In the Bleak Midwinter: Winter of the Demon

"The darkness shall be turned back."

Writer: Roy Gill

Format: Audio

Released: December 2023

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures 12.03

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, Audacity

Synopsis

The TARDIS brings the travellers to Victorian Edinburgh. Industrialist Donald Shaw plans to transform the city with electric light, but people are dying, found horribly burned...

What ancient power has Shaw summoned? Can the Doctor prevent the Winter of the Demon?

Verdict

Winter of the Demon was a very good episode to conclude the In the Bleak Midwinter series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! It feels incredibly harsh to say this given that this has been a good and consistently solid series, but I'm actually rather glad to have reached the conclusion. That doesn't really reflect in my ratings but I think I am a little put off by the repetition of the winter theme. I understand this was a December release a couple of years ago and at the time of writing it is not yet Halloween, but I am just glad to be covering something different tomorrow! The story is a good one though and I was glad that we were out of London at least. Edinburgh is a stunning city and is one of my favourite places I've ever visited as a tourist (and there are many!), so to hear some of the famous landmarks described here with the Victorian twist was tremendous. I'm not sure I'd liken it to Athens but I can understand where they're coming from, especially at this point in history. There's something that just works about the Victorian era at night and that was the case once again here. I thought Audacity being shocked by the shooting was hilarious and showcased where and when she was from very well, and she was ready to fight! I still think there's work to do on the companion dynamic in having her with Charley as she's still very new, whereas here I really liked that the Edwardian adventuress was exploring her options. Her relationship with Archie was rather lovely and I liked how instantly the pair were smitten with each other. It's nice that Charley was keen to act on it as well at the end and had a few kisses with him. It was pretty amusing that she thought he deserved it though! He was a very good and likeable character though and so much so that the Doctor was willing to offer him a stint in the TARDIS, but he had other commitments which was admirable. I thought the use of the midwinter theme was good and probably the best of the series so far, with the coming of the demon being linked to the midsolstcace. That's always something that has fascinated me so tying that in with ancient language that even the TARDIS could not translate was exciting. I love the idea of language from a time before the Time Lords as that feels impossibly ancient and is a stretch of space and time I'd love to explore more. I thought the potential in the Demon here was strong but could have benefitted from some more time and focus. I understand that we had to establish things first and the link with the supply of electricity to the city of Edinburgh through Sir Donald was very good, but I don't think the arrival had as much impact as it could have. In saying that, the voice was a little off-putting for me so maybe the idea of it was better than the actual article? The use of the iron and the canon in killing off the Demon was certainly sudden! I also liked the horror of the revelation regarding the seven locks and the ritual that had occurred. Using people as a power source is a scary thought, especially in Victorian times! Everything feels worse in Victorian times, and I like how that played out here. Audacity taking a liking to Christmas crackers was a nice way to conclude what was a rather emotional episode and series. Maybe something a bit more upbeat next time, especially for a festive release! Overall though, a great episode and a consistent series for sure.

Rating: 8/10