The TARDIS arrives in alien woodlands, where a small group of humans hold tight against the the menace of the Takers – strange creatures who come by night to spirit away members of their settlement.
But if there’s one thing that the inhabitants of Purity Bay fear more than the Takers, it’s the dirt and disease spread by strangers. Strangers like the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa…
The fanatical Sister Mertil and her hygiene-obsessed acolytes are victims of a terrible corruption – but not in the way they think. Only the whispering forest knows the truth…This was the story that Radio 4 Extra moved onto after they finished 'Cobwebs' and that makes total sense cause it follows on where that left off, though it is perfectly possible to listen to it in isolation.
Again I enjoyed it on the whole. The story was interesting & the characters were a nice varied bunch. The actors were all on form - and as a huge Harry Potter fan it was a joy to me to be able to pick out the voice of Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley in the Potter series). And a real plus for me was that Tegan wasn't annoying in this story - I think I even heard some positivity from her!
For fans of the Classic series this audio finishes with a massive cliffhanger that links back to two Fifth Doctor stories - that's all I'll say. But I knew the importance & I haven't even seen them yet.
So any gripes? Just a couple of small ones. The last ep on the radio (the last 30 mins or so I guess on the CD) seemed to have just a little too much to do when it started, then it was added to. It could just be the mood I was in when I listened to it though - I followed it all but it just seemed a bit ... well too much (not sure how else to describe it). The other one is the character of Mertil - she was the one who grated on me this time - though again I think this was by design. It could be that it was her character that necessitated the change in Tegan for this - you couldn't two super annoying characters!
Anyway, those are just my thoughts. Radio 4 Extra are sticking with it & now playing the next story, 'Cradle of the Snake,' so I'm still enjoying my audios in the evening (though I took a break today & will need to catch up on the iplayer) & hope they continue for a while to come yet
