Infamy of the Zaross [AUDIO/2017.11.23]

★★★★☆

  Every new series Doctor boxset from Big Finish has at least one adventure in it that's a love letter/pastiche/incredibly faithful recreation in atmosphere of their TV tenure. John Dorney's baby here is probably one of the best examples of that style of story, as not only is Infamy of the Zaross very reminiscent of the Series 1 and 2 stories of the Russell T Davies era, it's also a bloody good story that's as exciting as it is clever. A reality TV show in space that uses real deaths and has invasion outtakes -- that's that Season 24/21st-century fictional sentimentality blend that I'm so fond of in the early RTD series. It's all here, written with such wit and fun and performed to the hilt of its comedic and dramatic limit as well.

  Why on Earth did I think Billie Piper sounded weird on first listen? She's fantastic here, standing up for the underdog childhood acquaintance (Mum's friend's daughter) and being very clever on her own; Piper has lost none of her experience and cadences on the show, and she sounds like she popped straight back from filming Doomsday. David Tennant also (as always) sounds like he's fresh off his time from the show, with a bit more youthfulness, vigor and untempered anger as the fresh-faced Series 2 Tenth Doctor. They're on top form, and so is Camille Coduri as Jackie; the three make such a wonderful trio in whatever setting that you just don't want this to stop. Add in the devilishly fun tale about a mega-corporate TV reality show invading planets for the ratings and you've got an hour of pure fun, and a strong emotional backbone too (see what I meant by "incredibly faithful to the RTD era"?). It's the perfect opening story for a boxset, because it leaves you wanting more of this special feeling that it gave you. For the opportunity it gave him to show his Doctor's goofy and vicious side in equal measure, I'd still wager that Infamy of the Zaross remains one of David Tennant's best stories for Big Finish.