The Transit of Venus

Companion Chronicles #3.7

Released: 22 January 2009

Listened: 1/4/20

This was the first Companion Chronicle to feature Ian, and therefore the first to be read by William Russell, in 2009, although the series had been going for a little while at that point. It very much follows the “classic” Companion Chronicle formula, with Ian relating the story to an “off screen” listener, later in his life, which relieves Russell of having to make himself sound younger, but he does do a good job playing the Doctor as well. As for the story, Susan and Barbara spend most of it off-screen, even though Barbara is on the cover. It’s a historical, in the sense that there aren’t any aliens or monsters, just the Doctor and Ian on Captain Cook’s voyage to Australia, but the time travelers accidentally present themselves as aliens from Venus, and Susan’s telepathy plays a role, so it’s not quite a “pure” historical. Unlike a lot of historicals, it’s not unrelentingly grim, with most of the danger coming from Ian himself, entirely by accident. In that respect, it’s lightweight, but it’s valuable because it gives a lot of insight into Ian’s frame of mind, how his attitude toward the Doctor is softening, and his feelings toward Barbara.