Pandemonium

"History shouldn't be breathing."

Writer: Katharine Armitage

Format: Audio

Released: April 2026

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 4.05

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

The past has broken through into the Powell Estate and not even the Doctor knows what's happening! With more and more historical figures appearing, it's a race to figure out what's behind this, before the past becomes the present and all hell breaks loose...

Verdict

Pandemonium was an excellent episode to continue the ongoing seres of Ninth Doctor Adventures! I thought this was another really strong story and I liked that it acknowledged the constant landing in the Powell Estate that has ensued for the majority of this range. I like that the Doctor landing there so frequently has now had an effect temporally and I kind of thought of this story as a contained version of The Wedding of River Song in how history was spiralling through the cracks into the modern day. I would say this was a little more controlled though as the figures from history all arrived one by one and were coming in some sort of order. That in of itself was a fascinating concept and when it was later revealed that they were coming through in the order in which they died, that really was quite intriguing. Talk about structure! The realisation in the TARDIS as well from the Doctor when he was announcing to Rose that they had arrived in the most horrifying place imaginable and simply stating 'your mother's' to his companion in answer to her question was just astonishingly good. I thought Christopher Eccleston was on top form here and I am so delighted that Big Finish continue to give his incarnation of the Doctor so much life. He really is excellent. Kudos must also go to Billie Piper in how well she is portraying the earlier version of Rose from Series 1 two decades later! The series feels so authentic and that really has been such a strong selling point of its appeal. Glen was a really nice character as someone on the Powell Estate that Rose knew well as a former babysitter and him being the one to have an account of everyone that had come from history was fun stuff. The importance of that book would soon be realised pretty unexpectedly but the mystery getting explored was all part of the story's fun. His being gay was obviously not a big deal to anybody in the relative present day of 2006, but the fact his Paul came back from the dead after some forty years odd was obviously emotional and it was just lovely that briefly they didn't have to hide their relationship. I think that's really nice and was a good showcase of how society has evolved. Jackie's relationship with Edith Nesbit was hilarious and I really do enjoy how much Rose's mum brings to these contemporary episodes. She's so much fun! I did like how she got a little serious in parts though and it was nice to know that she had trust in the Doctor to put things right. She was also very accepting of the fact that those coming back from the dead wouldn't stay for long. That was a tad sad for the community. I was impressed with the Doctor in working things out and I thought things did seem pretty ominous for a while. The significance of the Powell Estate was great but for me the highlight was how emotional things got for Rose as she realised that Pete might be the next one to arrive if the orders of death chronologically continued. The events of Father's Day are still relatively fresh for the Doctor and Rose so Pete is a very strong topic for them at the moment and even though he wouldn't be the real article, Rose cherished the idea of one final hug. I was surprised that Jackie didn't feel the same way and I can understand that because obviously she has managed to move on after nearly two decades. Grief was dealt with from different perspectives throughout the story and Glen and Paul were a big part of that, but the ambiguity for Rose as well at the end in not knowing whether it was Pete who called out was poignant. The threat of demons at the Powell Estate was really strong to set us up for what looks to be a mid-series finale in two month's time which is exciting! Also, the use of Bad Wolf in the episode from the demonic figure was glorious. Really well done. Overall, a brilliant listen! 

Rating: 9/10