Vampires. Werewolves. Man-made monsters with more than a hint of the Frankenstein in their creation. Intrepid journalist James MacFarlane has seen some terrible and wonderful things in this strand of original Doctor Who audiobooks. He’s done it all in the company of the equally intrepid Time Lord known only as the Doctor. So when MacFarlane finds him working as a locum vet in 1880s Galway in The Force of Death, there’s no doubt horrors and dangers to follow. Sure enough, it’s not long before the pair’s tour of classic monsters continues with zombies.

It’s a slightly anachronistic match up, meta-textually. After all, shambling corpses roaming the land in search of brains wouldn’t find a place in the horror hall of fame until almost a century after this story is set. But that hardly matters. Especially as it’s a far more entertaining foe than the giant otter MacFarlane has travelled to Ireland in search of. Anyway, as you’d expect in Doctor Who, there’s also an alien intelligence at work.

A zombie movie by way of Doctor Who, filtered through the lens of BBC afternoon detective shows, The Force of Death is cosy and mild fare

Their plans, once we learn them, aren’t actually terribly ambitious as alien invasions go. But then The Force of Death isn’t particularly ambitious as a story either. There isn’t much of a mystery to puzzle over, or a cunning high risk plan to stop them. It’s a compromise due to the tale’s brevity, maybe, but some more complexity might have been welcome. Loose ends a plenty dangle at the conclusion too, the Doctor more or less shrugging off the rather vague fates of some of those caught up in events.

The audiobook’s largely content to have our heroes explore the coast and farms of Ireland’s wild Atlantic way. They interview witnesses, and examine mutilated animals missing their brain. There’s also the odd encounter with the unquiet dead wandering ashore following a recent shipwreck. Despite the gore and morbid subject matter the presentation is as gentle and safe as an episode of Father Brown. And as detective duos go, MacFarlane and Murphy (as the Doctor calls himself now) are an agreeable pair. Indeed, you could almost consider these stories a whole new sub-genre. (‘Cosy Cryptids’, anyone?) MacFarlane’s views on Ireland and the Irish might make him difficult for some to warm to, though. (He doesn’t care much for either.) But then, that’s Victorian English Imperialists for you.

Dan Starkey gives another terrific reading, bringing the Eighth Doctor to life with precision and warmth

As with all MacFarlane’s previous appearances, The Force of Death is written by Andy Lane, and brought to life by reader Dan Starkey. It’s a lively, fast paced affair. At just over an hour it’s perhaps the sort of runaround adventure we might expect from an actual Eighth Doctor television series. Starkey makes a splendid Eighth Doctor too, capturing not just Paul McGann’s unique voice and vocal mannerisms, but also his performance in the role.

Last time, in The Teeth of Ice, there were hints of some underlying reason for the Doctor and MacFarlane repeatedly meeting each other. There was also a promise of fall out from the reporter stepping over a moral line the Doctor himself would never cross. Beyond some slight trepidation about the greeting he can expect, neither of those pay off here. However, it’s unclear if those subplots are being abandoned, or simply being held back for next time.

The Force of Death won’t change the world. But it’s a pleasant way to pass an hour in the Eighth Doctor’s company. If it were a television episode, it would be a low stakes mid-season runaround like The Idiot’s Lantern or Amy’s Choice. But with Big Finish plunging the Eighth Doctor into one universe devastating multi-box set epic after another, there’s something to be said for that.

Doctor Who: The Force of Death

The Doctor is working undercover in 1890s Galway whilst investigating the mysterious sinking of the RMS Majestic. Witnesses recall something huge crashing into the sea, causing a massive wave which overturned the ship. Could it have been the mythical sea creature known as the Dobhar-chu?

Also on the scene is James MacFarlane, intrepid journalist and friend of the Doctor. Reunited, the pair discover death stalking the area in the form of animated corpses. The Doctor soon realises that aliens are present, and unless stopped their plans could kill everyone in County Connemara!

Doctor Who: The Force of Death is available as an audio download now, and will be out on CD on the 24th of October. Details of where to order can be found here.