The Ninth Doctor and Rose are on Cloud Eight – but what is the terror stalking a teenage girl’s nightmares?
The opening three stories of the current run of Ninth Doctor Adventures, reuniting Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor with Billie Piper’s Rose, took place in and around her earthly home – the Powell Estate.
Now, the series spreads its wings, and we head to the future. It’s still the Earth, but we’re in the 47th Century amid the floating cities of the planet’s second Dark Age…
Cloud Eight
Hopping forward in time, the Doctor and Rose swap the Powell Estate for a deserted Earth where her population live above. In the cloud city of High High Wycombe, they meet the residents who live an idyllic, leisure filled life with no work or concept of currency. These are the people who stayed at home while the rest of humanity took to the stars.
While Rose sees the benefits, sliding into a big-sisterly role to the teenage Elsa, the Doctor is naturally more suspicious. The residents of Cloud Eight are a submissive bunch, willingly adhering to a curfew and obsessed with good sleep hygiene.
The story comes from Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle, stalwarts of horror-tinged stories in the Torchwood range. They pair have also written for various Doctors, with last year’s The Quintessence a particular highlight.
Here, they present a seemingly benevolent environment with darkness lurking beneath. There’s a Macra namecheck at one point, and it’s a good touchpoint for how this plays out. On the way to that revelation, there’s lots of fun with pop culture references and great scenes as the time travellers become ensnared in the routine.
The regulars get plenty to do here and are at odds with each other at times. The empathic Rose sees the good in the situation, bonding with Elsa (Felicity Cant), while the Doctor can’t help but poke holes in paradise. In the wider cast, Charlie Condou and Lawrence Boothman play Elsa’s welcoming parents, while Louise Falkner is fellow resident Chihiro.
In summary
Away from the 21st century, ‘Cloud Eight’ provides another engaging adventure for the Doctor and Rose. It’s fun, a bit creepy, and offers a timely warning with its theme of creativity verses the endless recycling of ideas.
Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Cloud Eight is available from Big Finish now.
Next Time: Pandemonium
April brings ‘Pandemonium’ by Katharine Armitage.
The past has broken through into the Powell Estate and not even the Doctor knows what’s happening! With more and more historical figures appearing, it’s a race to figure out what’s behind this, before the past becomes the present and all hell breaks loose…
The story promises another return for Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler. She’s joined by Clive Hayward as local history enthusiast Glen, Kate Harbour as Edith Nesbit, and Nick Denning-Read as Paul/Samuel Pepys.
Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Pandemonium is available to pre order from Big Finish now.