Three For Six

“Out of the Darkness” is a trilogy of three Doctor Who audio readings featuring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri.  I think this release was first published about twenty years ago as part of BBC Radio Collection.  I think a couple of the stories were first published in the “Short Trips” volumes several years ago.

The first story is “Moon Graffiti” by Dave Stone in which both Baker and Bryant share the narration.  The Doctor and Peri are caught in a struggle between humans in the far future and aliens known as the parachnids.  I remember Stone’s earlier contributions in the novel ranges and found him to have some of stranger offerings in the series, which is saying something for Doctor Who.  Baker and Bryant are both well practiced narrators and performers, but there was not much to make this all that memorable to me.

“Wish You Were Here” by Guy Clapperton was presented by Baker all on his own.  The Doctor looks in the disappearance of an old friend where he encounters an alien holiday camp and a strange robot Redcoat.  Once again, it is Baker’s somewhat bombastic delivery that helps me stay somewhat interested, however only somewhat.

“Vigil” by Michael Collier completes this little anthology and this time is read by Nicola Bryant all on her own.  The Doctor and Peri arrive in Hastings and find that a serial killer may be on the loose, or it could be something else more troubling.  This is probably the best of the three entries, but once again nothing to write home about.

This is fine for fans such as myself who just had never heard it before, but I am not sure there is much to really miss here.  There is nothing really horrible about it, and Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are compelling readers and performers as they usually are on audio, but nothing really popped for me in the actual stories.