The Chimes of Midnight

Main Range #29

Released: 25 February 2002

Listened: 7/31/21

This story is widely regarded as a classic, and deservedly so. It’s a Christmas story, but not particularly Christmassy; it just happens to take place on December 24, and there is admittedly a lot of discussion of plum pudding. For at least the first half, it looks like a Agatha Christie-style manor house murder mystery, something Doctor Who excels at, but there’s clearly some temporal shenanigans going on. Writer Rob Shearman gets the pacing very nearly perfect -- the status quo changes from one episode to the next, so it never feels like the mystery is dragging out, and the cliffhangers are excellent. There are some strong parallels to certain new-series stories that I won’t spoil, but this audio came first, so one can’t blame Shearman. The story is also quite personal, tying in with Charley’s own history, and her status as a temporal anomaly, so that part of the larger plot is ramping up. Charley and the Doctor’s relationship is approaching a comfort level here; he’s still trying to keep her safe, but she’s comfortable needling him about his habits. They’re still ostensibly trying to get to Singapore, but the Doctor is reluctant. This one is top-tier, no question about it.