Doctor Who: Starlight Robbery

The mid part of a trilogy in which the Doctor and Klein chase down a maguffin sought after by half the hostile races in the galaxy, this is a fairly straightforward story, but one that has a number of good points. Garundel, the camp salamander/toad alien from previous story Black and White, is holding an auction for the said maguffin, and Klein has to infiltrate the event. As is clear from the cover, the other bidders happen to include a Sontaran battle fleet.

Given recent trends in the TV series, and in some previous audios, its notable that the Sontarans are here portrayed seriously. Given that Garundel is already over-the-top, this is a wise decision, but it also allows us to see a different side of the alien warriors, whose leader's deep-seated belief in military honour makes him quite a sympathetic character. (It's also noteworthy that the commander is played by Dan Starkey, who plays Strax in the TV series... well, they are a race of clones!)

Accidental companion Will does little to redeem himself here, clearly falling for glamorous alien con-woman Ziv, who actually works rather better as a character than he does. Klein is, as one might expect, rather more prominent, and one can see some definite traces of her original personality here, as she witnesses the might of the Sontaran Empire. In fact, the Doctor is largely relegated to an observer, necessary for the final denouement, but otherwise ceding ground to the rest of the cast. This makes some sense for Seven, especially the ageing version shown here, alhough fans of more traditionally active Doctors might find it a little disappointing.

It's not a spectacularly original story, nor as memorable as many others, but it's slickly done, fast-paced, yet with room for some good characterisation, little moments of humour, and a better-than-average representation of the Sontarans. Which makes it more than merely a link between the first and third parts of its trilogy, and effective in its own right.