The Chimes of Midnight

"She was being haunted by herself."

Writer: Robert Shearman

Format: Novel

Released: October 2025

Series: Big Finish Novelisation 02

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley

Synopsis 

"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring..."

But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight.

Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and his companion, Charley, are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where even the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out. 

And time itself might well be the killer...

Verdict

The Chimes of Midnight was an outstanding novelisation of one of the very best Big Finish audio dramas there is! I was so excited when these novelisations were released because it's just such a wonderful idea and a whole new way to enjoy a story that's as good as this one. I would go as far as saying that this is a perfect Doctor Who adventure across any format. It really is astonishingly good and I was intrigued to see how it would fare in prose, but it absolutely succeeds just as well which is a huge compliment! That strange and eery feeling was very much present which is a magnificent feat without any complimenting sound effects. I also thought the characterisation of the Eighth Doctor and Charley was tremendous and it's wonderful that this pairing get a full length book together. I think it's great that in what are hopefully just the first Big Finish novelisations that we get pairings exclusive to Big Finish. If this is a reader's first time introduction to Charley as companion then it's a great one! Sure, it would be beneficial to know the backstory of what happened in Storm Warning with her being saved from the R101 despite history recording her as dead, but I feel that was more than explained here which was magnificent. The titular story is actually one of very few audios that I have listened to more than once and that's down to the Covid Tweetalong so the story elements were certainly familiar, although I completely forgot that Edward Grove being alive was referring to the Edwardian house! I feel like I remembered just before reading the word that served as the revelation and I was kicking myself for forgetting. Twice! It's just an incredible setup and the story does a better job than any other in being suited for the Doctor and companion that feature. The Eighth and Charley are the epitome of Edwardian so the staff here were fantastic characters to go alongside them. Mr Shaughnessy as the butler is quite someone with how committed to the role he is and the bluntness everybody had towards Edith (or sometimes Mary) as the scullery maid actually became a tad say. They really did see everybody as just the sum of their role in the house, and the murders occurring was not a sad occasion to them but more so an inconvenience to the running of the household. Especially at Christmas! Despite the published date, I read this two weeks prior to Christmas so I was feeling festive which I do think would have helped enhance my enjoyment of what is already a classic! Mrs Baddeley is a fine character and it just wouldn't be the novelisation without it not being Christmas without her famous plum pudding! I think that's become such an iconic phrase and I just love it. The description of her murder with her being stuffed full of her own plum pudding is definitely the most gruesome of the bunch! Well, either that or Mary with her knitting needles stabbed into her head and her walking like antennae. I think the emotion that comes from the paradox breaking as Charley remembers Edith and her being saved and therefore Edith not committing suicide to join her in death is incredible stuff. It was presented so strongly in prose which was impressive. Charley professing her love for the Doctor throughout the book is a stark reminder of her feelings early on in her travels and the way she was teased throughout for him not feeling the same way provided a lot of sympathy. I could say so much more but I'd probably just be repeating previous feelings on story elements from the two blog entries I already have published of the audio format of this story. But just what a joy to read. Quite simply divine. It absolutely works in prose just as well as it did on audio and that might just be the biggest compliment I can give it. A perfect story. 

Rating: 10/10

A Ghost Story for Christmas

"They need a medium."

Writer: Alan Barnes

Format: Comic Strip

Released: December 2025

Printed in: DWM 624

Featuring: Fifteenth Doctor

Synopsis

The Fifteenth Doctor arrives at the BBC in the 1970s amidst a walkout in the wake of something paranormal at TV Centre. 

Verdict

A Ghost Story for Christmas was a good little story to serve as the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip Christmas special! I think it's a very good move to go festive with this one and not just have one part of a much bigger adventure. It feels Christmassy and that's good despite it being more of a ghost story which is something I personally associate more with Halloween. It only feels like yesterday since it was Halloween so to now be right into the festive season has been sprung upon me! I'm writing this blog entry nearly a month prior to the published date which is a little funky but it's good to get ahead. I do find the continuity for the Fifteenth Doctor comics to be a little all over the place at the moment as we're jumping around from a companion to no companion which means the timeline is constantly shifting either side of Joy to the World. It's not the biggest issue in the world but I just think the comic strip format is being a little wasted and to be honest that's felt like the case for a number of years now with the exception being Liberation of the Daleks. That showed what the format and placement can be used for in carrying the current adventures of the Doctor for over a year! Now, after the events of The Reality War we don't really have a current Doctor which is strange but I don't see why we wouldn't stick with Belinda as the latest companion? She could certainly do with some more stories off screen and the Vindicator would definitely need the extra readings! I thought the characterisation of the Fifteenth Doctor here was strong and that's actually quite difficult to achieve without a companion in my opinion. His enthusiastic and bubbly nature means he's best when bouncing off somebody else in discussion. His dubbing of the paranormal investigators here as Fred and Daphne was great because who doesn't love a Scooby Doo reference? I thought the story had strong Hide vibes which is a big compliment and I absolutely adored the reference to Shada with the strike at the BBC and the Doctor landing in something looking very much like Professor Chronotis's room. That was magnificent and really niche which I appreciated an awful lot. That's where this format is wonderful and that was also seen with the flashback to the Eighth Doctor and Izzy. A little more on that would have been welcomed. At its heart, the story is a pretty simple one really and I think that's why it doesn't quite get a higher rating from me because it was almost too simple! That's certainly the case when it comes to the resolution as I thought that was far too quick and I was flicking through the pages I was almost getting excited that we may have a much needed two extra pages for the story as I was thinking there's no way the adventure can conclude in one page from the fifth onwards! But alas it did with the Hunter being returned to the mirror with the Doctor simply recapturing it within at the push of a button. That made sense but it was just very quick. Something alluding to that being the way to defeat it earlier on would have been beneficial. The Doctor taking the mirror image away was fun and I loved the legend behind it of the creature coming out at moonlight, but with it now in the Time Lord's hands I don't think it'll be seeing moonlight again anytime soon! Overall, a good little comic strip adventure for sure that would have benefited from a few more pages to add depth to the resolution. 

Rating: 7/10

Dare You

"Even aliens can fall on hard times."

Writer: Lisa McMullin

Format: Audio

Released: December 2025

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 4.03

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

Something or someone is playing truth or dare with the people on the Powell Estate. And it's dangerous to play games with a Time Lord. 

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can REALLY hurt you.

Verdict

Dare You was an outstanding audio adventure to continue my way through the fourth series of Ninth Doctor Adventures! This really does seem to have rounded out a Powell Estate trilogy rather nicely and whilst that does serve as a great reintroduction to the era of Series 1, I do hope we can now take the Ninth Doctor and Rose beyond Earth which barely happened on screen. Now's the chance with the nine episodes remaining over the next year and a half to really push the boundaries, but this was a solid start in doing that in a familiar setting! I'm loving the emphasis on Jackie because she really is a fun character and injects charisma and humour into a story with ease. I thought the performances of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper once again were mesmeric in bringing back to life their characters of two decades ago and it really does feel incredibly authentic. Touching upon the events of Father's Day here as well was brilliant in terms of chronology and the emotional state of Rose. The insinuation that she might subconciosuly blame the Doctor for him being dead despite him always having died in 1987 is quite incredible. But the mind plays tricks and gets us questioning and that's where this episode excelled. The concept behind the Hellion was really impressive and it definitely had vibes of being part of the Pantheon that would challenge the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors. It was a cosmic mischief maker and that's got great potential but I think the fact it was also immature added a lot. For Rose it was actually something of an emotional leaver which I admired and showed why she's a very good companion. The discussion on those internal desires that could become a consumption was marvellous and I loved the idea of the fear of falling actually being a desire to fly. That's somewhat beautiful. Digging deep into the Ninth Doctor being a Time Lord here felt good because that wasn't exactly always at the forefront on screen, but for him he would be incredibly dangerous without filters. The Hellion taking away his natural restraints and throwing him into the Void was really fascinating stuff. I enjoyed how the curiosity of the Doctor got the better of him in being consumed by the words and the desire to explore what might happen when the Hellion got what it wanted. The fact all of the desires of those on the Powell Estate were linked to silly things was quite amusing and I couldn't blame Jackie for wanting to topple the impressive display of baked beans in a supermarket! And touching upon the urge to step off a platform at a train station really resonated with me as I use that mode of transport a lot and I can confirm that urge absolutely exists! The way the Hellion spoke the title of the episode was freaky and worked really well in highlighting it as something evil. But Rose was on hand to show compassion and she would be the filter now for the Doctor that the mischief maker had taken away. I thought that was a lovely touch. I also liked exploring what Rose may be scared of and the Bad Wolf reference there was a delight. That just enhanced the authentic feel. I liked how the Doctor had to go back into the Void once he was pulled out and he was going to be ruthless to the Hellion, but Rose had a made a promise and with some companion convincing the mischief maker was grateful for the mercy that was shown. The Doctor still has a dark side as was clear here despite his filter being removed and Rose describing him as the scariest man she knew only perpetuated that which I loved. Overall, easily the best of the series so far and sets things up further moving forward which really excites me! A marvellous listen. 

Rating: 10/10

Hellion = cosmic mischief maker

Deadly Strangers: The Gloaming

"Just a little girl lost in a dream."

Writers: Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle 

Format: Audio

Released: December 2024

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures 14.03

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, Audacity 

Synopsis

The Doctor, Charley and Audacity arrive on Gloaming, a luxury sleep clinic in orbit around a dead world. Gloaming is filled with wealthy Sleepers, dreaming through the dark ages of their world in suspended animation.

But something is growing here, creeping into minds and poisoning dreams. Something the Doctor fought long ago...

Verdict

The Gloaming was an excellent audio to conclude the Deadly Strangers series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! This was certainly the best in the boxset and it coming in the finale is a great thing. I'm going to jump right ahead and dive into the surprise return of the Mara which was fantastic! I didn't see it coming and whilst I did work it out once the first hint was provided within the story, I really should have been paying more attention to the cover artwork for the boxset! Except, was this really a return at all? The Doctor referencing the likes of Kinda and Snakedance when it comes to his previous encounters with the Mara was magnificent, but this wasn't quite the same creature he'd fought and defeated before. That was a really intriguing element which I really enjoyed. This was a newborn Mara which was exciting but also convenient for the Doctor in that it became considerably easier to defeat. It almost feels like the Mara is being cheated on when the companion is not Tegan because her relationship with the creature was deep to say the least. The focus was firmly on Charley here who became possessed by the Mara and having the setting of the Gloaming where the wealthy came to sleep was excellent. That's a place rife for the Mara to have some easy pickings in digging deep into their desired prey's subconscious. I thought the story had strong Sleep No More vibes which is a big positive and I was worried whilst writing the synopsis that it would be a bit of a knock off. Thankfully, it was far from it and exploring the Mara as a nightmare was marvellous. I thought Audacity improved here as companion and it was good for her to be the one that realised she and Charley had been drugged into sleep through the tea by Meryl. She was an intriguing character who was clearly also going through a lot in her current predicament. Dekkar was a bit of a snobbish character which was absolutely the intent and it sold really well alongside Franz just what awful people the trio made. The fact they had abandoned their entire people and planet to burn whilst they came to just sleep it out and pay their way into the future was terrible. It's an incredible concept and did represent that kind of rich-kid stereotype very nicely. I definitely had a raised eyebrow opinion of them all. I thought exploring deep sleep was good and I love the potential that comes from it because as humans are we ever more vulnerable than when we're sleeping? That's quite scary to consider as well and the presence of the Mara invading from within is dark stuff that I really enjoy exploring. I thought the Doctor standing up to the Mara was really impressive and the discussion they had about regeneration and linking that to the snake form and how he shedded his skin was brilliant. That was really strong stuff. I was impressed with his confidence in saving Charley and freeing her of the Mara's pull and I feel like her love for him also played a part, but it also allowed for some tremendous references. Getting throwbacks of early Main Range adventures with the likes of Sword of Orion and The Stones of Venice getting mentioned as good times for Charley to draw back on was fantastic. I also liked the logic behind the newborn manifestation of the Mara dying out without a host. That makes sense and also develops the background of the species a little which I can appreciate. Another mention of the Causeway in the form of an investment peaked my ears as that's the title of the next boxset so I'm keen to hear how things play out from here. Overall, a fantastic finale! 

Rating: 9/10