Frostfire

Companion Chronicles #1.1

Released: 19 February 2007

Listened: 2/7/20

The very first Companion Chronicle, but there’s no evidence that the formula hadn’t come together. In fact, this story has a distinct “new series” feel, although it came out in early 2007. The TARDIS lands in London, at the last Frost Fair (good thing they didn’t bump into Eleven and River, or Twelve and Bill (and Pete!)). They quickly get caught up with an alien killing swathes of people in Regency London, and meet up with Jane Austen late in her life, who acts unexpectedly heroic (although Clara isn’t there either). Even the frame story references the new-series concept that a companion’s life after they leave the Doctor may not be all happily-ever-after, which one would really expect for Vicki, living in ancient Carthage. As often happens in these early Companion Chronicles, the frame story and the flashback seem to be entirely separate, but end up being related, in this case by some time-travel trickery. The second actor doesn’t do much, really, leaving Maureen O’Brien to handle all the parts in the flashback, which she does admirably. It’s a good start to the series.