The Chimes of Midnight

"I died for you Charley, because you were the only one worth dying for."

Writer: Robert Shearman

Format: Audio

Released: February 2002

Series: Main Range 29

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley

Synopsis 

"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring..."

But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight.

Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and Charley are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out. 

And Time itself might well be the killer...

Verdict 

The Chimes of Midnight was simply stunning. 116 minutes of beauty. Well into the Eighth Doctor's run with new companion Charley, the two have undoubtedly settled in as the 'new' pair with the TARDIS keys. Even in Storm Warning the two just had instant chemistry and that's continued to blossom over the next five stories. I loved the start of this story and its similarities with The Space Museum with the TARDIS crew not quite fully arriving in a place. I loved the enigmatic atmosphere especially when things seemed to he correcting themselves. Glass jars and Christmas crackers were repairing themselves subtly. The Doctor and Charley couldn't quite have an effect on the Edwardian surroundings but those surroundings could have an effect on them. A scary and brilliant prospect. The use of the hour mark being a signal of high ability and power was great. The use of chimes as a sign of these signals was fantastic and obviously linked in with the story's title majestically. The murder mystery theme is one I adore and it just felt absolutely right with the Eighth Doctor and Charley! Now, in The Unicorn and the Wasp the Tenth Doctor gave a great performance in the murder mystery theme story but he approached it with mostly humour alongside Donna. But there was none of that here and that's why I preferred it. Paul McGann was just outstanding and approaching the ever changing scenario in proper Doctor style with seriousness. He'd assessed what was going on and had a plan to put it right. The guest cast were excellent here with Edith Thompson the obvious standout. The story behind her was wonderful from start to finish! She'd drowned herself, suffocated on a kitchen plunge and been battered to death all in 2 hours. Good effort! Her emotion was real and the relationship and surprising history with Charley was just superb! I liked how this seemed to be a loose sequel to Storm Warning in which the paradox was created and Charley survived death when she should not have. The addition of a time loop in with a murder mystery was a phenomenal idea! You then have two things to solve; who's the murderer and how can we get out of the time loop. Fantastic. The use of different scenarios and the Edward Grove residents gaining more knowledge about the situation and loop was terrific. The witness of events and the beings changing the scenario being the entity of the hours itself, Edward Grove, wasn't expected but it was very logical! It made perfect sense and answered some unresolved questions. The climax was outstanding with the conversation between Charley and Edith and them both choosing life over death. The emotion shown was sensational and I also liked how this in turn was helping the Doctor in his efforts against Grove. The breaking of the time loop was wonderful and Edward Grove was defeated from his sick wish to live eternally in a loop. Overall, the best Eighth Doctor audio yet. Paul McGann's strongest performance, India Fisher was just lovely once again and the cliffhangers were very good! A superb plot full of mystery and enigmas. 

Rating: 10/10