Review by Daniel Mansfield

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With The Living Darkness, 2025’s only release in the First Doctor Adventures range, writer Jacqueline Rayner reunites the First Doctor with one of his most iconic companions, Steven Taylor. Steeped in 60s nostalgia, with references to a variety of the First Doctor’s TV adventures, some quite unexpected, this is one of the most successful of this series so far, Rayner skillfully marrying these nods to the past with fresh ideas and rich character work.

Starting off spooky, then developing into a more traditional Doctor Who adventure, and finally settling into an emotional coda to the First Doctor, Steven and Dodo’s travels together, The Living Darkness has a bit of everything. While the central plot isn’t all that compelling, it at least has some novel ideas, even if these play second fiddle to the strong character work Rayner’s script carries out.

Peter Purves steals the show here as an older, wiser Steven who is struggling to come to terms both with a great tragedy and his sudden return to a life of action and adventure. He gives a comfortingly familiar performance as Steven, albeit one tinged with the melancholy of an old man whose life has been shaped by love and loss, making this feel a worthwhile return to the character rather than a return just for the sake of it.

Stephen Noonan shines here too, giving what is quite possibly his most assured tun in the role of the First Doctor yet. As in last year’s Fugitive of the Daleks, his performance here is elevated by the fact that he gets to play off against one of William Hartnell‘s original companions, which makes his already-uncanny recreation of the First Doctor even better.

While Lauren Cornelius‘s Dodo only appears briefly, she gets some great material in this story, as we catch up with the character at a rather different point in her life than you might expect. Some previously underdeveloped parts of the character’s storyline are addressed here, and about time too, with Rayner retroactively making what has long seemed a rather lazy piece of writing from the 60s into something quite touching.

Teeming with nostalgia, but modern in its treatment of the characters, The Living Darkness is an enjoyable listen from start to finish. Were it not for a slightly drawn-out plot and the sidelining of Dodo, this might have outstripped The Demon Song as my favourite First Doctor Adventures release. As it stands, though, this serves as a triumphant return for one of the First Doctor’s most beloved companions, and a strong release in its own right.

The Living Darkness is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com