Review by Daniel Mansfield

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After last year’s tense, horrifying Nightfall, the Planet Krynoid range returns for its second series: Survivors.

In Jonathan S Powell‘s The Hunt, we catch up with Sunlight survivors Letty and Tiro who, at the end of the last boxset, escaped a Krynoid-infested Verdana on a mission to seek help. It’s not long, however, before Letty and Tiro find themselves back on Verdana, facing off against a duo of bounty hunters who want to nab themselves a Krynoid, at any cost.

While Nye Occomore and Em Prendergast put in spirited performances, there’s not much in the script for them to sink their teeth into, Powell opting largely to avoid Tiro and Letty’s feelings about losing their loved ones in favour of action, adventure and, well, more Krynoids. There are some effective moments for the pair peppered throughout the story, but there isn’t quite enough of them to make the ending hit home in the way that was probably intended. Nevertheless, kudos to Powell for never shying away from the fact that this is a horror series, where no character, no matter how important, is truly safe.

Next up is The Harrow by Georgia Cook, which serves as a prequel to Sunset from the last boxset. Explaining how the Eighth Doctor ended up in a cryopod 100 years in the future, this story reintroduces Paul McGann to the Planet Krynoid scene, along with Nicola Walker as his faithful companion Liv Chenka.

This is very much Walker’s episode, putting Liv’s skills as a MedTech to the test as she comes up against the infectious Krynoid in a set-up that feels a lot like a Troughton-era base under siege. Meanwhile, Tamsin Grieg joins the cast as Overseer Ameseus Vail, a disappointingly small part for such a great actor. In a way, Grieg’s casting reminds me a lot of this episode as a whole; there’s great stuff there, bubbling away, but it doesn’t always come to the surface. Overall, this is a pretty standard Krynoid runaround, elevated by a great cast.

Finally comes The Harvest by Jonathan Morris, the most effective story of the trio, which reunites us with Fletcher, Maggie and Bryn from the first boxset. This story is Doctor Who meets Midsommar, the three central characters arriving at a settlement whose citizens are all about wellness and protecting the envirionment, but who are hiding a deadly secret.

Morris gives us a new (and rather bonkers!) take on the Krynoids here, which is a welcome break from their more traditional appearances throughout the rest of the set. There’s also a sense of forward momentum that was lacking in the previous episode, which pretty much served just to fill in a few gaps in the backstory, Morris pushing the narrative in a new direction ahead of the next boxset.

Meanwhile, Angus Wright is suitably menacing as cult leader Pater Dowlish, who has a sinister relationship with the mysterious entity Father Nature, while Ian Conningham and Sarah Whitehouse share some touching scenes as troubled couple Fletcher and Maggie work through their problems. Strong stuff all round.

Overall, Survivors is a boxset that definitely exists in the shadow of its predecessor, both in terms of story (Nightfall is absolutely required listening) and quality, feeling a little more derivative and plot-focused. That said, it feels like nothing else the Whoniverse has done before, which leaves me looking forward to the next instalment, hopefully coming soon.

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