We begin the second half of 9DA Series 4 as the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) head into space and embark on an expedition to find the Vesterbold, a long-lost ship that just drifted back from the Dark Tides. Led by the Knights of the Atlas, who comprise of Sir Cal (Ben Arogundade), wise man Holbrook (David Shaw-Parker), and young squire Mervyn (Sam Stafford), it’s a space quest with a medieval twist by Tim Foley (who previously wrote the opener, Snare). Totally not a stereotypical swashbuckling voyage!
On board the Vesterbold, they discover what is seemingly the only survivor of the crew, scientist Dr Vivian Rest (Doon Mackichan). But she is not the person she once was. Vivian has since turned into a ghostly hologram, and the situation escalates as she uses her powers for malicious intent.
Released on 11th August, exactly five years since my favourite 9DA anthology Respond to All Calls, the script brings vibes of Oxygen and Wild Blue Yonder, plus a little bit of Lux: a chilling atmosphere with gritty concepts that work well on audio… not to mention the occasional sexism from the chauvinistic Knights, which I thought Rose handled well. I clearly remember when the story was first previewed in DWM 619, where they also announced Doon Mackichan as one of the main guest stars. And her performance in this couldn’t impress me more.
Overall, Dark Tides is a fantastic opportunity for the Ninth Doctor and Rose to have their first audio story set in the far future; away from Earth and the Powell Estate. Not to mention them retroactively wearing the iconic orange spacesuits (even though they don’t make their onscreen debut until the Series 2 Ood two-parter). It all dates back to the criticism of Series 1 primarily being Earth-based, with the absence of alien planets. Funny how this didn’t occur to me until I did some online research as I was growing up, but I never had an issue with it.
And coming in October: the Doctor and Rose arrive on a planet strangely bearing an uncanny resemblance to Earth in False Friends, written by Timothy X Atack. Make sure to check out this nostalgic “Next Time” style trailer!
The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Dark Tides is available now from Big Finish.
