The Inheritance

The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles #3.1

Released: 6 October 2022

Listened: 12/30/22

This third boxed set with Jacob Dudman takes the conceit a little further. The first set was just a bunch of separate stories. The second were full-cast stories that all took place around the same time, but were unconnected. This time out, they’ve added a new companion, Valerie, and it looks like she’ll be sticking around for a while. She’s from the future, and a cybernetics expert (but nothing to do with Cybermen; she says humanity has outgrown that). She’s extremely sharp, strongly emotional, and seems to know what she wants. Alfie Shaw channels the new-series vibe in this one, with the story mostly from Valerie’s point of view when the Doctor blows into her life like a tornado. Everything moves along at a rapid clip from there, including minor characters dying somewhat abruptly, but the new series is like that sometimes. The big nod to continuity is that the Doctor is still looking for Clara, and willing to bend his altruism a bit to find her…but exactly how far is the question. Arabella Hendricks also makes a very clever baddie, one who’s always calm and calculating, and knows how to push the Doctor’s buttons to get what she wants, which is kind of rare. It’s a promising start.