The Dark Flame

Main Range #42

Released: 28 March 2003

Listened: 12/2/20

This one is considered another “side step,” which follows the novel continuity, which in this case means that Benny is around and Ace has military training. The Doctor drops in on an old friend, who is, of course, part of a highly dangerous experiment, and who gets killed fairly early on. Benny is also trying to help an old friend, another archaeologist, who’s forced into digging up a skull for some other scientists from the experiment, because they’re trying to resurrect yet another powerful being from another dimension. The whole thing feels rather too long, with the Doctor varying between being casual about his plans (because at this point, defeating extradimensional powers is what he calls Tuesday), and screaming as his mind is taken over. There’s a robot assistant named Joseph in this story, which is supposed to tie in with robot assistants that Benny has later in her timeline, but the continuity doesn't line up. With Benny and older Ace both in the story, there’s plenty of sarcasm to go around, but to little real end. There just isn’t a lot in this story to hold my interest. This is the last Main Range appearance of Benny, but far from her final appearance in Big Finish or in this project.