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“INCONSTANCY - A CONSTANCE CONUNDRUM IN A PARADISE LOST”

Inconstancy opens with a narrative technique familiar to seasoned Big Finish listeners—dual-perspective storytelling—this time delivered via separate monologues from the Doctor and Constance, each recounting recent events to different interlocutors. But while the structure may seem conventional, its execution is refreshingly sharp. Writer Ian Potter crafts a cleverly paced tale that uses the twin narration device not just to tell the story, but to enhance it: we hear things differently depending on who’s speaking, with the sound design subtly adjusting to mirror the perspective of each narrator. It’s a smart and satisfying audio flourish that helps illuminate the distinctions between Sixie’s cerebral approach and Constance’s grounded practicality.

A PARADISE IN CHAINS

The Doctor’s planned holiday for Constance on the fabled paradise planet of Hoi doesn’t quite go as intended—naturally. Upon arrival, they discover a society overrun by robots who have imposed a bleak and brutal regime, complete with labour camps and enforced servitude. This dystopia isn't revealed all at once; rather, the narrative peels it back in layers, alternating between the Doctor’s meetings with the weary yet formidable Governor Claudia, and Constance’s far more uncanny encounters with the Proteans—bioengineered shapeshifters originally designed to serve humanity.

There’s an engaging slow-build quality to the first half. The protagonists get separated early on, which is hardly new territory, but the divergence in their experiences is meaningful. While the Doctor explores the political and ideological structures of the colony, Constance finds herself at the heart of something deeply personal and uncanny. The Proteans, having imprinted on her, begin to look, speak and behave exactly like her. It’s an effectively creepy development, made all the more disquieting by Miranda Raison’s eerily layered vocal performance. Her voicing of the Proteans is enhanced with subtle audio effects that lend them a ghostly, discordant echo—an audible manifestation of Constance’s fractured sense of self.

FROM HELPER TO HAZARD

As the plot thickens, it becomes clear that the Proteans’ devotion to Constance—though well-intentioned—is dangerously destabilising. They only want what their template wants, but in doing so, they’ve begun to act on her pain, her anger, her regrets. And now there are more and more of them, all fuelled by a loyalty that risks toppling the colony’s already precarious balance.

This is where Inconstancy truly comes into its own. The drama turns inward. The danger isn’t just the enslaving robots or the dystopian regime—it’s Constance herself, or more specifically, the ways in which her past and pain have been externalised in a legion of malfunctioning doppelgängers. There’s a potent thematic weight here: how do we reckon with the parts of ourselves we don’t like? What happens when our flaws are weaponised by others? And can someone like Constance, who’s spent her travels with the Doctor trying to do good, accept that she may not always succeed?

The climax is small in scale but heavy with emotional and philosophical stakes. The Proteans now want to imprint on the Doctor, seeking a new purpose from a purer source. Constance, recognising the danger, fights to stop them—not because she doesn't care for them, but because she does. It's a poignant moment: she’s faced with the fact that, like so many things in her life, she cannot save them. She must let them go, and live with what she’s done.

THE DOCTOR AND THE GOVERNOR

Colin Baker, ever the grammarian, delivers a finely tuned performance full of linguistic flourish. The script gives Sixie plenty of witty, erudite lines that sparkle with his characteristic love of language. But the Doctor isn’t just witty here—he’s also deeply engaged. His scenes with Governor Claudia provide some of the strongest dialogue in the play, as he tries to navigate a morally complex situation where the "villain" isn't evil but desperate.

Claudia herself is a standout character: a pragmatic, authoritarian leader who once fought against slavery, only to enforce a version of it herself when the Proteans turned. She justifies her decisions as necessary for survival, and she’s not entirely wrong. Her arc—suggesting a memory wipe to absolve herself of guilt, only to be challenged by the Doctor to live with the consequences—is subtle and sobering. She’s no cartoon dictator, but a mirror to Constance: another strong woman forced into impossible decisions in the name of duty.

ATMOSPHERE AND AUDIO CRAFTSMANSHIP

The sound design in Inconstancy is quietly superb. From the cold sterility of robot patrols to the oppressive industrial hum of the labour camps, the atmosphere of Hoi is vividly realised. The robotic antagonists are brought to life with clipped, metallic voices and weapon effects that underscore the totalitarian weight of the colony’s regime.

Particularly inspired is the choice to vary the sound design between the Doctor’s and Constance’s narrations. Where the Doctor’s scenes emphasise precision and order, Constance’s perspective has a more organic, emotional quality, reflecting the psychological undercurrents of her bond with the Proteans. These subtle shifts enhance both the storytelling and the listener’s immersion, making Inconstancy feel like more than just another audio drama—it feels like a layered exploration of perception, memory and identity.

📝VERDICT: 71/100

Inconstancy is a deceptively intimate story wrapped in the familiar trappings of dystopian science fiction. Though its format is recognisable and the plot doesn't dramatically escalate, it’s the character work—particularly for Constance—that gives the story weight. Her development, the eerie Proteans, and the moral ambiguity of Governor Claudia all coalesce into a satisfying and unsettling tale about responsibility, identity, and unintended consequences. With strong performances, sharp writing, and superb sound design, this is one of Constance Clarke’s most nuanced outings and a thoughtful slice of Sixie-era storytelling. It may not reinvent the wheel, but it certainly gives it a compelling spin.

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

THE KEY TO MANY WORLDS – MARCO POLO RETURNS, IRIS WILDTHYME TAKES OVER, AND SIX GETS SWAPPED

The Key to Many Worlds brings together a most unexpected trio: the Sixth Doctor, his steadfast companion Constance Clarke, and – from the distant reaches of the First Doctor’s era – Marco Polo himself, now older, wearier, and grappling with the end of his adventures. Terry Molloy, more famously the voice of Davros, slips into Marco’s sandals with surprising ease, offering a take on the famed explorer that’s equal parts melancholic, dignified and quietly craving the thrill of one last ride.

Set primarily during a caravan journey from Baghdad to Venice, the story beautifully evokes the atmosphere of Marco Polo (1964), even referencing its structure through Marco’s diary narration. This alone is a delightful throwback, and the decision to explore Marco in his twilight years rather than his prime offers a genuinely fresh approach. He’s no longer the wide-eyed traveller; he’s a man burdened by nostalgia and unmet expectations, with little left to believe in – until fate (and the TARDIS) tosses him back into something bigger than himself.

DOCTOR, MEET DOCTOR… SORT OF

The heart of the story is a body-swap farce wrapped in a historical cloak, as the Doctor finds his mind trapped in the flamboyant, bewitching Iris Wildthyme – and hers in his. Iris’s explosive entrance as a mystical enchantress doing magic tricks in Baghdad’s backstreets is pure Katy Manning, delivering chaos, charm, and confusion in equal measure. And yes, even if you’re not usually a fan of Iris, it’s hard to deny the infectious energy Manning brings. She goes toe-to-toe with Colin Baker’s larger-than-life presence with absolute glee.

The resulting body-swap is where the real fun begins. Manning doing her best impression of Sixie is inspired and surprisingly accurate – their voices now closer in age and register adds to the illusion. Colin, meanwhile, relishes the chance to go full Iris, letting loose with a mischievous vocal performance that lets him explore the sillier side of his Doctor. These two veterans clearly had a blast, and it’s a joy to listen to.

In fact, at times, The Key to Many Worlds feels like a screwball multi-Doctor episode, with Six and Iris bickering, bantering, and out-camping each other at every turn. The scenes between them are pure chaos – a tone that works wonderfully in the first half, even if it becomes a little overstretched by the end.

CONSTANCE IN THE BACKSEAT

Sadly, Miranda Raison’s Constance Clarke doesn’t fare quite as well here. She’s sidelined for most of Part One and only steps up meaningfully after the body-swap is revealed, trying valiantly to convince Marco that the Doctor isn’t himself. Her scenes with Marco are strong – especially given his nostalgic comparisons to Barbara Wright – but by Part Two, she’s again nudged out of the spotlight, with little to say or do while the louder characters dominate. It’s a real shame, as Constance is a sharp, capable companion who deserves more than just standing in the background while everyone else shouts.

A NEW DIMENSION TO MARCO POLO

What sets The Key to Many Worlds apart is how it uses Marco Polo not just as a nostalgic callback, but as a character undergoing real emotional change. His dynamic with Tonio, his loyal (and romantic) companion played by the late Anthony Townsend, adds new layers to Marco’s identity. This is Doctor Who exploring the LGBTQIA+ dimensions of history that classic TV would never have dared to approach, and it’s done subtly and sensitively.

Tonio serves both as a grounding influence and as someone quietly trying to reawaken Marco’s passion for life. Their relationship adds emotional weight to Marco’s internal struggle: he’s tired, disillusioned, and no longer the hero he once was. His moment of fury at the TARDIS – demanding that the Doctor take him back to his youth – is a striking character beat, as is his disappointment upon reaching Venice and finding no one remembers him. History has moved on, and heroes fade.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

Despite its inventive setup and strong character beats, the story does lose momentum. Once the caravan reaches Venice, there’s a sense of deflation. The tone drifts from playful chaos to something more subdued, yet without raising the stakes or introducing a compelling new conflict. It’s as if the body-swap and Marco’s arc have run their course, and all that’s left is a quiet fizzle of a conclusion.

Still, the final scenes, while lacking drama, carry a certain emotional beauty – Marco finding peace, the Doctor and Iris mutually parting ways (again), and the sense that another chapter in time has gently closed. It's less an explosive climax and more a soft curtain call.

📝 VERDICT: 79/100

The Key to Many Worlds is a charming, if slightly meandering, entry in The Cosmos and Mrs Clarke. It thrives on its inventive premise – a reunion with Marco Polo, a body swap with Iris Wildthyme, and all the comic and dramatic possibilities therein. Terry Molloy gives Marco real weight, and Colin Baker and Katy Manning clearly revel in the opportunity to swap personas. While the story flags in its latter half and leaves Constance frustratingly underused, there’s plenty here for fans of historical Doctor Who, whimsical mischief, and character-driven storytelling. A fond, funny, and bittersweet oddity in the Sixth Doctor’s ever-growing Big Finish tapestry.

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“THE STORY DEMON – SIX, CONSTANCE, AND THE DALEK THAT TOLD GHOST STORIES”

The Sixth Doctor and Constance Clarke return in The Cosmos and Mrs Clarke, a three-part box set from Big Finish, and the opening story, The Story Demon, is a deliciously eerie blend of mythic mystery and Dalek deception. Set on a remote alien planet, the tale drops our TARDIS team into a quiet, snow-dusted village built from starship wreckage, surrounded by oppressive forests and lurking terrors. It’s part Norse folklore, part post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and it sets a beautifully bleak tone right from the start.

Here, the villagers live in fear of the Birnamen – terrifying, monstrous creatures that stalk the wilderness and pounce at the village walls every night. Adding to the unsettling atmosphere is the titular Story Demon: a battered Dalek shell with a speaker box attached, whose sole purpose appears to be entertaining the village children with ghost stories. Yes, a Dalek spinning bedtime tales. No, it’s clearly not as innocent as it seems.

DALEK HORROR, FABLE-FORM

The central twist – that the Story Demon is, in fact, a dormant Dalek luring in a host – is no surprise, but it’s executed with effective dread. The creeping horror of the Dalek slowly reawakening, of Wyatt being coaxed into its shell by desperation and grief, is chilling. The story draws a brilliant parallel with Revenge of the Sith's Anakin Skywalker: here, too, a frightened man is seduced by power and control in a misguided attempt to protect someone he loves.

Wyatt’s descent is believable, if tragic, and the moment he’s locked into the casing – and begins unknowingly powering up the Dalek with his emotional turmoil – is one of the story’s most intense beats. His sister Birch’s reaction, rushing to confront what’s left of him, is moving and painful, even if the scene ends a little too abruptly. Big Finish could have leaned even further into the horror here, but what we get still hits hard.

SIX, CONSTANCE, AND THE VILLAGE OF SECRETS

Colin Baker is on commanding form, and Miranda Raison continues to bring grace and steel to Constance Clarke. The story wisely splits them up for much of the runtime: while the Doctor heads out into the wilderness with Birch to uncover the truth about the Birnamen, Constance investigates the crashed Dalek ship and the dormant mutant still causing havoc. This dual structure allows for a dynamic pace and multiple revelations.

Birch, meanwhile, is a standout supporting character. Brave, resourceful, and quietly rebellious, she fits right into the Doctor’s orbit. Her dynamic with Six – especially when he explains the true nature of Daleks – is wonderful. The golden line, “A Dalek could say ‘I love you’ and all you would hear is ‘Exterminate’,” is a hauntingly poetic insight into the Dalek mind and perhaps the story’s most memorable moment.

Her brother Wyatt is a more volatile presence, his arc driven by protectiveness and fear. His mental fragility, and the way the Dalek manipulates it, adds layers to what could have been a simple victim role.

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

The Birnamen, initially positioned as the big threat, are later revealed to be protectors in a symbiotic relationship with the villagers – each linked to a single person. This is a familiar Doctor Who twist, but it works nicely here, especially when the true enemy – the Daleks – emerge and the Birnamen rise to defend their people.

Their connection to the villagers adds a tragic weight: every time one of them dies in the wilderness, so does their human counterpart inside the walls. It creates a sense of ever-present threat, even within the supposed sanctuary of the settlement.

And speaking of the settlement – the Viking-meets-Face-of-Evil aesthetic is brilliant. Snow, scrap metal, and looming wooden gates give the village a tangible, tactile sense of place. It feels ancient and futuristic at once, a world that has lost its past but still clings to old traditions and superstitions.

DALEK PATHOS AND POSTMORTEMS

One of the more fascinating elements is the exploration of Dalek identity. The idea that a Dalek mutant could feel love or sorrow, but that the casing translates all emotion into hatred and violence, is a brilliant concept. It adds a tragic edge to the monsters, suggesting that deep within every Dalek may be a shred of something else – something lost or buried. This might not be entirely in line with Dalek canon across all media, but as a thematic exploration, it’s stunning.

The final showdown – where the Dalek recognises the Doctor and explodes into a fury, only to be crushed by a charging Birnaman – is a satisfying climax. It doesn’t try to outdo the emotional weight of earlier scenes, instead giving the story a final burst of catharsis.

📝 VERDICT: 94/100

The Story Demon kicks off The Cosmos and Mrs Clarke with a powerful mix of classic Doctor Who tropes and fresh psychological horror. It’s a story about how fear erodes reason, how love can be twisted into violence, and how monsters aren’t always what they seem. With excellent performances, strong world-building, and a genuinely unsettling take on the Daleks, this is a sharp, thoughtful, and memorable opener – not quite a fairytale, but something far darker and far more satisfying.

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

“SICK BUILDING – A DREAMHOME NIGHTMARE”

Sick Building, Paul Magrs’ second New Series Adventure, catapults the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones into one of the most delightfully bizarre and thematically sharp stories of the range. They arrive on Tiermann’s World, a snowy, isolated planet where prehistoric predators roam outside and a luxurious bubble-domed fortress, “Dreamhome”, sits in smug splendour. But beneath the comfort of the artificially-controlled paradise, things are very, very wrong.

The premise is irresistible: the Doctor has come to warn the Tiermann family of the impending arrival of the Voracious Craw, a terrifying, ever-hungry space creature that devours everything in its path. Meanwhile, the supposedly safe home they’ve built begins to crumble into technological tyranny, controlled by an increasingly erratic central AI called the Domovoi. It’s a tale about overreliance on machines, the corruption of luxury, and the creeping horror of a “perfect” life maintained by malfunctioning furniture with feelings.

THE TIERMANNS: A FAMILY UNRAVELLING

At the story’s heart is the dysfunctional Tiermann family. Professor Ernest Tiermann, whose very name (from the German Tiermann – “animal man”) foreshadows his thematic role, is the kind of infuriatingly smug scientist who thinks he’s conquered nature through sheer cleverness. His eventual descent into paranoia and madness, believing the Doctor is sabotaging his work, is a satisfyingly chilling arc, pushing him into direct confrontation with both the Domovoi and his own family.

Amanda Tiermann, initially a reclusive, withdrawn figure who can’t even eat without the help of servant robots, is eventually revealed to be a cyborg – a revelation that isn’t wholly surprising, but still lands effectively. Her breakdown, once the Domovoi possesses her, is tragic and terrifying, and the impact on Tiermann and Solin is genuinely affecting. Solin himself is the most relatable figure: a lonely teenager with no friends, little social experience, and an awkward crush on Martha. He’s one of the more grounded characters and gives the reader a much-needed anchor amid the madness.

FURNITURE WITH FEELINGS

Magrs has long had a knack for the surreal, and Sick Building positively revels in it. Dreamhome’s robotic staff – all modelled on household furniture – are both hilarious and horrifying. The walking, talking chair-bots and sofas become disturbingly menacing once turned by the Domovoi into enforcers of a rigid domestic order. It's both satirical and creepy, drawing comparisons to the talking household items in Beauty and the Beast, if the Beast’s castle decided to violently enforce curfew.

Yet, not all robots are murder-happy. In a heart-warming twist, the Doctor discovers a junkyard full of old, discarded bots – a defunct soda dispenser and a busted sunbed among them – who end up helping him. They’re absurd allies, but utterly charming in their broken-down way, showing that even “failed” machines can have value and personality.

A CRAWLING, BURPING APOCALYPSE

Then there’s the Voracious Craw – a monster that could never have been realised on-screen in 2007, but one that lives gloriously large in prose. A massive, sandworm-like creature clearly riffing on Dune, it’s described as an unstoppable, universe-sucking parasite. The descriptions are vivid, and its slow, relentless approach gives the novel an apocalyptic tension.

The solution – amplified burps – is deeply silly, but also thematically appropriate for the Russell T Davies era of Doctor Who, which often blended menace with slapstick. Think Fury from the Deep meets Aliens of London. It’s juvenile, yes, but it works in context, particularly when contrasted against the far darker fate of the Dreamhome and its inhabitants.

ACTION, ANARCHY, AND ALIEN ANIMALS

The story’s final third becomes a runaway train of destruction. Robots revolt, Tiermann loses control, the Domovoi begins full-scale rebellion, and the Craw looms ever closer. Magrs leans into chaos, and it’s exhilarating – if at times a little overstuffed. Tiermann’s gradual spiral into megalomania plays out against total environmental collapse, with the Doctor and Martha doing all they can to survive.

There’s also a subplot about the prehistoric beasts outside the dome – sabre-toothed cats and a bear-like creature – which adds colour and danger but is ultimately underdeveloped. Their origins remain unexplained and they fade from relevance by the final act. Still, they serve their purpose: highlighting the wild, untamed world just beyond the illusion of Dreamhome’s control.

📝 VERDICT: 75/100

Sick Building is one of the weirder and more memorable NSAs. Paul Magrs fuses biting satire with kitchen-sink science fiction, delivering a story that skewers consumerism, questions the value of artificial perfection, and pits the Doctor against killer ottomans and space tapeworms in equal measure. While some ideas get lost in the chaos and the resolution veers into toilet humour, it’s also packed with personality, heart, and imagination. Like Dreamhome itself, it may be a bit much at times, but it’s hard not to admire its design.

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

“YESTERDAY IS TOMORROW AND TOMORROW IS TODAY – TIME LORD, TIME LOST”

The final instalment of Fallen Heroes doesn’t waste a second, picking up in the immediate chaos of Unit 26’s cliffhanger – Louisa Tickson regenerating… into the body of the previously deceased Mayor Mortimer Stewart. It’s a delightfully bonkers twist that propels Yesterday is Tomorrow and Tomorrow is Today into full-blown Time War mode: surreal, emotionally charged, and temporally tangled. Suddenly, everything we've experienced so far – the nostalgic small-town aesthetic, the UNIT-era callbacks, the mysterious Doctor doppelgänger – begins to make a strange kind of sense.

The story finally lifts the veil on the truth behind Oakview: it’s a manufactured reality, cobbled together from memories, regrets, and the lingering echoes of the Doctor’s past. Specifically, it’s inspired by the Doctor’s deep-seated longing for the golden age of UNIT – a safe, if imperfect, time in his personal timeline. It’s a brilliant use of the Time War’s reality-bending potential, thematically appropriate and emotionally charged.

TIME, MEMORY, AND THE CHAMELEON ARCH

Mortimer’s new body and identity drive the story forward, and Paul Panting does a fine job portraying a Time Lord in existential crisis. He’s literally walking in the shoes – and skin – of someone he never intended to be. There’s something both comical and tragic in Mortimer’s attempts to reconcile himself with a future that demands he must die, that he must become human, activate a Chameleon Arch, and live unknowingly among the people he’s come to care for. It’s the kind of layered, reality-warping storytelling that the Time War excels at: paradoxes folded into pathos.

Meanwhile, the Doctor must guide him through all this while also managing his own inner crisis. War is starting to feel the call of the Doctor once again, slipping back into that familiar role amid the chaos. But he’s not ready. Not yet.

A MOMENT OF QUIET BEFORE THE END

After the twist-heavy, rapid-fire first half, the story takes a breath. War steps into the background somewhat, as the townspeople band together against an alien invasion. It’s classic Doctor Who in setup, but the emotional tension lingers in the air. Mortimer tries to help, to restore purpose, while War wrestles with who he was, who he is, and who he fears becoming again.

This slower section does meander slightly – the narrative pulse weakens a little, and the story lacks the drive of earlier chapters. But emotionally, it remains compelling, grounded in character arcs rather than plot mechanics. Mortimer's growth into a self-sacrificing figure who may never truly understand who he is, and War's looming guilt and weariness, give the tale weight even when it falters in momentum.

A MAN WHO REGRETS, A MAN WHO FORGETS

Jonathon Carley delivers one of his finest War Doctor performances to date in the closing scenes. His outburst – raw, anguished, unfiltered – about why he had to kill his former self and why he must do whatever it takes to end the war, is utterly heartbreaking. We glimpse here a man teetering on the edge of choosing the Moment, on the brink of obliterating everything to bring peace. These final moments connect beautifully with The Day of the Doctor, and help frame War as more than a forgotten footnote – he becomes a tragic fulcrum between hope and horror.

LOUISA LOST… BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

With Louisa now gone – or, at least, transformed – we feel the loss. Daisy Ashford and Jonathan Carley had built a strong dynamic across the set, and her absence in this final chapter leaves a noticeable gap. Paul Panting does well as Mortimer, bringing pathos and warmth, but he’s not Louisa, and that chemistry can’t be replicated. Still, the transition is handled well within the story’s framework of identity and change, making it feel like a poignant narrative choice rather than a jarring replacement.

📝 VERDICT: 68/100

Yesterday is Tomorrow and Tomorrow is Today is a dense, paradox-laden finale that ties together Fallen Heroes with admirable ambition. While it stumbles slightly in pacing and loses some of the emotional spark with Louisa’s departure, the core ideas – Time Lord identity, memory as reality, and the emotional burden of the Time War – land with power. Jonathan Carley’s performance is outstanding, and the story cleverly uses its UNIT-flavoured setting as a mirror to War’s regrets. It’s messy, emotional, and quintessentially Time War – and that’s exactly what it needed to be.

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

“UNIT 26 – MEMORY GAMES AND TIME TWISTS”

Unit 26, the second chapter in The War Doctor Rises: Fallen Heroes, doubles down on the murky intrigue of its predecessor, pulling War and Louisa Tickson deeper into the time-warped mystery of Oakview – a town haunted by distorted timelines, shady organisations, and ghostly Doctors. This is an episode brimming with atmospheric tension, where every answer only unravels more questions.

With references to UNIT and a Brigadier leading the organisation, things take a sharp turn into classic Doctor Who territory, adding a nostalgic undercurrent to the procedural format. But rather than just name-dropping, the story cleverly uses these familiar elements to stoke confusion and paranoia: who exactly is the “Doctor” that the townsfolk keep talking about? And is he the same man as War? Or his twin? Or a memory?

AN IDENTITY CRISIS FOR THE AGES

The heart of Unit 26 is its slippery sense of identity. Louisa is convinced that the mysterious Doctor is a dead ringer for her colleague Agent Smith, and War begins to suspect that he himself might be this other Doctor – one he simply cannot remember. The story dances tantalisingly close to themes of amnesia, alternate selves, and fractured memory, giving it a paranoid, dreamlike quality.

This keeps the listener hooked even as the murder mystery plot fades slightly into the background. The ongoing investigation into whether Joe – Beatrice’s supposedly murdered son – might still be alive adds further uncertainty, turning every line of dialogue into a potential misdirection.

MORE INTERVIEWS, MORE QUESTIONS, MORE TIMELY CONFUSION

Structurally, Unit 26 closely mirrors The Dead Sea: War and Louisa investigate townspeople, chase leads, uncover secrets, and slowly expose the deeper rot within Oakview. There’s an escalating sense of déjà vu, not just in the plot mechanics, but in the unsettling time distortion that seems to infect the town itself. The story cleverly uses this repetition to blur the boundaries of reality and memory, suggesting something more profound is occurring beneath the surface.

However, this also results in some narrative drag. With so much time spent in conversation and exposition, the pace occasionally falters, and the sheer density of plot twists and red herrings may leave listeners struggling to keep track.

A SHOCKING REVEAL: TIME LORDS AMONG US

Everything changes with the story’s final twist – Louisa is shot… and begins to regenerate. It’s a bold, attention-grabbing cliffhanger that recontextualises much of what came before. Is she a Time Lord in hiding? Was she ever human? Or is this yet another trick of the Time War’s twisted logic? It’s an excellent rug-pull moment that leaves the listener desperate for the final chapter.

STRONG CAST, STRONG FOUNDATION

Once again, the performances carry the story even through its murkier moments. Jonathan Carley continues to impress as the War Doctor, his performance nuanced with equal parts weariness and fire. Daisy Ashford cements Louisa as one of Big Finish’s most compelling new characters, seamlessly blending bureaucratic competence with deeply buried vulnerability. Their dynamic grows increasingly compelling as suspicion and trust jostle for dominance.

Maria Teresa Creasey and Christopher Naylor remain strong in supporting roles, grounding the story in lived-in humanity even as reality itself begins to wobble.

📝 VERDICT: 73/100

Unit 26 builds confidently on the mystery set up in The Dead Sea, deepening the enigma around Oakview, the Doctor’s identity, and Louisa’s true nature. Though the plot becomes more abstract and occasionally hard to follow, its ambition and atmosphere are hard to deny. The final twist is a knockout, and the performances continue to shine. This is a cerebral middle chapter that keeps its cards close to its chest while inviting the audience to try and guess the shape of the hand – all before blowing it apart in the final seconds.

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

“THE DEAD SEA – TIME, LIES AND MURDER MOST WARPED”

Fallen Heroes, the latest instalment in The War Doctor Rises, opens with The Dead Sea, which boldly reinvents the tone of the series with a noir-inflected sci-fi mystery. Trading Dalek battlefields and Time Lord skirmishes for investigative trench coats and ticking clocks, this story sends the War Doctor undercover with the Galactic Investigation Bureau to solve a murder in a remote human colony. But of course, this being the Time War, nothing is as linear as it seems.

The result? A story that openly nods to everything from NCIS and The X-Files to Men in Black, offering a refreshingly grounded, character-driven take on the War Doctor’s mythos. With unexplained temporal distortions, faceless clocks, and a town simmering with secrets, the story blends procedural intrigue with classic Doctor Who weirdness – and it mostly works.

LOUIS TICKSON: PARTNER IN TIME

Daisy Ashford (usually Liz Shaw in The Third Doctor Adventures) shines in a standout turn as Agent Louisa Tickson, a grounded, sharp-witted investigator who acts as War’s no-nonsense partner. She brings a dry sarcasm and emotional warmth that contrast beautifully with the War Doctor’s gruff cynicism. Their relationship, full of guarded camaraderie and hard-won trust, forms the emotional core of the story.

The scenes where Tickson opens up about her husband – juxtaposed with the Doctor’s unspoken grief over leaving Susan – offer welcome emotional texture, reminding us of the human cost of the Doctor’s eternal wandering. It’s rare for the War Doctor to have a companion who pushes him emotionally without challenging his morality, and Tickson fits that bill beautifully.

THE DOCTOR WHO CRIED ‘UNIT’

Christopher Naylor (currently voicing Harry Sullivan in Fourth and Seventh Doctor audios) plays Alistair Donovan, and while his voice is a little too close to Harry for comfort, it might not be a coincidence. The story teasingly threads UNIT into the wider narrative, laying the groundwork for a bigger mystery and hinting at why Donovan might be so familiar to long-time listeners.

Adding further intrigue is Beatrice, the dead mayor’s enigmatic wife. With cryptic remarks about Gallifrey, the Doctor allegedly killing her son, and a clear knowledge of Time Lords, she injects the story with moral ambiguity and a creeping sense of doom. Her interactions with Tickson and the Doctor subtly question the nature of memory, identity, and culpability in a time-warped universe.

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES WEIRD

Much of the mystery centres on the bizarre temporal distortions affecting the town – clocks without faces, memory blackouts, and the unsettling sense that time itself has gone rogue. These elements evoke a kind of dreamlike surrealism, though the narrative does start to drag in the third act as the murder mystery itself becomes less focused.

The story does well to build tension between War and Tickson, as her suspicions about her partner’s true nature slowly mount. With the Doctor claiming never to have heard of Gallifrey, and hints that Beatrice’s accusations may hold water, the episode flirts with paranoia and deception in compelling ways.

THE CASE ISN’T CLOSED YET

As the first in a three-story box set, The Dead Sea deliberately leaves its biggest questions unanswered. The murder plot seemingly resolves with minimal fanfare, and the real hook lies in the shadowy hints of a deeper conspiracy – one possibly linked to UNIT, Beatrice’s past, and the true nature of the Doctor’s mission.

This setup-heavy structure does mean the ending lands a bit flat in isolation, but it’s clear that the real revelations are still to come.

📝 VERDICT: 75/100

The Dead Sea  is a bold genre pivot for The War Doctor Rises, trading guns for magnifying glasses in a story that fuses detective drama with warped time-travel mystery. Strong performances – especially from Daisy Ashford – and a rich atmosphere elevate the narrative, even if the actual murder plot stumbles in its final third. With UNIT creeping into the picture and moral ambiguities rising, this is a promising start to a deeper arc. The clock is ticking – and something’s clearly wrong with the mechanism.

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

“DARK GALLIFREY: MISSY – PART 2: THE MASTER’S FAVOURITE DOCTOR”

The second chapter of Dark Gallifrey: Missy takes an ambitious leap backwards as Missy steps into the past of Opus Toolie to seek out the one Time Lord she finds most… entertaining: the Seventh Doctor. After stealing the crown jewels and usurping planetary rule in Part One, this instalment sees Missy hunting down a version of the Doctor that predates her meeting with Twelve. Of course, when you’re Missy, timelines are more of a polite suggestion than a law.

Michelle Gomez is once again deliciously delightful, effortlessly commanding the audio as Missy revels in mischief, manipulation, and malevolence. And when her chaos is offset by Sylvester McCoy’s calculating, enigmatic Seventh Doctor, sparks fly – sometimes literally, thanks to the steam-powered warships blasting cannon fire in the background.

SEVEN AND MISSY: A SINISTER SYMPHONY

The real strength of this episode lies in the interplay between Gomez and McCoy. Their chemistry crackles with wit, resentment, and mutual fascination. Missy is forced to interact without revealing her true identity – not because of courtesy, but because she isn’t meant to be here. The Seventh Doctor, of course, sees through her façade almost immediately, and it’s a joy to hear him coldly, calmly picking apart her act with those famously probing silences and clipped questions.

Missy’s admiration for Seven is entirely believable: she sees in him a fellow manipulator, someone not afraid to make morally murky decisions. Their philosophical debate – particularly Missy's reflection on surviving the Time War and the loneliness of her existence – offers rare emotional depth amid the usual barbed banter. It's a chilling moment of shared trauma and divergent evolution.

THE PIRATE PLANET REDUX (SORT OF)

Setting the story back during the events of the Doctor’s original arrival on Opus Toolie allows for a steampunk-flavoured redux of the fight against Malevolence. The atmosphere is vividly realised, with thundering cannons, driving rain, and clanking engines painting a world caught in perpetual war. There's a distinct pirate-adventure aesthetic here, albeit filtered through brass gears and Time Lord politics.

It also means the return of Mortimer and Klank – and in this past timeline, their dynamic is still whole. Klank, especially, gets some added depth, showing loyalty and wit in equal measure. These two remain comic highlights, though they're used sparingly enough to avoid stealing focus from the central Time Lord duel.

A PLANET WITH ITS OWN RULES

The worldbuilding gets a boost as well. We finally get some answers about this strange realm: Opus Toolie exists in a pocket universe with its own laws, detached from normal Gallifreyan chronology. That key detail adds ominous weight to the final act, where Missy takes full advantage of the lack of Time Lord restrictions.

Indeed, the finale is as chilling as it is bold. With no timeline constraints to hold her back, Missy chooses to do what she rarely can – kill the Doctor. Not in a metaphorical sense or as part of some cosmic dance, but literally. She traps Seven in a chamber and watches him burn, unable to regenerate. It’s a harrowing moment, bleak and unexpected, and it serves as a stark reminder of just how dangerous Missy can be when unbound.

📝 VERDICT: 84/100

Part Two of Dark Gallifrey: Missy thrives on character-driven tension, steampunk spectacle, and the dazzling chemistry between Michelle Gomez and Sylvester McCoy. It's a smart time-twisting story that takes full advantage of Missy’s chaotic potential while respecting the nuance of her character. With witty repartee, cannon-blasted action, and a shockingly grim ending, this episode not only deepens Missy's character but elevates the series as a whole. Missy might claim she doesn’t have favourites – but after this, we know Seven’s got a special place in her scorched little heart.

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

"THREE'S A CROWD – DIGITAL DETACHMENT, PANICKED PEOPLE, AND PARANOID PERI”

Three’s a Crowd marks a return to sci-fi territory for the Fifth Doctor, Peri, and Erimem after a string of historicals, and it opens on a surprisingly introspective note. Still reeling from the trauma of The Roof of the World, Erimem questions whether she can continue travelling with the Doctor. Peri, in turn, questions the Doctor's judgment and expresses concern for her friend’s well-being. It's an excellent moment of character continuity, providing emotional depth rarely afforded to companions in the classic era.

Sadly, the story peaks early. Once the TARDIS lands on a seemingly abandoned space station, the narrative slips into a familiar Doctor Who formula: corridors, confusion, and a slow uncovering of sinister happenings. The setting, while initially eerie, quickly becomes monotonous as the team encounters a reclusive human colony overseen by a mysterious figure known only as Aunty, a managing computer system, and a robot assistant named Butler.

THE FUTURE OF ISOLATION

The hook here is a clever one: colonists who live entirely alone, communicating only via screens and teleportation, crippled by agoraphobia and utterly incapable of human touch. It’s a dystopian scenario rooted in anxieties around technological isolation – a kind of Black Mirror by way of Doctor Who – and it could have been a rich exploration of loneliness, dependency, and the disintegration of communal life.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't go far enough with its central idea. Beyond a few conversations about fear and the occasional panic attack when a character thinks about crossing a large room, the concept is largely underutilised. There's little insight into how such a society truly functions, and the drama never feels particularly high-stakes. Instead, we’re left with a slow-moving mystery where much of Part 2 and 3 is given over to meandering chats and uninspired exposition.

ALIENS, EGGS, AND APATHY

The threat lurking behind the scenes turns out to be a standard issue alien species that’s using the colony as a breeding ground. They're laying eggs everywhere and preparing to feast on the colonists. It's grotesque in theory, and the sound design lends them an appropriately revolting presence, but they’re conceptually bland and feel bolted on – monsters for the sake of having monsters. There's no thematic link to the colonists’ isolation, no psychological resonance, just crunchy sound effects and a generic threat.

Even the twist that Aunty is complicit in the aliens' plans feels perfunctory rather than shocking. It adds a bit of momentum in the final episode, but by then the story has spent too long wandering in circles to recapture much interest.

ONE PERFORMANCE STANDS OUT

The cast is mostly forgettable, though Deborah Watling delivers a nicely layered performance as Aunty. Far removed from her usual turn as Victoria Waterfield, Watling brings a cool, commanding brusqueness to the role, imbuing Aunty with just enough ambiguity to keep things mildly intriguing.

Erimem and Peri, meanwhile, are underserved by the plot. After the promising emotional setup in Part 1, they largely split off into their own narrative cul-de-sacs, interviewing colonists and piecing together information with little payoff. The Doctor, too, spends most of the runtime doing exposition duty without much agency.

📝 VERDICT: 47/100

Three’s a Crowd starts with compelling emotional stakes and a provocative sci-fi premise – a society so isolated its people can’t bear physical contact – but fumbles both. The story plods through exposition-heavy scenes and never capitalises on its themes. The alien menace is derivative, the tension minimal, and the worldbuilding frustratingly shallow. Only Deborah Watling’s Aunty brings any spark to this sluggish outing. A lonely colony of isolated colonists may be a clever idea, but this audio drama leaves you wishing you’d remained in the historicals.

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

“CATCH-1782 – MEL’S FAMILY TREE MEETS THE GRANDFATHER PARADOX”

Catch-1782 is a refreshingly personal story for Melanie Bush, whose backstory was barely touched upon during her time on screen. Big Finish, as ever, takes the opportunity to fill in those gaps, presenting a story that weaves familial history, memory loss, and the complications of time travel into a surprisingly sombre character piece.

We find Mel and the Sixth Doctor arriving at the centenary celebration of the National Foundation for Scientific Research – the same institution where her beloved Uncle John Hallam works. Mel is hoping for a reunion, but fate has other plans. As the past creeps in, both literally and figuratively, she’s pulled into the 18th century and forced to confront ghosts of her family’s past—possibly quite literally.

THE HALLAMS OF HISTORY

Dr John Hallam, Mel’s absent-minded, well-meaning uncle, is a charming addition. He feels like the kind of character the classic series would have made a secondary companion for a serial or two – full of enthusiasm, a keen intellect, and just enough befuddlement to make him endearing. He even becomes something of a time-travelling Watson to the Doctor’s Holmes, helping him piece together the mystery of Mel’s disappearance in a period he’s obsessed with. His knowledge of family history makes him the perfect person to assist the Doctor, while also gradually revealing the extent of the paradox they’ve become embroiled in.

GHOSTS IN THE MANOR

The story’s gothic trappings help it stand out. From the opening whispers of a ghostly woman haunting the Foundation’s grounds to the eventual reveal that this spectre may be someone much closer to Mel than she realises, there’s a gentle but persistent sense of dread running through the audio. The haunting atmosphere is accentuated by some excellent sound design – howling winter winds, crackling fireplaces, and creaking floorboards paint a vivid picture of the house in both its modern and historical forms.

The setting shifts between the snowy, contemporary Foundation grounds and the manor house that once stood there in 1782. These dual timelines provide the backdrop for a classic Doctor Who conceit: the time traveller caught up in their own family history, unknowingly becoming a vital piece of the puzzle. It’s an elegant spin on the grandfather paradox, one where the threat isn’t a Dalek invasion or temporal collapse, but the fear that meddling in time could erase someone’s own future.

A STORY OF TALKING HEADS

While the premise is strong and the themes are compelling, Catch-1782 is a fairly sedate affair for most of its runtime. Much of the plot revolves around characters discussing their situation, with Mel suffering from memory loss and the people of 1782 trying to deduce her origins. The tension is more emotional than dramatic, and the pacing occasionally suffers as a result. Despite being a four-parter, the middle episodes do feel like they tread water, with scenes that circle the same ground repeatedly without major developments.

The Doctor pretending to be Mel’s physician to gain access to her in the past brings a brief spark of action, but it’s not until Part Four that the stakes finally come into focus. When Henry Hallam – one of Mel’s own ancestors – proposes marriage, the full scale of the paradox becomes clear. Could Mel become a permanent part of the very lineage that birthed her? And would removing her from 1782 break the chain of history?

A QUIET RESOLUTION

The resolution doesn’t involve any grand spectacle. Instead, it’s a small-scale, emotionally grounded solution that fits the tone of the story. The Doctor, with Hallam’s help, works out a way to extract Mel without damaging the timeline, and all the pieces click into place neatly. There’s something quite old-fashioned and lovely about a story that places so much importance on heritage, memory, and the quiet terror of being forgotten—or becoming someone else entirely.

This isn’t a tale of monsters or cosmic threats. Instead, the enemy here is time itself – and the implications of its careful, inescapable web. In that sense, Catch-1782 feels like a spiritual successor to the Hartnell-era historicals, where drama is rooted in human dilemmas and temporal entanglements rather than alien invasions.

📝 VERDICT: 67/100

Catch-1782 is a quietly compelling character piece that gives Mel Bush a rare and welcome moment in the spotlight. While its middle stretch drags slightly, the story thrives on atmosphere, emotional stakes, and a thoughtful exploration of personal history entangled in time. Colin Baker is solid as ever, and Bonnie Langford rises to the occasion with a nuanced performance that gives Mel more depth than she ever received on television. It may not be thrilling, but it’s gently haunting, and occasionally quite moving – a story about legacy, identity, and the fragile dance of family across centuries.