Apparently Christmas releases are going to be an annual thing for the Short Trips range. O Tannenbaum continues the tradition begun by the previous year’s The Hesitation Deviation with a wintry tale from Anthony Keetch, better known as the recurring character of Co-ordinator Vansell in Big Finish’s early years.

A very atmospheric story which alternates between Christmas charm and dark horror

O Tannenbaum is a story of the First Doctor and Steven Taylor, read by Peter Purves. In a remote German mountain valley, they encounter a crying girl on Christmas Eve and do their best to help.

Purves can do this thing in his sleep: his readings are among Big Finish’s best. He’s aided by a very atmospheric story from Keetch, which alternates between Christmas charm and dark horror, and captures the voices of both characters as well as Purves’s performance does. It does kind of get weird, and I’m not sure how I feel about the ending, but it’s a decent listen that will draw you in a cold night.

O Tannenbaum (by Anthony Keetch; read by Peter Purves) was released by Big Finish Productions in December 2017.