In Doctor Who: Deadly Strangers, we travel once more from the dangers of the Time War back in time to an earlier period of the Eighth Doctor’s life – a time when he traveled with Charley and Audacity. This time, the TARDIS team’s adventures take them from 20th century Italian opera, to 1970s Iceland, and deep into the depths of space aboard a luxury sleep clinic. Deadly Strangers’ stories run the gamut from swashbuckling romance to introspective psychological horror in a way only a Doctor Who box set can pull off. And mostly, it works. In the wider scope of Eighth Doctor box sets, Deadly Strangers feels a bit middle of the road. But it still offers an enjoyable listen from start to finish and a welcome treat for the holiday season.

“Puccini and the Doctor” by Matthew Jacobs

When the Doctor (Paul McGann) takes Lady Audacity (Jaye Griffiths) and Charley Pollard (India Fisher) to the opening night of Puccini’s (Tim McInnerny) Madama Butterfly, they discover there may be something more to Puccini’s enigmatic financier, Tura (Tania Rodrigues). But what interest does this mysterious princess have in Puccini’s music? Can the Doctor and his friends survive Princess Tura’s deadly riddles long enough to unravel this strange mystery? Or will Puccini and the Doctor meet an untimely end? Matthew Jacobs’ “Puccini and the Doctor” takes the romanticism of the Eleventh Doctor’s beloved adventure, Vincent and the Doctor, and amps it to an eleven. It’s a romantic, swashbuckling adventure that feels quintessentially Eighth Doctor-y.

Jacobs returns to Doctor Who after nearly thirty years, having previously written McGann’s only full-length televised Doctor Who adventure in 1996, and “Puccini and the Doctor” marks a very welcome return indeed. It offers a far softer, romantic take on McGann’s Doctor than we’ve seen in recent years at Big Finish. The plot itself, however, doesn’t necessarily offer much to write home about. Puccini takes a back seat for much of the story in a way that makes its title feel slightly unearned. But as a testament to the warmth and love of McGann’s Eighth Doctor, it’s a smashing success. McGann and Fisher in particular shine brightly here, with a lovely little bit of tension bubbling up between them. But it’s a lovely story all around. A bit lowkey for a box set’s opening story, but a warm, welcome return to a bygone era of the Eighth Doctor’s life. (8/10)

“Women’s Day Off” by Lisa McMullin

When the TARDIS team lands in Iceland in 1975, they find all the town’s women have gone on a work strike. But underneath that fight for equal pay lies a troubled young girl who leaves a wave of destruction in her wake. Can the Doctor and his friends help the mysterious Kyla (Molly Harris) control her emotions before disaster strikes? Or will this strike make the history books for all the wrong reasons? Lisa McMullin’s “Women’s Day Off” plays out a bit like Carrie meets Doctor Who with a healthy heaping of whimsy thrown into the mix. It’s a bit unfocused at times, much like the previous story, but manages to be a sweet story in its own right.

At its heart, “Women’s Day Off” tells a story about a little girl in dire need of connection. It’s just that, in true Doctor Who fashion, the initial connection she receives proves far more than she bargained for. The entire TARDIS team fades into the background a bit here – it’s Kyla’s story after all, with the TARDIS team merely revolving around her. McMullin’s script occasionally struggles to balance the social commentary of the women’s march with the emotional intensity of Kyla’s story, but on the whole, it offers up a fun historical romp. Once again, this story is nothing particularly earth-shattering but it is a sweet, enjoyable Doctor Who romp. (7.5/10)

“The Gloaming” by Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle

When the Doctor, Audacity, and Charley land on a luxury sleep clinic, they expect quiet serenity. But they quickly discover a darkness creeping into the minds of the Gloaming’s sleepers – a plague of bad dreams. When Charley succumbs to the Gloaming’s nightmare, the Doctor finds himself face to face with an old enemy in a battle for Charley’s very soul. Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle’s “The Gloaming” sees the return of the serpentine Mara in a creepy, emotionally charged thrill ride that’s one-part base-under-siege blockbuster and one-part psychological thriller – in the best way possible.

While exact details of the Mara’s return are best left unspoiled, her invasion of Charley’s mind gives India Fisher some of the best material she’s had to work with in ages. She delivers a truly breathtaking performance – strikingly vulnerable and shockingly vicious. At its heart, this is a story about Charley’s anxieties; her fears of being abandoned and unloved by the Doctor. And in that regard, Mooney and Pringle’s script succeeds with flying colors. All at once thrilling and emotionally charged, it’s easily the best story of this box set – and possibly of the entire Eighth Doctor/Charley/Audacity run so far. (9.5/10)

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, Doctor Who: Deadly Strangers offers a warm, welcome return to the world of the Eighth Doctor, Lady Audacity, and Charley. While it doesn’t push the envelope on what an Eighth Doctor box set can be, it still offers plenty of thrills, chills, and joys that make it well worth a listen. India Fisher shines the brightest this time, digging deep into Charley’s psyche – her feelings for the Doctor and her ongoing anxieties about their relationship. The stories themselves feel fairly standard, but they fall on the more pleasant side of standard.

If all of that sounds like faint praise, you’d be forgiven for that. It’s not that Doctor Who: Deadly Strangers isn’t good – far from it. It’s just that it’s also very standard, middle-of-the-road Doctor Who. Deeply enjoyable in every meaningful way, but in a year with some Eighth Doctor stories that have pushed the envelope, they don’t necessarily stand out against the crowd.

Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Deadly Strangers is available now from Big Finish Productions.