Charlotte Pollard - Series One Box Set

Charlotte “Charlie” Pollard was the first companion of the Eighth Doctor in the Big Finish audio plays, starting her run back in 2001 with Storm Warning. She was last seen, having been forced to leave the Doctor for the second time, working as an agent for the Viyrans, a robotic race dedicated to eliminating contagion from the universe. Here she returns as the star of her own 4-part mini-series.

* The Lamentation Cipher – We pick up Charlie's story an unspecified number of years later, with Charlie feeling herself redundant to the Viyrans' mission, as well as somewhat starved of human company. The story concerns itself with her attempts to leave their service, just as she becomes invaluable to them for a reason that they refuse to explain. The opportunity comes in the form of a mysterious nebula called the Ever-and-Ever Prolixity (why is unclear, given that it doesn't even speak... perhaps it inspires prolixity in others) along with a rather strange Viyran with an agenda of its own. It's a decent sci-fi story, although more serving as an introduction to the larger plot arc than worth much on its own account, introducing characters and elements that will be more significant later on. 3.5 stars.

* The Shadow at the Edge of the World – Charlie returns to 1930s Earth, and finds herself thrown into what's essentially an HP Lovecraft homage. A group of women are lost in a forest in northern Scotland, pursued by monsters somehow connected to the ruins of a seemingly pre-human temple, and slowly being driven insane in the process. The story is somewhat weakened by the stubborn refusal of the women to explain what is really happening to Charlie, long after there's any good reason to do so (or, indeed, after it's obvious to the listener) and a slight over-reliance on the phrase “what did you just say?” That aside, it's a dramatic chase story with well-drawn characters, and (for good or ill) lacking Lovecraft's nihilism. 4 stars.

* The Fall of the House of Pollard - Appropriately for a series with Charlie as the protagonist, this story really delves into her backstory, rather than focusing on more traditional adventure fare. Set a few years after her disappearance to join the Doctor, we begin with an insight into how her apparent death on the R101 has affected her family, in a story that has inevitable links back to both Storm Warning and the iconic Chimes of Midnight. Charlie, meanwhile, is trapped in an inter-dimensional space, and, once she's out of it, the eventual reunion works wonderfully, with her parents' reactions entirely believable and suitably complex. There's a degree of action in the final segment, leading into the next episode, but it's not what the story is about, and the ending itself is wonderfully poignant. 5 stars.

* The Viyran Solution - We're back to space opera for what's essentially a direct follow-on from the first story of the set. What the Viyrans really want with Charlie becomes clear, as do the answers to a number of other dangling questions. It's a reasonable runaround, and plays up the alien nature of the Viyrans, as well as allowing some good turns from the human villains and other supporting cast. It's honestly not as interesting as the two more stand-alone stories in the middle of the set, but at least it provides a decent sense of closure, and gives Charlie a chance to be heroic. Although the story itself is wrapped up, and doesn't truly end on a cliffhanger, it is open-ended, with scope for more, that was followed up in a second season a few years later. 3.5 stars.