Doctor Who: Solitaire (The Companion Chronicles) (edition 2010)

Brings back two interesting Who figures - Charley Pollard, a Big Finish companion created for their Eighth Doctor audios (and later getting a second run with the Sixth Doctor) and the Celestial Toymaker, voiced here by David Bailie, who was Dask in The Robots of Death but also did the Toymaker in Big Finish's resurrection of The Nightmare Fair earlier this year. I thought this was a brilliant two-hander, and I think it could be appreciarted even by Who fans with only a vague idea of Charley and/or the Toymaker; Charley is trapped in a peculiar toyshop and must work out what she is doing there, and indeed who she is. Continuity-wise it is set in her early days, before any later adventures in parallel universes etc, and is all the better for that simplicity. Great fun. I objected earlier to Companion Chronicles which do not feature the first four Doctors but I'll make an exception for this one. ( )

The newest Companion Chronicle, John Dorney's Solitaire, brings India Fisher back as Charley Pollard-- and not just as Charley Pollard, but as Charley Pollard Classic. This audio drama takes place during the height of Big Finish's eighth Doctor range, in the second season, when it was just the eighth Doctor and Charley. Back before the Viyrans, before Mila, before Lucie Miller, before C’rizz, before Zagreus. (Not to mention, before the awful Nick Briggs theme arrangement. David Arnold is back, baby!) This one of my favorite eras of Doctor Who full-stop, and I was delighted that we get to return to it here.

Above all, of course, India Fisher's Charley is just a delight to listen to. The fact that we get not only her welcome return and excellent performance, but a strong story and a good guest star are just bonuses. Solitaire is an enjoyable installment in The Companion Chronicles, especially for people like me who think that 2002 is one of the best years of Doctor Who ever.

You can read a longer version of this review at Unreality SF.