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The Ninth Doctor Adventures Series 3 #2.1

Released: 3 August 2023

Listened: 10/2/23

This boxed set is called “Travel in Hope,” and for the most part, it has a lighter, friendlier take on the Ninth Doctor, even if that doesn’t necessarily fit the story’s setting. This first one is a claustrophobic, small-cast story that’s perfect for audio, as the Doctor and the main character only interact via radio for the first half of the story. It’s also got a very new-series “used future” feel, where humanity’s technology has advanced, but the way we treat people hasn’t. Capitalism, especially, is still alive and well. Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle take advantage of the fact that the listener can’t see what’s going on to make Vyx into a semi-unreliable narrator. The resolution may be a bit of an anticlimax, but it’s in keeping with the tone of the season.