The Shroud

Second Doctor Adventures #2.3

Released: 25 July 2023

Listened: 9/7/23

It’s another mission where the Doctor and Jamie are dropped in without instructions. The planet Nineveh has been attacked by something called the Shroud, which blocks off their sun, and any form of artificial light as well. That’s bad news for the human colony there, but an interesting twist for audio, as the characters spend a while in total darkness. It seems like a simple case of alien invasion, but of course all is not what it seems. The mystery isn’t exactly a ton of mystery, although it is a story that’s specific to Time Lords, so that’s good. Writer Boy Ayers is another new Big Finish writer, and he seems more interested in the high concepts than the specifics of the plot. He does write the Second Doctor fairly well, though; he seems a bit more relaxed and jovial than he sounded in the past box. There’s also an appearance by the Doctor’s recorder, and a very brief one by the sonic screwdriver, both of which feel very appropriate. This is a pretty good one, playing with the “base under siege” format. It ends on a cliffhanger, as Big Finish tends to do in the second box of a series, when they know they’ll be continuing on.