Buried Memories: Burrowed Time

"Have you come to rescue us?"

Writer: Lani Woodward

Format: Audio

Released: September 2019

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 5.04

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Benny

Synopsis 

Centuries ago the Byrinthians were wiped out. Apart from one underground train which is still travelling the tunnels of this long-dead world. With a passenger on board.

Verdict   

Burrowed Time was a sublime episode to conclude what has been a hugely impressive fifth series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! They really did save the best until last with this boxset and I really liked how this story took on the Buried Memories theme. The concept of a lost train doesn’t feel original or unique but it was played out so well and I really was gripped from start to finish which is exactly what you want from an audio adventure. It was fun to have Benny and the Doctor on seemingly good terms and I particularly liked the discussion about this version of the Doctor being in this universe even though he wasn’t supposed to be. I do wonder if that will be expanded upon as we move forward in the range as there is a lot of potential there. I must admit I was expecting more to be made of that fact this series, but there really isn’t much of a rush. This one was right up Benny’s alley with there being some history to patch together and find the truth about. It had been centuries since the Byrinthians were wiped out but there was still a lost train revered in myth and history. Landren as a professor having researched it was good and he was almost obsessed with finding out the truth and particularly a train serial number! He was a strong character to compliment the Doctor and Benny. The way the pair inadvertently went their separate ways to find the train wreckage was good as Benny fell through the pit and the fact the roof sealed itself back up made it seem that she was going to be lost from the Doctor! He’d used the sonic to find his own way down, and the landing wasn’t exactly a smooth one given the height! That was a fun image. I really liked that Benny was the fun to encounter the lost train first and her reaction when she found a passenger had still survived was terrific. She was rather surprised given the fact centuries had passed since the crash, but for Anita she thought she had been awaiting rescue for just a few days, a couple of weeks at the most. She took it quite well to find that the train had actually been trying to keep her alive and that was something very intriguing to explore. Benny being in discussion with a sentient train sounds a bit preposterous but I really liked it! The failsafe of a crash protecting the driver was good but he’d died so it then sought out the youngest passenger and tried to save them. That’s what had happened with Anita who initially seemed to just be a ghostly apparition. The Doctor wasn’t too impressed when Benny blurted that out to Anita though! That was a very humorous moment. The Doctor soon turned it on Benny and she realised she didn’t particularly enjoy being told she wasn’t real even when she knew that wasn’t the case. The shift to the older version of Anita was really great and injected a strong sense of emotion as she realised the extent of what had happened to her with the train and her position as lone survivor. That was a big burden to carry. Overall, a fantastic finale! 

Rating: 10/10