Knightfall: Shining Armour

"We have a castle to storm."

Writer: Robert Valentine

Format: Audio

Released: March 2026

Series: UNIT: Brave New World 4.03

Featuring: Bambera, Rix, Savarin

Synopsis

Sleeping dragons wake, knights and fae clash in the streets of London, and the countdown to the end of all worlds begins! 

Verdict

Shining Armour was a great episode to conclude the Knightfall fourth and final series of UNIT's Brave New World! With it being confirmed in the Doctor Who Magazine preview for this boxset that this was going to be the final instalment in the range, I figured there was only one way this was going to end and that was having Brigadier Bambera reunited with Ancelyn back in the realm of Albion. I think that's a fitting conclusion for their relationship and after a unique and somewhat shaky relationship that we've explored since Battlefield, it's lovely that they end on strong terms together. It's also nice to have a definitive end for Bambera as a character and given the nature of UNIT and just the Whoniverse in general, there's no reason why we couldn't have her appear in further stories just set before this one. I think the series as a whole did a really good job in bridging the gap of UNIT between the Classic and modern eras which has just been really fun to explore. I kind of think of this as the UNIT of the late-1990s and into the early 2000s and that feelings was definitely represented here. I've loved the main trio of Bambera, Rix and Savarin and I must say it took me a while to even purchase the first series because I wasn't all that interested and now I'm just really saddened that it's over! At least it ended in strong style as fought dragons in two different dimensions! That was terrific and hearing Rix on the phone to her partner Jack was great as she suddenly realised what was coming through the gap. It wasn't anything ordinary that's for sure! The way Storm Over Albion ended with Guinevere basically going mad and Arawn shot meant chaos would ensure. I was almost expecting a tad more but this was still really good stuff. It was nice to properly pair Bambera with Ancelyn as that's always felt like where things should go. Savarin having Guinevere under guard was good and I loved her resentment towards him for his life debt collection continuing here. I thought the flick back through time of UNIT antidotes against strange and whacky incursions was wonderful and harking back to Terror of the Zygons with the Skarasen and trying to use a similar device against them to wipe out the electrical impulses of the cybernetic dragons was really good. I liked the similarities drawn there and it's terrific to dig deep into UNIT's arsenal. What else might they have in their collection? I'd love to explore! I do think you have to be careful doing too much action in an audio adventure because we don't have the benefit of visuals, and I think there was just about the right balance here. It would have been so much better to see Albion and the dragons and beyond, but alas our imaginations were sent wild and that's no bad thing. I thought Rix realising that the resolution lay in the dragons being reunited as red and white was good even if it was a tad simple. Why would one find its way through the bridge in the first place? Still, Rix giving stern instructions to Savarin was fun stuff as she demanded he came to the Tower of London with the other dragon alongside. She really didn't ask for much! That then aiding the closing of the bridge with Savarin back on Earth but Bambera taking the place of Ancelyn despite his protest and sealing them off was powerful stuff. It was nice that Savarin knew it was Bambera and not Guinevere that had done it. She would be staying and Rix taking a minute to cotton on to what she was saying on the phone with its 'bad line' was a lovely moment. She was back with Ancelyn and that's always felt like where she would end up. Overall, a strong story and a fitting conclusion to a fantastic and underrated series! A really good listen.

Rating: 8/10