Gabrielle Ketley reviews the latest Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures release

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When the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) receives a distress call from a tiny hidden planet, crying out his name in over 40 human languages, there’s nothing he can do to resist. Clearly someone out there knows exactly how to get the Doctor’s attention.

That someone is Gary (Joe Pitts) and Minnie (Máiréad Tyers), the only two true humans stranded on a planet populated by fake people, living their lives in a fake London, palling around with fake friends who are just a little bit too cheerful, and who eat their plates along with their dinner. Stranded on a planet of the uncanny valley, Barry and Minnie have been forced to live among their fake friends, Peter Ampersand Hashtag (Glen McCready) and Alice JNKL520 (Nicole Davis) concealing their humanity at all costs.

Fake Friends (Timothy Atack) reintroduces an old foe in the Nestene Conciousness, updating them to touch upon the new threat of AI. The story does an excellent job of tapping into the fears of AI without being too on the nose, including lots of excellent small details in the world building, such as dog walkers playing on a loop, station names that sound almost correct, and a Museum for Objects Slightly Too Large for the Door. These small but effective pieces of world building create a planet that manages to be utterly chilling, simply by taking a normal world and making it just a bit off.

The cast is simply fabulous.The Ninth Doctor and Rose (Billie Piper) continue to be our favourite crime fighting duo, (with their own high fives and everything). Meanwhile, Gary and Minnie steal the show, with their incredible chemistry and very likeable personalities. Having mutually assured themselves of each other’s humanity through the unanimous decision that the Cure beats out Pink Floyd, and discovered a mutual fondness for conspiracy sites about a certain immortal time traveller, they form a steadfast and touching alliance, which well justifies Rose’s query of whether or not the two have a bit more than friendship going on.

Between their engaging personalities, the small details of their home life, and the horror of their situation, having been woken up in a lab (or chamber, if like Minnie you want to make things more evocative), filled with tubes stuffed with fellow humans being drained for data and incinerated, you truly find yourself rooting for their survival.

Their fake friends sent to track them down and neutralise them manage to be equally likeable and enjoyable in that own way , providing both laugh and chills as genuinely frightening yet comedic threats. 

False Friends is witty, insightful, touching and creepy, with an intriguing premise and terrific execution.

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures: False Friends is available on CD or as a download from