In the latest audio Doctor Who release from Big Finish, the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) takes Mags (Jessica Martin) back to her home planet long before she is even born, to a world she scarcely recognises. Pure bred werewolves (though don’t let them hear you use that term, they don’t like it) from the four noble houses, each devoted to one of the planets moons, rule the planet and all less pure live in awe and fear of them.

As Mags continues to struggle with her identity she is faced with being seen as noble herself. But as the bowing before her and the attention from the pure blood males gets old, she finds herself not the only one struggling to keep hold of her animal side. Could this be the how the savage world Mags grew up on came to be?

After re-establishing Mags in the last Seventh Doctor release, this feels like a good opportunity to expand on the character and one taken well by writer Emma Reeves. It makes perfect sense to have a story where Mags goes home and sees the origins of her power and fills in a back story that we didn’t get so much of in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Mags’ original story.

Although it’s not a surprise that the arc of these stories is tending toward Mags accepting both sides of herself, the way it is playing out is interesting. Even more in this second story, Jessica Martin feels like she is right back into the role. The noble family Mags and the Doctor are tied to for most of this story are well played by all, and with Mags being a very practical, it’s nice to see her bugged by all the suitors by whom she is pursued.

Sylvester McCoy gets to play both the kinder and the more manipulative side of his Doctor and shows his mastery of both. Samual Clemens is in the directors chair and has done well to pace the action in a story that provides a good degree of drama, action and personal conflict.

You can buy Doctor Who: The Moons of Vulpana either on CD, or for direct download, here.

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