The Shades of Fear set comes to an end with a double whammy of the returning Vashta Nerada and the Vermeen from the start of the set, opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of name value but it oddly works really well. Plus a few actually interesting guest characters and a great use of the audio medium all come together to make one of the better Ninth Doctor stories to come along in a while. Let’s take a deeper look…
The story takes place on the planet Solis Kailya which is bathed in red sunlight that could “revolutionise colony farming” but wouldn’t you know it people have been mysteriously vanishing due to the “monsters in the dark”. The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) happens upon the planet and meets Callen (Adam Martyn) and his seeing eye dog Doyle (Harki Bhambra) who as you may of guessed by the fact I just listed an actor, can talk thanks to a communicator around its neck. The Vashta Nerada kill a friend of Callen’s but The Doctor manages to get help them get back to their home base in time to save them. Callen’s mum Iona (Leah Whitaker) is your classic mix of pleased he’s alive and angry he went off so late and it’s here where start to see something different as the man who was with Callen returns with glowing red eyes asking to be brought back in, but due to Callen’s condition he’s none the wiser and lets him in.
There is something seriously off with Callen’s head compared to his body. It must be a bad photoshop edit if I notice it, to be fair to myself…
The red eye curse begins to spread even after they eject the person and The Doctor manages to gain the information that the Vermeen are back and working alongside the Vashta Nerada to spread and consume the galaxy/universe together, creating the “Red Darkness” to do so, controlling people through exposure to the red sunlight and using their skillsets to be active in the light and the dark, something neither could otherwise do. The Doctor sees no other option but to flee via the TARDIS but to do so he and Iona have to wrap their eyes so they’re completely blind, leaving Callen and Doyle their only hope to navigate the wilderness…
There are some really tense scenes here, using the fact that it’s an audio story to full advantage as we’re just as blind to what’s visually happening as The Doctor and Iona are. So not only is the Red Darkness a fun villain idea but the tense latter half of the story is a great use of the audio medium. Hats off to writer Roy Gill for that combo, plus Callen and Doyle are fun characters that are easy to route for, and make you worried for them during a chaotic finale…
The Continuity:
The overall Shades of Fear cover, with once again weird Callen head placement, even more noticeable now I’ve mentioned the other one on the single cover. Sorry!
The Vashta Nerada first appeared in the 10th Doctor TV two parter “Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead”, a story more note worthy for introducing the character of River Song, but hey-ho. They’ve made two other audio appearances in the Fourth Doctor story “Night of the Vashta Nerada” and the Eighth Doctor story “Day of the Vashta Nerada”.
As for the Vermeen? They first appeared… two episodes ago, at the start of this very boxset!
Overall Thoughts:
Red Darkness comes out of nowhere to become 2023’s first Doctor Who story to get a five. Admittedly it was only released in February, but still! Great concept, fun guest cast, a new twist on a familiar enemy, it’s hard to fault it for an hour’s worth of audio Who. If this doesn’t make it into the Top 10 at the end of the year then we’re in for some great stories over the next 10 months!
The Doctor and co make it to the TARDIS but Iona is infected and has to sacrifice herself. The Red Darkness make it into the TARDIS via Doyle’s collar but The Doctor manages to turn the two species against each other, leaving the Vermeen to get thrown out into the colourless void of space while the Vashta Nerada are dropped off in a harmless forest planet (dun-dun-dun! … It’s the planet from Night of the Vashta Nerada though, not their TV appearance. Still fun though!). Callen and Doyle, now with no family or home to return to, are offered a ride by The Doctor, though only to find him a new place to settle (can’t have any pre-Rose companions!)
Hogan Reviews 