Vampire Weekend

"Do you still want to travel with me?"

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: July 2025

Series: Thirteenth Doctor Adventures 1.01

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz

Synopsis

It's Gina's hen-do and her Maid of Honour has booked a large manor in the Peak District. All her friends should be here – including Yasmin Khan, who's been mysteriously quiet whilst away on her travels.

But Yaz is bringing a guest. Someone who isn't invited. Someone who might prove a little disruptive.

The Doctor is joining the celebrations. Unfortunately, so is an ancient enemy...

Verdict

Vampire Weekend was a strong start to the Thirteenth Doctor Adventures! I am so delighted that this series exists and with it alternating in a monthly schedule with the fourth series of Ninth Doctor Adventures, this is going to be a very exciting and much anticipated release going forward for the next couple of years. It's just wonderful that both Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill were ready to reprise their roles as the brilliant Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz so soon after their last on screen appearance in The Power of the Doctor, and they step back into their roles effortlessly. It was a joy to listen to them again and I like that this series will see the narrative gap between Revolution of the Daleks and Flux filled as the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz travel together with no males presents. It's tremendous to get a fully female led series and their chemistry is undeniable. The banter and humour that comes from the Thirteenth Doctor is one of her biggest attributes and I love those traits about her. Having her show up at the door for Yaz's friend's hen do with chickens was hilarious! I was audibly laughing in the delivery by Whittaker as she seemed so matter of fact that chickens was what you should bring to a hen party. Just wonderful with her running around with numerous eggs in her pockets! And the fact she named them both Ian and Barbara as well was tremendous. There was so much to love. I liked subtly dipping back into the lore of Time Lord history with Vampires present as one straggler of a long ago war. The Doctor being confused as to how the Vampire had the ability to travel in time was intriguing and even more so by the fact that detail was left omitted. I'm certain that will form part of the ongoing story arc across this series and I'm excited by that! The story turning into a whodunnit regarding the identity of the Vampire was fun despite the style being repetitive in its format. That doesn't mean it was bad by any stretch of the imagination as it was done pretty well and I must admit I didn't expect the culprit to be Boo Boo the dog! I think it's hilarious that we never find out the name of Gina's Mum and I wonder if she will return as someone we have met previously to form her true identity? Perhaps I'm overthinking things there but time will tell. I think it's good fun that Gina wasn't actually at her own hen do and that showed just how much the pressure was getting to Zoya as the Maid of Honour. I think it worked well to explore some of Yaz's ordinary life and her going travelling cost her the position of Maid of Honour which was a shame. I like the concept of a bite from the Vampire turning the victim into someone who couldn't stop telling the truth and hearing the Doctor admit how much she genuinely missed Yaz was heartwarming. Daryl and Mason were good characters too to compliment Yaz's friends and backstory to shape quite the little gang! Yaz going off travelling and having radio silence on her socials would seem suspicious, but it's good how everyone just hoped she was having a good time. And she certainly had been! At the same time, she was struggling a little in returning to everyday life and it was a nice anecdote for her to have reached out to Graham and Ryan. The Doctor's reaction to being bitten was unexpected in her excitement because that meant she could fix up an antidote pronto. She'd been tracking the Vampire from Macedonia to Pluto, but now she had the means to wipe out and used the forcefield from the TARDIS to do so. A TARDIS she'd parked in the middle of a maze! Gloriously silly. Overall, a joyous and fun start to what should be a terrific series. 

Rating: 8/10