Review by Daniel Mansfield

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After reuniting with UNIT in The Ministry of Death, the Fourth Doctor and Sarah head back out amongst the stars for three new audio adventures in Lethal Progress.

Tim Foley‘s Green and Pleasant Planet opens the set, seeing the Doctor and Sarah join a group of astronauts as they explore a brand new alien world. But if the human race has never been to this planet before, how can there be a model English village there?

This is a quirky story that takes the listener to some very unexpected places, with moments of surprising darkness, really memorable villains, and a cutting critique of colonialism that feels very of-the-moment. Nisha Nayar‘s wide-eyed Dr Ulster makes the perfect guest companion for the Doctor and Sarah, so much so, in fact, it’s almost a shame she doesn’t board the TARDIS with them at the end.

John Dorney‘s The Continuum is comfortably the least effective episode in the set, purporting to be an adventure taking place in real time, but lacking the pace, urgency and drama required to make such a story successful. There are some effective moments of cosmic horror here, but the side characters are weak, and the story as a whole just doesn’t live up to its premise.

Fortunately, Lethal Progress ends on a high with Lizzie Hopley‘s The Audience. Drawing on Hopley’s experiences as both a writer and an actor, The Audience is a thought-provoking examination of the power of stories, exploring how theatre allows us to grow as people by experiencing things we never could in real life.

Sadie Miller puts in her best performance in the set in a series of heroic speeches from Sarah Jane, while Tom Baker gets to add a touch of vulnerability to the usually unflappable Fourth Doctor, who finds himself at the mercy of the story’s villain. With such strong central performances, some great sci-fi ideas, and a touch of philosophy, The Audience gets five stars from this listener.

Overall, despite a disappointing middle instalment, the strength of its opening and closing stories makes Lethal Progress well worth a listen. I can’t wait to hear where the Doctor and Sarah go next.

Lethal Progress is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com