Doctor Who: The Condemned

The standard saying about the 6th Doctor that “he's a lot better in the audios” has rarely been more true than here. The basic story is a locked-room murder mystery, with the Doctor himself initially being accused of the killing... something that always feels more of a threat in a modern setting than some futuristic SF one. (It helps that the reasons for this accusation are actually pretty sound, given the evidence available).

The 6th Doc is well written here, his arrogance recognisable, yet muted by his circumstances. In particular, this is achieved by pairing him with a no-nonsense female cop, who clearly has the upper hand for much of the story. For all that the story has shape-changing aliens in it, it's also very down-to-earth, making it feel unusually real and believable. As, oddly, does the fact that we're in Manchester for a change, instead of London.

Of course, there is also the companion. She's kept separate from the Doctor for much of the story, although the initial scenes before they part are actually quite funny as she lies through her teeth about her background (for reasons the listener knows, but the Doctor doesn't). She has rather more to do than one might expect, given how long she's kept prisoner by the bad guys. There are also some great character moments that make more use of her background than usual - most notably trying to get to grips with the concept of an Indian takeaway.

In a sense, there's a feeling of Clara here (although six years too early for it to be a homage), with the Doctor apparently taking her along largely so that he can solve her mystery. Unlike Clara, of course, we start off knowing what the answer is, so it doesn't end up consuming things, and it already looks a promising partnership.

If there's a downside, it's that each episode of the play uses the “reprise” concept of the TV series, something that had been abandoned in recent releases. This is a bit irritating. We're not listening to these episodes a week apart, we're listening to them back-to-back, so don't pretend that we aren't: it's just annoying. (Except, of course, for the unusual addition of a reprise at the beginning of episode #1, which is justified and appreciated for exactly the same reason that the others aren't).