Review by Daniel Mansfield

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Four years on from the last instalment in Big Finish‘s epic Dalek Universe series, companions to the Tenth Doctor and Space Security Service agents Anya Kingdom (Jane Slavin) and Mark Seven (Joe Sims) return for their own series of audio adventures.

This first boxset, The Voord in London, is a 60s-infused space opera full of throwbacks to beloved writer Terry Nation‘s stories from the earliest days of Doctor Who. The series opener and titular story, written by LR Hay, reintroduces Anya and Mark as they go undercover they track down a group of fugitive Thals in 1980s London.

It’s all very Life on Mars, which perhaps seems an odd choice for a series so steeped in the 1960s, but ends up really working. Anya proves more than a match for misogynistic police officers and alien Voord alike, and strikes up a strong bond with Madeline Appiah‘s Sola Akinyemi, whose storyline takes an unexpected turn. There’s some great imagery here too – a Thal nightclub, Voord rising out of the Thames – which makes this a worthwhile listen even if the story itself won’t blow your socks off.

Felicia Barker‘s The Thal from G.R.A.C.E. takes us into more futuristic territory for Anya and Mark, as they pursue a Thal scientist who has created a new weapon. This is the most action-packed episode of the bunch (which is really saying something, because there’s a lot of action in this set) and there’s some interesting exploration of the Thals, whose society and culture is fleshed out here to great effect. That said, it feels a bit overlong, with some less-effective side characters than elsewhere in the set.

Angus Dunican‘s Allegiance wraps things up, introducing us to Tia Cybele Reyn-Jerathé, a cybernetically-enhanced warrior who is also a surrogate carrying a very important baby. Despite this tantalising premise, the story feels sluggish at times, though there’s a gripping cliffhanger that promises more exciting adventures to come.

Overall, The Voord in London is a competent introduction to this new series and, though things don’t always land quite as they should in this boxset, it’s clear there’s promise in Anya and Mark’s adventures going forward. I look forward to hearing what happens next.

The Voord in London is available as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com