Review: The Chimes of Midnight

The Doctor and Charley materialise in an old Edwardian mansion at Christmas, but find it empty and frozen in time. Crackers are left untouched, but when pulled, they instantly re-form. A turkey and plum pudding are ready to be eaten in the kitchen, but no-one's around to enjoy them. Soon, time unfreezes, and Charley and the Doctor are drawn into a shadowy and mysterious series of events.

One of the servants is found dead, and as the clock strikes midnight, another is killed. But when the victims keep coming back to life, and the witnesses' memories reset, solving the mystery behind the murders becomes harder than ever . . .

The Chimes of Midnignt, even several years after its original release, remains one of the best examples of quality Big Finish output. Robert Shearman skilfully creates a tone that blends fear and tension with black humour ("It's quite clear that Frederick brought the car into the house, ran himself over with it, and put it back outside before he finally expired," deadpans the Doctor). This story raises laughs on a frequent basis, but at the same time it manages to be genuinely chilling.

As the CD's two leads, Paul McGann and India Fisher are excellent as usual, and the supporting cast are fantastic, especially Sue Wallace as Mrs. Baddeley and Juliet Warner as the confused Mary.

The story unfolds slowly, and the twists in the plot are fascinating and gloriously unexpected. The development of the Charley plotline might've seemed to be shoehorned-in with another author, but Shearman works her progression into the story's framework brilliantly, and re-listening to the story reveals new dimensions to the plot each and every time.

The Chimes of Midnight is one of the best Doctor Who tales in any form, not just audio plays, but it's not one to listen to on a dark winter night!