When we last saw the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) and his newest companion, Lady Audacity Montague (Jaye Griffiths), they’d just met up with one of the Doctor’s oldest friends, Charley Pollard (India Fisher), and set off for new adventures. But what lies in store for the Eighth Doctor and his friends? What adventures await Lady Montague onboard the TARDIS? Welcome to In the Bleak Midwinter, a collection of Christmas and winter-themed stories that take the TARDIS team deep into the darkness of the holiday season. Filled with ghosts, doppelgängers, and archaeological horrors, it’s a perfect listen for those dark, spooky December nights. If your idea of a good Christmas story is a dark, scary tale, then look no further.
Twenty-Four Doors in December by John Dorney
The Doctor, Audacity, and Charley land in 2003 London on December 1st – just in time for Christmas. And the Doctor wants to treat his friends to a traditional English Christmas – complete with a themed advent calendar. Meanwhile, horrific visions and haunting Christmas carols plague a department store Santa, Al (Jason Watkins). But when the Doctor hires Al for a holiday celebration at Baker Street, the Doctor and his companions must help Al overcome his demons before tragedy strikes. John Dorney’s Twenty-Four Doors delivers a very Doctor Who twist on Christmas ghost stories. After all, what could be more Doctor Who-y than a man haunted by the ghosts of his future? In a way, the story’s got a very Christmas Carol sort of vibe – just without the ghosts of Christmas Past or Present.
If you’re familiar with James Goss’ Expiry Dating from 2020’s Tenth Doctor and River Song box set, then you’ve got a good feel for the structure of Dorney’s Twenty-Four Doors in December. It takes the form of an auditory advent calendar, with each scene representing one of the twenty-four days of advent. And as the structure for an audio drama, it’s a pretty clever one. Dorney’s script offers little slices of the Doctor, Audacity, Charley, and Al’s month – and it’s an immediately captivating way to tell this story. Unfortunately, Twenty-Four Doors struggles a bit in the character department as a result. Charley and Audacity hardly make an impression in this story, mostly relegated to reacting to the eccentricities of early-21st-century Christmas celebrations. Even the Doctor struggles to come into focus. Instead, it’s Al’s story, though even he can’t quite overcome the format’s limitations.
Overall, Twenty-Four Doors in December offers a captivating start to this holiday-themed box set. Full of mystique and holiday cheer, it’s a Doctor Who ghost story to remember. (8 out of 10)
The Empty Man by Tim Foley
The Doctor, Audacity, and Charley run into radio broadcaster, Eldridge Brinkwood (Nickolas Grace), while hot on the heels of a strange entity known only as the Empty Man. But why is the Empty Man targeting this purveyor of auditory horror? Can Eldridge survive a real-life version of one of his stories or is this a Christmas destined for tragedy? Foley’s The Empty Man offers a fun take on a very classic tale of eldritch horror – the doppelgänger. Unfortunately, the story’s jumbled nature and lack of tension undercut the strengths of its premise. And so what should be a tense, horrific story ends up being a middling plod through well-worn Doctor Who territory. It’s not all bad, to be fair; just a bit pedestrian.
The big issue here is that there’s a general lack of tension. The story starts out on a high note, with the Empty Man chasing after Eldridge and the Doctor whisking him away to safety. But almost immediately, all of that momentum grinds to a halt as the story flashes back to explain how the Doctor and his friends ended up on the trail of the Empty Man. And from there, it’s just a lot of exposition and water treading to pad out the run time. Interesting enough exposition, but exposition nonetheless. To be fair, there’s a lot of solid character work here – especially between McGann, Griffiths, and Grace. But there’s just not enough meat to this story to make it worthy of such a fun premise.
Ultimately, The Empty Man offers a horrific premise with middling execution. It’s a shame this story came out so soon after Doctor Who‘s second 60th-anniversary special, Wild Blue Yonder, aired. Both stories do similar things, and this one just pales in comparison. (6 out of 10)
Winter of the Demon by Roy Gill
The TARDIS lands in Victorian Edinburgh right as the enigmatic Donald Shaw (David Robb) unveils his plan to revolutionize the city with electric light. But the Doctor and his friends quickly discover a hidden darkness to Shaw’s plans. A darkness that includes the horrific burning of seven people and a mysterious artifact with a deadly reputation. Can the Doctor and his friends stop Shaw before he unleashes a terror he can barely comprehend? Or is Edinburgh destined to suffer the wrath of demonic fire? Roy Gill’s Winter of the Demon brings this trilogy of stories to a satisfying conclusion, tying together the set’s ongoing storylines while delivering a very traditional Doctor Who romp in the process.
With hints of Pyramids of Mars and other similar archaeological stories, Winter of the Demon will feel very familiar to longtime Doctor Who fans – but that’s not a bad thing. There’s something really fun about Doctor Who stories based around mysterious artifacts and archaeological digs. That combination of history and science fiction is just such a fun one to explore, and Winter of the Demon explores it to great effect. It’s not the most tense story ever told, but it’s packed with enough twists, turns, and action to hold your attention. And Charley gets a fair amount to do here, too, which is always nice. Robb delivers a suitably mustache-twirling turn as Shaw, though it’s a bit of a shame he’s never given any real development. But the characters aren’t the highlight here – the weird, horrific plot is. And it works exceedingly well.
All in all, Winter of the Demon delivers a fun archaeological Doctor Who romp. It’s nothing special, but it brings the set to a delightful conclusion and even offers a few meaty character moments too. (8 out of 10)
Final Thoughts
While not quite as good as the previous set, Doctor Who: In the Bleak Midwinter offers an enjoyable trilogy of winter tales with a darker twist. Featuring ghosts, doppelgängers, and archaeological horrors, it’s a perfect example of Doctor Who‘s scarier side. If you adore a good Christmas ghost story, then this box set is perfect for you. But if you’re looking for more character work, then you’ll probably walk away a bit disappointed. In the Bleak Midwinter is a box set focused on its standalone stories rather than its ongoing character arcs. And there’s certainly an enjoyment to that, an accessibility to the stories that gives them a lot of repeat value. But it’s hard not to compare it to its more ambitious predecessor. Still, Doctor Who: In the Bleak Midwinter is a fun enough listen in its own right, and a perfect addition to the holiday season.
Doctor Who: In the Bleak Midwinter is available now from Big Finish Productions.
While not as good as its predecessor, "Doctor Who: In the Bleak Midwinter" is a perfect listen for those who love a good Christmas ghost story. Featuring ghosts, doppelgängers, and archaeological horrors, "In the Bleak Midwinter" offers a trilogy of stories exploring Doctor Who's darker side. The character work takes a backseat, but the thrills take center stage.
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GVN Rating 7.5
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