Pioneers: The Green Gift

"The Earth is always ending."

Writer: Roy Gill

Format: Audio

Released: May 2023

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 9.01

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis 

Seeking a new home for Callen and Doyle, the Doctor lands on a vast spacecraft: The Greenwood.

The ship is nearing the end of its long journey but what is the price of this voyage? Who is really in charge? And what legacies from Old Earth might be travelling with them?

Verdict 

The Green Gift was a strong start to the Pioneers ninth series of Ninth Doctor Adventures! It’s quite incredible that this is the ninth boxset from the Ninth Doctor and it’s so exciting that we will have at least three more. Long may they continue as Christopher Eccleston seems to be having an awful lot of fun in the role. It’s a shame but expected that the price has increased quite a bit but to get my hands on more performed Ninth Doctor featuring Eccleston is a treat. It’s crazy to think that he has exceeded the number of episodes he did on screen by some considerable distance now and I’m liking the addition of more continuity in the range. That’s probably a long time coming but following on from Red Darkness at the end of Shades of Fear last time around is good stuff. In saying that, I’m not a big fan of the character of Callen and I was quite surprised to see him take steps aboard the TARDIS alongside his dog Doyle, so I must say I’m quite glad that he’s departed quickly here. It is nice though to get that bridge between series. I wasn’t a massive fan of the reason the TARDIS needed an emergency landing was so Doyle could use the toilet either. Maybe it’s because I’m not a dog person that I don’t enjoy the characters (I’m actually typing right now with our new kitten sitting on my lap!). He built a strong relationship with Tay and she was a good character. She was confident and could play with Callen a bit once it was clear he had a serious interest in her. The feeling was mutual and she had her own dog in the form of Lycra. Doyle took a shine to her and was bragging about how she was the one putting feelers out, and the moment at the end once the Doctor had departed and she’d also been given an AI interface in her collar was humorous. Callen couldn’t believe that it wasn’t just his thing anymore. I was slightly disappointed to learn that Callen had been on several unseen journeys with the Doctor in a hope to find a new home. Whilst it sounded like they were somewhat uneventful as far as the Doctor’s reputation and past are concerned, that felt very much like a companion to me and with everything that happens in Rose and beyond, I think that might have been treading ground a little too much. Callen could see that the Doctor was needing them less and less though which was good use of this incarnation’s personality. It was lovely to hear Louise Jameson in an unfamiliar role as Fiacra here. She was in charge on the Greenwood, well at least she was the face of authority and the idea of giving Earth the gift of sustainability is admirable, if not a little far fetched. Can anything truly be self sufficient? At least on a planetary scale? Hell, they even had nuclear reactors in case the ship went off course or needed a back up so that wasn’t entirely renewable! I thought the return of BOSS as the true force in charge was a superb surprise and I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming based on the title! It’s so good to get a sequel to The Green Death and this version of BOSS being a backup was nicely done. It has come a long way from twentieth century Earth! Time had moved on but it was still only interested in making a profit. The fact that the Greenwood had passed by Earth a number of times already was a shock as they hoped to maximise its monetary value instead of returning home to safety and for life to move on. All of those generations confined to life on a ship! I loved that the Doctor referenced Jo and Clifford Jones in finding the cure to prevent the build up of the toxic sludge and the modern space take on the maggots. Good stuff. Overall, a great series opener!

Rating: 8/10