"Phobos"
by Eddie Robson

Eddie Robson has earned himself something of a reputation since he began writing for Big Finish Productions. His stories have been praised for their intelligence and wit, and Phobos, his first contribution fo the first series of Eighth Doctor and Lucie stories, is immediately impressive.

It sees the TARDIS land on an icy mountainside on Phobos, one of the moons of Mars, where adrenaline-junkies take part in the extreme sports of the future, and stories of monsters haunt the human thrill-seekers.

Opening with a blood-curdling scream, Phobos gets off to a great start. Within seconds of stepping out of the TARDIS, Lucie Miller is wittily criticising the Doctor's parking - and it's particularly nice to see the "smug fop" himself starting to stand up to her with his own dry sarcasm. Ultimately, Phobos boils down to something quite simple, basic, and even slightly derivative in terms of plot; but the brilliantly-drawn characters and energetic pace manage to make this play much more than that.

There's also some thinly-veiled social commentary around the character of Farl, which is dealt with reasonably well, and there's a brilliantly-executed and beautifully subtle subplot of unrequited love concerning two male characters. Where the current television series can handle such things a bit clunkily, or draw unnecessary attention to them, Eddie Robson works them in gently; and, in the case of the unrequited love, he really pulls on the heartstrings. In terms of its script, this play is perhaps the strongest of the run so far.

As has become the norm for this season, the actors and actresses all perform marvellously. Sheridan Smith and Paul McGann are a brilliant team, putting in varied and considered performances. Of the guest cast, the wonderful Nerys Hughes is under-used as Eris, and Timothy West's turn as Kai is magnificent, but Ben Silverstone as Drew made the biggest impression on me, playing his part sensitively and skilfully, despite having a much smaller role than the 'big names'.

Katarina Olsson plays a handful of different characters as usual, and her range and versatility is remarkable. Her ability as an actress is immense, and each character she portrays is different and individual, but none are as chilling as her recurring role as the Headhunter, who appears in a fantastic scene concluding the play.

The extras on this disc are as formulaic as the previous ones, but the contributors' insight is interesting enough to make them worthwhile. Most enjoyable is Nerys Hughes, whose detailed analysis of her character's personality and relationships shows that she's put a lot of thought and work into her role, and is very enthusiastic about the experience.

To be honest, it's worth buying this CD purely for Lucie's reaction to the Doctor as he excitedly jumps around in the moon's low gravity; but if you want more than that, Phobos is the place to get it. Creepier and darker than the preceding stories, but also exciting and fun, this CD is yet another triumph.