Ghost in the Machine

"You were all... buried alive?"

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released:

Series: Companion Chronicles 8.04

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow

And everywhere that Mary went, that lamb was sure to go

The TARDIS is empty. The Doctor is gone. 

Jo Grant steps outside into the darkness and finds the frozen body of her friend, and the ship's log recorder. On it is attached a simple message - 'Use Me'. 

As she explores this place, recording her every move, Jo discovers the horror that lies in the shadows. 

But by then it is too late.

Verdict 

Ghost in the Machine was a superb little audio adventure! I thoroughly enjoyed this story for a number of reasons but one particularly is the fact that it was actually my first Companion Chronicles range audio for a good eight months! I'm not sure why I've been away from the range so long because I really do love it in that it gives us a more detailed focus on the companion rather than the lead character of the Doctor. It also brought back to life the eras of the First, Second and Third Doctors and along with the Lost Stories and Short Trips ranges, it's incredible that half a century since they were the current era on television, we're still getting new stories involving those characters. What a legacy this wonderful programme has! My Companion Chronicles listening looks set to continue pretty quickly after this, providing university allows me the time, as I was just successful in purchasing The Time Museum on eBay for a mere £2.70! I do know how to strike a bargain, I only paid £2.05 for this audio - and that was brand new and sealed! Speaking of eBay, and bringing eras back to life, I was also lucky enough to be the highest bidder on the 1984 Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special. That arrived today and I really am chuffed with it. Studying History, this is almost like a primary source to me and it really will hold a special place in my collection. It's incredible to think that what I can hold in my hand is over three decades old and that there had only been six incarnations of the Doctor! Anyway, back to the story at hand and I thought Katy Manning gave an assured performance returning to her role as the lovely Jo Grant. I've never had any criticism towards her when it comes to Third Doctor Companion Chronicles and this was no different! She was wonderful once again. This story was certainly of a very similar standard to The Many Deaths of Jo Grant but what we got was very different. I'm not usually the biggest fan of Jonathan Morris but here I thought his writing was sublime. I loved how he managed to make this in real time rather than the usual recollection from a companion. The way he accounted for the absence of the late Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor was also magnificent. The use of a recorded tape from the TARDIS log really was very clever I must say - I was very impressed! The plot was very good and although the story was solely just Jo for more than I expected, it never became boring which is sometimes a worry when there's just the one actor or actress. Once Benjamin arrived, the idea of him (and later Jo) only being able to say what they had previously recorded was extremely interesting, and a concept I really liked. Jo not being able to say butterfly was quite humorous I must say! The cliffhanger was very good and it made me want to listen to the next part right away which is exactly what I'm looking for. The second voice served as quite an enigmatic enemy which was very good and it seemed almost undefeatable, until the Doctor made his presence felt for the first time through Benjamin. The whole body-changing fiasco was quite comedic with many of the latter minutes dominated by Katy Manning playing the Third Doctor! He'd taken over Jo's body but in doing so saved the day with some nice trickery in the TARDIS. Hiding the key in his mouth was genius. He granted Benjamin his wish of finally being allowed to die and the second voice was no more. Overall, a very good audio adventure and one that definitely seemed suited to its era. 

Rating: 9/10