Review by Daniel Mansfield

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After a year of boxsets chronicling his Last Day, it’s back to business as usual for the Seventh Doctor at Big Finish, though things still feel a little different as this time he’s paired up with ghost hunter Thomas Carnacki for three new supernatural adventures.

Opening story The Haunter of the Shore by AK Benedict sees the Doctor meet Carnacki as a young man (played by Joe Jameson) as he investigates a strange case at Edgemere Manor. The story itself is your typical time disruption narrative, but it’s elevated by some nice performances from Sylvester McCoy and Jameson, as well as a delightful guest turn from Caitlin Joseph as grieving widow Rebecca Firle.

Next up is The House by Georgia Cook, the best story in the set, which sees one of Carnacki’s old friends become haunted by a spectral house. Cook’s script is a creative twist on the classic haunted house story with some nice flashbacks to Carnacki’s childhood as well as some exploration of him as an older man played by Dan Starkey. The twist is easily guessed, though, meaning this one doesn’t have quite the impact it should.

Concluding the set is The Institute of Forgotten Souls by Jonathan Barnes, a slightly dull and dreary tale with a cool twist but not much in the way of great ideas. In all honesty I found it a bit confusing, with some weak side characters, but it was still an enjoyable listen

While this was a good boxset to listen to around the Halloween season, I did find myself itching to get back to the Seventh Doctor’s regular adventures with Harry and Naomi, as I’ve really been enjoying those. I wouldn’t want all of the Seventh Doctor releases to be like this, but as a one-off, this is certainly fun.

The Doctor and Carnacki is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com