Doctor Who: Death's Deal

The tenth story in the series is read by Catherine Tate, who played Donna in the TV series.

The Doctor and Donna respond to a distress call and find themselves on a planet full of hostile life forms, which they then have to escape as they search for a maguffin. There are also space pirates and a mad old hermit involved, but largely so that there's somebody else to be threatened by the monsters. It's one of those stories that's much easier to do as a book (audio or otherwise) than on a TV budget, given the amount of CGI that would be involved, but it doesn't particularly inspire, or feel more like a Tenth Doctor story than one from any other era.

Certainly, the Doctor's characterisation is good, and Tate does a surprisingly good job reading his lines. And the incidental music is reminiscent of the era, which helps. But it's just not a very engaging or unique story, nor does it engage with any particular themes that remind one specifically of Ten. The best part is probably Donna herself, whose personality does come across strongly.

If you're a fan of the Tenth Doctor specifically - and, indeed, of Donna - it's likely a decent enough story, and a nice reminder of the era. But, to my mind, it's one of the weaker ones in this series, easily outshone by Nine's story if you're only into Nu Who, and by Two's or Seven's if you're not.