The Ghosts of N-Space

BBC Radio

Released: 20 January 1996 - 24 February 1996

Listened: 2/12/22

This is the second BBC Audio starring Jon Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen, and Nicholas Courtney. And the last, unfortunately, because Pertwee died before they could make another. This one is both goofier and in many ways darker than the previous. Barry Letts is still the writer, but I just don’t think this is up to his usual standard; maybe he needs Terrence Dicks to help. It takes place in Sicily, because the Brig has somehow acquired an Italian great-uncle who owns a castle on an island, and who wants the Brig to help him defend it against a mobster who wants to buy him out. Sarah Jane and Jeremy somehow also happen to be in Sicily at the exact same time, which is bonkers. And of course the castle is haunted, which is why the Brig calls in the Doctor. There’s quite a bit of pseudo-science here, as the Doctor posits the existence of N-space as a kind of afterlife, which is leaking ghosts into the castle, and could have devastating consequences if the crack gets wider. That sets off some timey-wimey to various points in the past, to see where the ghosts are coming from. Those bits tend to be just the Doctor and Sarah, which is mostly pretty good, although Sarah spends more time in “damsel in distress” mode than she normally would, which surprises me, coming from Letts. Jeremy manages to be even more whiney and useless than he was last time, which is a real achievement, even when he’s trying to help. And there’s the American mobster and his moll, who have terrible stereotypical Noo Yawk accents, but I can’t blame Big Finish this time. Even worse, they’re played by Stephen Thorne and Sandra Dickinson, which is pretty much a criminal waste. Even the Brigadier seems to act foolishly sometimes. Oh, and there’s an Elvis impersonator for no good reason. The timey-wimey gets rather confusing at times, especially around when it’s OK to change history and when it isn’t. But the relationship between Sarah and the Doctor is a highlight this time. They care strongly for one another at this point, and that comes through clearly.