Expulsion: The Reckoning

"If I could kick you out, I would!"

Writer: Nev Fountain

Format: Audio

Released: April 2026

Series: Sixth Doctor Adventures 10.01

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri, Turlough

Synopsis

When the TARDIS is stranded in the path of a neutron star, the Doctor, Peri and Turlough have to flee. They end up in seventeenth-century London, where another old friend, Christopher Marlowe, is trying to get out of a pact he's made. Marlowe's soul is on the line – but has Turlough also made a deal with the Devil... again?

Verdict

The Reckoning was a strong start to the Expulsion series of Sixth Doctor Adventures! After a pretty memorable cliffhanger last time out at the end of Red for Danger! which saw the surprise return of Turlough, this was an intriguing way to kick things off for a jumbled TARDIS trio. I think the trio on paper are certainly unique and it's fun to get this kind of mashup. I really like how audio allows that and it's just great to have Peri be a little older now and the same goes for Turlough, although perhaps not to the same extent. The two companions aren't quite strangers to one another but the events of Planet of Fire were very different for each of them! Peri arrived and Turlough departed, but we saw both in all of their glory! I did like how Turlough acknowledged that he thought strongly of Peri and knew he was leaving the Doctor in safe hands with her and just hearing the pair here discuss the Fifth Doctor was a nice touch. Peri was on hand to tell her fellow companion just how different he has been since regeneration at the end of The Caves of Androzani and acknowledging The Twin Dilemma and that uncomfortableness in the TARDIS console room about her being a spy was fantastic. Turlough obviously had a shaky start to life in the TARDIS and I really did think for a while that this episode was almost a redo of Mawdryn Undead. I wouldn't have been wholly against that but I would be lying if I didn't get a semblance of things feeling repetitive. The cliffhanger at the end of part one as the Black Guardian was supposedly revealed was pretty glorious and I thought the prospect of having to do internal battle with them again was excellent. I also really liked how the Guardian was presented as female facing. That was a nice touch and brought things up to scratch with the times. I think having continuity with Point of Entry was not on my bingo card in the form of Christopher Marlowe being present but I'm all for it! It had been a decade since I listened to that Lost Story but I think we could actually do with more of this kind of thing. It gives credence to the audio Whoniverse as a whole which is just wonderful. I thought the Doctor having fun with the TARDIS acronyms was a delight because Peri was getting pretty darn angry by his expectations for her to understand what they stood for. The idea of her using the TARDIS manual as a doorstop though! I thought Turlough working out that their surroundings were not real and that everything was a simulation was impressive and I must admit that wasn't something I saw coming so that definitely worked as a good twist. I think the idea of the TARDIS trying to give Turlough a test and seeing him as a threat is a bit harsh considering everything he did from the events of Terminus onwards, but I guess it was TESS as the backup defence systems and another fun acronym. I'm sure the old girl we met in The Doctor's Wife would have thought differently. The transition from a potential neutron star crash to the seventeenth century was pretty smooth although I must say the concept behind an escape wardrobe is just ludicrous. Turlough being tempted by the return of Trion was good and I like the mystery that came from him being uncomfortable with the memories the TARDIS was able to see in his mind. I'm looking forward to exploring the dynamic moving forward for this series which is just fascinating. Overall, a fun start to the series! I expect emotions to be high as we proceed and I'm all here for it.

Rating: 8/10