Lionesses in Winter

"My baby boy died but his ghost grew up."

Writer: Lisa McMullin

Format: Audio

Released: November 2025

Series: Thirteenth Doctor Adventures 1.03

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz

Synopsis

England, 1183 – The court of Henry II. The Doctor and Yaz gatecrash a right royal – if terrifyingly dysfunctional – family Christmas as Henry's estranged wife Eleanor returns to spend Yuletide with the fam. The Doctor and Yaz uncover an imposter amongst them, but who are they really? And what do they want?

Verdict

Lionesses in Winter was another great audio to continue the bimonthly releases of Thirteenth Doctor Adventures! There's definitely a theme of vampires floating around which is intriguing and I wonder if that's just gentle continuity making a nod to Vampire Weekend as the series opener, or if there's something more at plat with a long term arc? Either way I like it and the concept of Yaz not having a reflection feels like something we must be coming back to. Whether we will or not is yet to be determined, but it's something for me to look out for in the next release. One thing I must say is that despite the high quality of the series so far and how absolutely delightful it is to have Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill back in their roles as the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz, the repetitive nature of the cover art is now becoming a little strange for me. They have all followed the same format and even colour schemes aren't too far removed which makes them really lose a sense of identity for me and that's a bit of a shame. Still, it doesn't impact my listening but is just more of a general comment now that the fourth episode cover has also been revealed. The story at hand was definitely a fun one as having the Doctor and Yaz at a royal gathering is always going to be fun, especially when the former introduces herself to the monarch by sitting on his throne! Now, I like the idea of doing a festive episode especially for this incarnation of the Doctor as we never got it on screen, but I'm not sure how much Christmas would have been celebrated in the manner we know it today back in the twelfth century! That was a little bit unbelievable with Eleanor mentioning to Henry II about Christmas decorations. They're seven centuries too early! That was a tad off-putting in terms of historical accuracy as it felt more modern than medieval, but I guess you can get away with that a little with no visuals? Regardless, one thing that this episode was above anything was just fun. Inserting the Doctor and Yaz into the family dynamic of the royals was amusing and them reflecting on their pasts together was hilarious. They had lost two of their three children which must obviously be heartbreaking, but it was their discussions about family infighting and turmoil that had a comic feel. It was obviously a serious matter for a child to try and usurp their father from the throne, but even Eleanor had gotten in on the act at some point as well! That was quite something and it made for an intriguing dynamic at the dinner table that's for sure. Henry trying to reconcile with Eleanor despite numerous affairs was admirable and it was clear there was still an affection there between the pair. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to study this period of history across my degrees so I was learning as well which I thought was done very well. The threat from the mirror dimension and the threat of Prince Philip supposedly returning from the dead was strong. The infiltration and using the grief of parents was a powerful topic, especially when they had both seen the ghost of their lost boy growing up. That was deeply disturbing! He of course didn't sound like Philip but Henry believing it being a gift from God showed how much of a stranglehold religion had on people at this time. I thought the way the fake Philip was repelled back into its own dimension was good and I like the idea of this universe rejecting him. Alys getting to travel in time when they went back to 1267 was also a nice touch and I loved her reactions. Overall, a bit of a quiet one for Yaz but that's no bad thing. She'll have plenty of time to be the focus. A great listen! A fun festive episode.

Rating: 8/10