Audio CD review
Big Finish
Starring Sylvester McCoy, Maryam D’Abo, Nicholas Briggs
Release date Out now

A recently thawed out seventh Doctor assists an Antarctic expedition as they uncover mysterious alien creatures locked under the ice. But the creatures seem familiar to the Doctor …

Under express orders from Big Finish, reviewers have been asked not to reveal the identity of the old enemies that have been resurrected for this production. You won’t hear it from us, although it’s not exactly difficult to guess which baddie is getting another shot at besting the Doctor.

Sadly, without the surprise appearance of the xxx to discuss, there is little else to recommend this story. The plot is not especially engaging and simply involves a rather typical alien race being thawed out, menacing a few humans and then being stopped by the Doctor. It’s been done so many times and, despite its icy setting, fails to retain any sense of freshness.

The special guest star, former Bond girl Maryam D’Abo offers a shockingly random accent that sounds like it belongs in a bad sitcom, while Anthony Calf does his best in a rather dull role. Even Nicholas Briggs, adding another alien voice to his impressive repertoire, sounds like he’d much rather be back in Cardiff voicing Daleks or the Cybermen.

There are some plus points. Sylvester McCoy, sans companion this time, gives an excellent performance as the initially confused Time Lord. He soon develops the authority, humour and intelligence that he rarely got the chance to display on television.

As is now typical of Big Finish, the production feels polished and opulent. Yet at its heart, this is simply a rehashing of Tomb of the Cybermen which told the same kind of story far more effectively 40 years ago. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 4/10

A below average story with an over-reliance on its ‘surprise’ villains, this icy tale is unlikely to melt any hearts.