Review by Daniel Mansfield

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We saw the Powell Estate’s past in Father’s Day, its present in countless stories (most recently in August’s Snare) and now, in this second episode of the latest Ninth Doctor Adventures series, we get a glimpse at its terrifying future.

When the Doctor and Rose arrive on the Estate in 2036, they meet intrepid urban explorer Ellis Coates (Harki Bhambra), who tells them the spine-chilling legend of invisible killer Mr Fingers. They soon learn that this life-abhorring monster is far more than just myth… and he’s lurking nearby.

Christopher Eccleston gives a strong performance here, absolutely selling the threat of this terrifying villain. One moment in particular sees the Ninth Doctor pushed to levels of emotional anguish not yet seen in his audio adventures, and Eccleston proves he’s capable of rising to the material even twenty years after he last appeared on screen. Similarly, Billie Piper is as headstrong and compassionate as ever in her role as Rose, even if she doesn’t get as strong material as she did in Snare.

As the Doctor and Rose do battle with Mr Fingers in 2036, Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri) teams up with neighbour Brainy Betty (Mandi Symonds) to take him on in 2006, where he has also manifested. Jackie and Betty make a brilliant double-act: often eccentric, but simultaneously teeming with warmth and humanity.

While the characters and performances are top-notch, the story itself lacks tension and urgency, the threat of Mr Fingers never really being very well conveyed by the sound design. As such, the listener’s overall impression of this release is having listened to a lot of really well-written conversations, and not, as I suspect was intended, a spooky horror story.

Nevertheless, it remains a joy to hear Eccleston and Piper (and Coduri) back together after so long, especially when their performances are still as good as they were back in the day. The next episode, releasing in December, can’t come soon enough.

The Last Days of the Powell Estate is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com

The Ninth Doctor Adventures continue in December with Dare You