Yaz)

😭 Ian and Barbara

7th Doctor reference

Ooo blood Lords?

Ooo we are so getting Ian Barbara and 13 😭

Sarah 😭

oh my god the sonic 😭😭 I've missed it

I FUCKING KNEW IT

Holy s**t peak

9/10

"Vampire Weekend" was a lovely start to the Thirteenth Doctor Adventures and hearing Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill again made my entire day so far (although I only woke up an hour ago, and that was to listen to this). Tim Foley captured 13 and Yaz's dymamic really well, and I loved references to other adventures of theirs (and that the Doctor solved mysteries with Sherlock Holmes and Sarah Jane). Booboo being the vampire was a nice twist, and I loved the chickens being named Ian and Barbara (rip to Barbara). I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series and discovering more about The Tourist.

What a fantastic start to this series, I was smiling for every second of it!

Tim Foley really got Thirteen and Yaz, and it was so lovely to hear Jodie and Mandip playing these roles again with so much enthusiasm.

The story had lots of great comedy moments, like the Doctor turning up with chickens (calling them Ian and Barbara was a nice callback), and only calling Gina’s mum ‘Gina’s mum’.

The twist that the dog was the vampire came as a complete surprise to me, and the ‘truth vampire’ was a nice addition to the Great Vampire lore. However, when the Doctor got bitten, I did expect them to go further and reveal some deeper truths that the Doctor was hiding from Yaz. That is the only thing I was disappointed by, and it’s a very minor one.

Yaz had some nice moments with her friends, I especially liked her scene with Daryl. I would love to see them return in another story later on. 

I also loved the references to other adventures that the Doctor and Yaz might have had, like Yaz mentioning the Forest of Cheem, and the hints of the series-long arc were really exciting! Who is the Tourist?

I was totally immersed in this story, it was a solid beginning to this series, and I’m very much looking forward to what is to come!

Really lovely start to this series, a nice mainly comedic one, albeit with a hideous shapeshifting truth vampire lurking around a country manor during a hen do, picking the participants off one by one. It’s a very good script from Tim Foley that really captures 13 and Yaz down to a tee (“Hang on. Is (Sherlock Holmes) real as well?” “Yes he is! And he’s such a lazy- FOOTBATH!!”), love Ian and Barbara (RIP), love Gina’s mum and Daryl best of the guest cast.

There is even a New Who style arc gently seeded, with the vampire mentioning it had traveled through time on the slipstream of The Tourist (who is a Faction Paradox-y figure, yes? I don’t really know. Could be a new character too). I sort of inherently trust BF to pull off an arc to a season more than any of the three TV showrunners to be honest (who all have at least one great one!), so let’s go!

Love to hear that theme tune arrangement, it’s so good. I have one or two very slight nitpicks to the sound design, but overall it was very good and the music was pretty great (love the opening fake pop song)! Wish there had been a little more conversation in the maze, I don’t need them to get into The Timeless Etc, but perhaps just a little more from The Doctor about how she’s been feeling about everything and about Yaz might’ve been nice. We do of course love Yaz carrying The Doctor.

Weird that I listened last night to the 8th Doc adventure The Love Vampires, where 8 says the exact same thing as 13 does here, that every strain of vampire has their own rules. I enjoyed both of those stories about the same, solid 4s for fun and character and a nice twist and a bit of threat. “(The TARDIS is) at the center of the maze.” “What?! Why did you park it there?!” “Because I’m a silly billy!!”

There is always a tendency to over exaggerate regarding Big Finish, I feel, where people will insist that The Sixth Doctor was only good in Big Finish, or this thing in Big Finish is better than the rest of Doctor Who, whilst failing to recognize Big Finish’s genuine flaws when they present themselves. Recency bias is almost always at hand when a Doctor has a good story in the EU. Know that I am aware of this, and am deeply attempting not to exaggerate or anything when I state that Vampire Weekend is firmly my favorite Thirteenth Doctor story thus far, and finally gives a near perfect outing to one of my favorite doctors.

This is not the massive retool some may have been expecting. It is certainly authentic to the original era of the Thirteenth Doctor and does not massively revamp the characterization of her, though she proves a little more dotty and balmy than she was on television. Entertainingly so — Whittaker is inarguably the highlight. I can already picture the myriad fanarts of her offering people eggs. The story features an ensemble cast much like other Whittaker adventures. Many other choices are similar.  Where Vampire Weekend succeeds is largely due to its characterization of Yaz, as a character who is arguably too used to the Doctor.

Nothing about Yaz’s character here is what was not on television. She is not heavily recontextualized, the story is simply constructed around her in a way that the television era consistently failed to do. Yaz is still a simple character, but she serves well as the focus of the story, as the main protagonist we follow — we’re familiar with Doctor Who bullshit and unfamiliar with Yaz’s friend group, just as ironically, she is. As Yaz gets to know her friends again, we do too, and in turn, learn about her. It’s a clever situation. The story impressively manages to well characterize the entirety of the cast via this method. I liked these side characters very much, and I hope that we return to them at some point during this season: they give a grounding to Yaz in the same way that Jackie grounds Rose, I think they’re essential.

Tim Foley’s done Whodunnits before in Doctor Who; most notably in his stellar Fifth Doctor Adventure “The Merfolk Murders.” Where I figured that one out, Vampire Weekend’s ultimate twist did stump me, even if it was adequately foreshadowed. It’s fairly wacky, but also essential Doctor Who. I only wished I could have spent more time with such a delightful main villain, and they weren’t defeated so quick. Ah well! That’s more of a nitpick, especially when the characters have nice character development like this. This isn’t the best Tim Foley script, but it is one of the most fun and that is precisely the jolt of energy that was needed to start the range. Highly recommended.

Really enjoyed this!

Whilst listening I was reminded of a recent featurette between Moff and RTD where the latter says that a classic whodunit is too small an idea for Doctor Who now. Which I completely disagree with, so it was great to get back to basics almost with this Big Finish debut.

I actually didn't see the twist coming either so I found that to be an incredibly fun reveal!

Whittaker and Gill are on top form here though, which was my main takeaway. Already I am excited to see where this relationship between the two of them goes throughout the forthcoming episodes. The basement scene in particular was a highlight, as well as Yaz confessing that she doesn't know how to navigate her relationship with the Doctor when she gets distracted now that Ryan and Graham are absent. Which in turn makes Dan's introduction later seem more meaningful for her, especially since many have commented he's more like Yaz's companion than 13's.

This, and the Doctor getting 'in the zone' to fix the lights all heavily point towards this Doctor having ADHD, so I liked the reversal that the Doctor actually is always present but doesn't know how to respond in situations and so acts as if her mind is elsewhere.

It's a really interesting trait for the Doctor which I think better portrays her social awkwardness (and maybe even anxieties - she seems to need validation and reassurance Yaz still wants to travel with her at the end) than what we got on TV and I hope gets explored further.

Overall, it's a strong start. It's not setting the world alight but I really had fun and it has already started to develop 13 and Yaz further, which is exactly what I was looking for with these stories.

7/10

This was brillaint.
Really enjoyed it,
Such a fun first outing for 13 and Yaz in Big Finish

Jodie and Mandip slip back into their roles with ease.

Another excellent story penned by the brilliant Tim Foley

Doctor Who meets The Thing meets Perfect Strangers.

Loved it!

Welcome back, Jodie! I missed you so much!

Amazing start to the 13DAs honestly can’t wait to see where this range takes yaz and 13

An incredible start to the new Thirteenth range. The story is captivating, the dialogue is hilarious, and the character dynamics are great. If there was a time for Tim Foley to put on his best, this was it, and he succeeded.

A+.

Quite a good opener to the series, really funny, and a decent story to go along with it. Hardly Tim Foley's best per say, but still really great.