Review by Daniel Mansfield

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Over the course of her ten years of Big Finish adventures, River Song has bumped into characters from across the Whoniverse, from the first ten Doctors, Leela and Susan to Jackie Tyler, the Krotons, UNIT, K-9 and Captain Jack. Now, in the sophomore entry in The Death and Life of River Song, it’s time for her to meet a duo of TARDIS travellers who, thanks to their recent appearance in 2023’s The Power of the Doctor, have a whole new lease on life.

It’s time for River to meet Ace and Tegan!

James Moran‘s opener, Castaways, sees the Doctor’s two former companions stranded in Victorian England, where they find themselves caught up in a series of hauntings on the London Underground. They have no idea how they got there, and they’ve forgotten great chunks of their past, including their travels in the TARDIS.

Also investigating is the enigmatic River Song, who knows Ace and Tegan of old… but how exactly? We find out in two seemingly-unrelated stories by Roland Moore, each focusing on a different companion during their time with the Doctor as they encounter River for the first time.

Though both follow a similar structure – strange goings-on, no Doctor in sight, and the companion left to cope on their own – they’re elevated by some fresh ideas. Driftwood, for example, has an interesting new villain, a being that travels through wires, while Dead Rising gives us a novel take on the tried-and-tested zombie story.

Threaded throughout the boxset is Jonny Weldon as Gregor Ganley, a villainous scientist who seems to have it out for River, Ace and Tegan. This storyline culminates in a fast-paced, timey-wimey finale, James Moran‘s The End is the Beginning is the End, which sees the gang finally work out what’s been tying them together as they journey across time and space to defeat their collective foe.

While not as successful as some of the more recent River Song boxsets, Ace and Tegan at least feels like it has a reason for telling the story it does. The meeting of the three main characters isn’t just a random continuity fest à la River’s meeting with Jackie Tyler and the Krotons – it feels natural, and sets up things we’ve already seen on TV, filling in gaps and providing context. And, judging by the final scene, it sounds like, for Ace and Tegan, the adventure is only just beginning. I eagerly await what comes next.

Ace and Tegan is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com