Review by Daniel Mansfield

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Last month, Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) entered a new era in The Eternity Club 1, the first of a new series from Big Finish. Tim Foley continues the saga with this second instalment, which gives us two more tales featuring the Eternity Club and its oddball residents.

Opening story Rhubarb is delightfully offbeat. The residents of the Club find themselves unable to stop saying the word ‘rhubarb’ which, in traditional Doctor Who style, soon escalates into the threat of an intergalactic war – one only Benny can stop. With this tale, Foley crafts an intriguing mystery with an unexpected twist, though the story itself and the characters within it feel lightweight and undeveloped.

The same is true of Please Retain Your Ticket to the Cloakroom, a two-hander which sees Benny and Secretary Pym (Nickolas Grace) delve far beneath the club in search of a missing item. There are some extremely interesting hints here about the greater story arc for this series, and a very wacky set of antagonists the likes of which the Whoniverse has never seen, but Foley once again skimps on depth in favour of comedy and quirkiness.

As we’ve seen in ranges such as Stranded, one of the benefits of having a series set in one place with a large supporting cast is the listener’s ability to form connections with the various characters, seeing them grow and change as they react to new challenges. The Eternity Club, however, leans more towards comedy and lightheartedness than character depth, presenting us with a series of enjoyable 30-minute vignettes rather than something thought-provoking.

For listeners seeking lighter fare, then, The Eternity Club 2 may well do the trick. But for those who, like me, see the Bernice Summerfield series as the pinnacle of ambitious, emotional and character-driven storytelling, this second instalment in the Eternity Club range might fall a little flat. There are intriguing hints of deeper drama and character development within this release, so perhaps future instalments will explore these threads more fully. Here’s hoping the series evolves into something a little more fulfilling over the final two parts.

The Eternity Club 2 is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com

The Eternity Club continues next month