Doctor Who: Voyage to Venus

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Doctor Who: Voyage to Venus, Written by Jonathan Morris, Published by Big Finish

This seemingly one-off release features Professor George Litefoot and Henry Jago on a trip with the Sixth Doctor. The erstwhile Victorians (famed for an appearance in The Talons of Weng-Chiang and their own audio series) find themselves on Venus in the far future, where a variety of beasts are hunted by an all female race.

The story evokes the work of Jules Verne, and writer Morris has fun with the idea of Englishmen very much abroad. But the presence of the Sixth Doctor means an edge of darkness is never far away, and this tale takes us into the realms of child exploitation and would-be genocide.

The central performances are vibrant and suit the material perfectly. Primeval bad girl Juliet Aubrey also features playing a similarly power mad character in Vulpina, a member of the Venusian royal family. In fact, there is a rich menagerie of races and creatures in Voyage – all well imagined and realised.

Which just leaves two puzzles. Firstly, why is this release going for a song at just £1 on download and £5 on CD? The drama lasts an hour and is easily as good as a couple of the recent Tom Baker one disc releases. Secondly, when and how will the cliffhanger at the disc’s end be resolved? Perhaps the answer to that lies in December’s equally cheap Voyage to the New World. Pre-order it now to find out.

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