The Teeth of Ice

"I live in darkness now."

Writer: Andrew Lane

Format: Audio

Released: August 2023

Series: BBC Audio 16

Featuring: Eighth Doctor

Synopsis

Indomitable reporter James MacFarlane has travelled to the remote MacReady Base near the South Pole, his mission to interview the famed explorer Pentius Rochdale. On arrival MacFarlane is astonished to discover that the base's new medical officer is none other than the Doctor!

MacFarlane is intrigued by rumours of strange goings-on at the Base, whilst a recent attack on a neighbouring station – by creatures unknown – attracted the Doctor's attention. The two friends focus on Rochdale's expedition to find the legendary lost continent of Mu, which he believes may lie in Antarctica. 

When a series of grisly deaths disturb the Base's calm, the Doctor's suspicions are aroused. Whatever is preying on people, it's intelligent and has deadly claws and teeth. But by the time he and MacFarlane have uncovered the truth, they are well within biting distance of the teeth of ice...

Verdict

The Teeth of Ice was another excellent BBC Audio adventure for the Eighth Doctor! This incarnation has multiple worlds of stories with Big Finish so it’s rather nice to also hear him having a lease of life here on a more reserved range. Dan Starkey returns as the narrator for the Eighth Doctor and unless we get Paul McGann himself I don’t ever want that to change. It’s not just the impression of this Doctor that Starkey does a tremendous job with but it is the entire performance. He does such a good job of differentiating each character and it really doesn’t feel like we have just one actor performing. It’s a testament to his strengths and vocal capabilities. I’ve enjoyed following the encounters James MacFarlane has had with the Doctor and after some unique experiences in Edinburgh and Cardiff respectively, this story took us to Antarctica! With it being the start of the twentieth century, that was a very niche setting that I was thoroughly excited to explore. It was perfect for a Doctor Who adventure given how remote it was and the Doctor being there as the site’s medical officer was rather fun! I thought the introduction to the site from John Shadrak as the base commander was excellent and really set the scene for James and the listener. The weather extremes are almost difficult to comprehend with even sweat being a threat if then frozen! It really is a different world so it’s no wonder the Doctor was hopeful his next medical patient wasn’t suffering from frostbite. That’s all he had to treat. He knew James was coming though which was fun and reminiscing on the events of The Scent of Blood and The Code of Flesh was terrific. I thought Rochdale was a good character that basically served as the villain and his search for the lost continent of Mu was fascinating. I must admit it was something I wasn’t aware of but I do enjoy the idea of hunting for mythical and mysterious places. The Atlantis humour was good and I also loved how when the Doctor found out that’s what Rochdale was searching for he immediately knew the location was all wrong. That was fun stuff. The link in the story to werewolves was really good and whilst the location didn’t quite feel in tune with that kind of adventure, the time in history did and James encountering that also felt apt. It just worked. It was really interesting stuff and it felt like a horror which is certainly the right kind of vibe. There was good action throughout and the threat posed from Rochdale and his wolves. As if the ice and the natural elements weren’t enough! It was really good stuff and just felt like classic gore. This could almost have come out of a pre-Victorian literature novel. It had that classic feel. The way things shifted at the end was somewhat unexpected though as despite the evils of Rochdale and the threat of the werewolves, the Doctor was less than impressed with the actions of James in not offering a chance or any kind of leniency. It seems there will be another meeting between James and the Doctor at some point in the future which is very exciting given how things were left here. James wasn’t sure if that next meeting would be as friends or enemies which is daunting! As a listener, it’s very exciting and I can’t wait to hear how things go! Overall, a terrific adventure. 

Rating: 9/10