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The Ninth Doctor Adventures #3.3
Doctor Who: Buried Threats
Not all perils faced by the Doctor are as obvious as an alien invasion. Some threats have been buried for millennia, some for mere centuries, and some hide inside a troubled mind. But whenever he finds injustice, danger, or just an irresistible mystery, the Doctor won’t stop digging until the truth is uncovered.
3.1 A Theatre of Cruelty by Lisa McMullin - Someone or something is manipulating the dreams of French playwright Antonin Artaud. As Artaud’s nightmares are made manifest, the Doctor is compelled to intervene. Otherwise, Artaud’s new idea for an immersive theatre could become a ticket to literally die for.
3.2 The Running Men by Mark Wright - The TARDIS brings the Doctor to 21st Century Halifax, alongside police Sergeant Ambika Desai, as they investigate a mysterious death. The trail leads to the Hebble Piazza and an unscrupulous developer, as the Doctor uncovers the town’s distant past – and the infamous Halifax gibbet. The Running Men are rising from history!
3.3 Ancient History by Matt Fitton - Professor Bernice Summerfield is delving into the mystery of the Korravin, a mighty warrior horde, vanished overnight. But her expedition seems jinxed. And when a familiar blue box appears, Benny knows they’re in trouble. As ancient history resurfaces, the Doctor wants to keep some things buried - but Benny’s an expert at digging up the past.
3.1 A Theatre of Cruelty by Lisa McMullin - Someone or something is manipulating the dreams of French playwright Antonin Artaud. As Artaud’s nightmares are made manifest, the Doctor is compelled to intervene. Otherwise, Artaud’s new idea for an immersive theatre could become a ticket to literally die for.
3.2 The Running Men by Mark Wright - The TARDIS brings the Doctor to 21st Century Halifax, alongside police Sergeant Ambika Desai, as they investigate a mysterious death. The trail leads to the Hebble Piazza and an unscrupulous developer, as the Doctor uncovers the town’s distant past – and the infamous Halifax gibbet. The Running Men are rising from history!
3.3 Ancient History by Matt Fitton - Professor Bernice Summerfield is delving into the mystery of the Korravin, a mighty warrior horde, vanished overnight. But her expedition seems jinxed. And when a familiar blue box appears, Benny knows they’re in trouble. As ancient history resurfaces, the Doctor wants to keep some things buried - but Benny’s an expert at digging up the past.
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First published February 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 8, 2026
This is a review about the ninth Doctor. The one who looks like an U-Boat captain. His was the face and voice of the New Who series from the 21st century. Hé was quite brilliant but was followed after one season by one of the BIG Doctors by the name of David Tennant. Recently revisiting series one of New Who gave me a new appritiation for this Doctor who got overshadowed by the next ones. Hé is bloody fun and was not yet fully formed.
The theater of Cruelty - Antonin Artaud is a real life theater man whose legacy is immersive theater. And he comes knocking at the TARDIS door while it is in full flight in the time-vortex. This catches the 9th Doctor attention who currently is travelling alone. Followed by an Italian lady from the 16th century who wants something from Artaud.
So logically the Doctor visits Artaud and his dreams to find the buried danger. can the Doctor save the man.
In a behind the scènes all actors go nuts about Artaud, he is Ecclestone his hero.
The running man - In which the 9th Doctor is arrested by a police officer whom hé has to save from a buried secret in an area in Hallifax which is the target for rejuvenation of that part of the city. A lot of running because the baddie of this story is the damage done to the area by capital punishment in the past.
Ancient history - where professor Bernice Summerfield is on a dig on a planet where a ancient warrior race the Korrivan are the subject of interest. One moment they were full of war and the next moment gone.
She will find out that the Timelords were involved a long time ago and currently one specific Timelord, and she knows the man even if the 9th Doctor is a new face. And buried inside a Mountain is a Buried Tardis and an buried army willing to Come through time.
The 9th Doctor as played by Chris Ecclestone has always been a grand character and I love his voice. His only season of Doctor Who was pretty impressive and he continues this with Big Finish.
The first two stories are based upon on real life things, one famous person and real Hallifax surroundings both entered in Who-verse. The 3rd one a deepspace adventure. All three are pretty decent.
Fun as always on these boxsets are the Behind the scènes in this case they are quite informative and funny to listen too, that shows the professionalism from BF.
A great BF boxset that is a good time to spend.
The theater of Cruelty - Antonin Artaud is a real life theater man whose legacy is immersive theater. And he comes knocking at the TARDIS door while it is in full flight in the time-vortex. This catches the 9th Doctor attention who currently is travelling alone. Followed by an Italian lady from the 16th century who wants something from Artaud.
So logically the Doctor visits Artaud and his dreams to find the buried danger. can the Doctor save the man.
In a behind the scènes all actors go nuts about Artaud, he is Ecclestone his hero.
The running man - In which the 9th Doctor is arrested by a police officer whom hé has to save from a buried secret in an area in Hallifax which is the target for rejuvenation of that part of the city. A lot of running because the baddie of this story is the damage done to the area by capital punishment in the past.
Ancient history - where professor Bernice Summerfield is on a dig on a planet where a ancient warrior race the Korrivan are the subject of interest. One moment they were full of war and the next moment gone.
She will find out that the Timelords were involved a long time ago and currently one specific Timelord, and she knows the man even if the 9th Doctor is a new face. And buried inside a Mountain is a Buried Tardis and an buried army willing to Come through time.
The 9th Doctor as played by Chris Ecclestone has always been a grand character and I love his voice. His only season of Doctor Who was pretty impressive and he continues this with Big Finish.
The first two stories are based upon on real life things, one famous person and real Hallifax surroundings both entered in Who-verse. The 3rd one a deepspace adventure. All three are pretty decent.
Fun as always on these boxsets are the Behind the scènes in this case they are quite informative and funny to listen too, that shows the professionalism from BF.
A great BF boxset that is a good time to spend.
July 8, 2024
I sadly have to admit that the first two stories were not my cup of tea at all.
Listened to them during a train journey.
The first story I found confusing and I just did not find the main character likeable at all. The whole setup with a theater play coming to life due to aliens had just so much missed potential in my opinion.
And the Second story was just a generic run around with a plot we have heard several times before.
Both stories pretty forgettable for me.
The Benny story was okay, I guess.
Again, not really new original ground here.
But I love Benny and Lisa Bowerman gives a good performance here.
Still, all in all, this set left me a bit disappointed.
I usually liked most of the 9th Doctor releases so far, so this one is one of the rare misses for me.
Listened to them during a train journey.
The first story I found confusing and I just did not find the main character likeable at all. The whole setup with a theater play coming to life due to aliens had just so much missed potential in my opinion.
And the Second story was just a generic run around with a plot we have heard several times before.
Both stories pretty forgettable for me.
The Benny story was okay, I guess.
Again, not really new original ground here.
But I love Benny and Lisa Bowerman gives a good performance here.
Still, all in all, this set left me a bit disappointed.
I usually liked most of the 9th Doctor releases so far, so this one is one of the rare misses for me.
April 17, 2024
Episode 1: 4/5, very atmospheric but it lost me a bit in the middle. Still very enjoyable and left me wanting to learn more.
Episode 2: 5/5, absolutely loved this one from start to finish. Would listen again.
Episode 3: 3/5, I had to restart it as it lost me the first time around. It was okay but the Doctor's "oh well, you had your chance" moment felt a bit flippant and rushed in contrary to his usual no violence, no deaths attitude. Don't really have an opinion on Bernice Summerfield either way but it was fine.
Overall 4/5 pretty good.
Episode 2: 5/5, absolutely loved this one from start to finish. Would listen again.
Episode 3: 3/5, I had to restart it as it lost me the first time around. It was okay but the Doctor's "oh well, you had your chance" moment felt a bit flippant and rushed in contrary to his usual no violence, no deaths attitude. Don't really have an opinion on Bernice Summerfield either way but it was fine.
Overall 4/5 pretty good.
September 28, 2025
11.1 A Theatre of Cruelty - A fun and entertaining look at an interesting bit of French theater, with the lens of The Doctor twisting everything through time and space. And we’ve got Alexander Vlahos in this one as well. Great stuff! (5/5)
11.2 The Running Men - Another fun and wild romp. (4/5)
11.3 Ancient History - This one rather falls into a subset of Doctor Who adventures that feature Bernice Summerfield. And it doesn’t feel particularly unique. Still, it’s a fun romp and I do tend to enjoy the Bernice Summerfield team-ups. Generally. (4/5)
This set also includes the usual interviews with cast and crew that Big Finish usually provides.
11.2 The Running Men - Another fun and wild romp. (4/5)
11.3 Ancient History - This one rather falls into a subset of Doctor Who adventures that feature Bernice Summerfield. And it doesn’t feel particularly unique. Still, it’s a fun romp and I do tend to enjoy the Bernice Summerfield team-ups. Generally. (4/5)
This set also includes the usual interviews with cast and crew that Big Finish usually provides.
January 4, 2026
Three stories featuring the Ninth Doctor travelling alone, with one each set in the present, past, and future and all loosely on the theme of something returning from the past.
Theatre of Cruelty
The first story features avant-garde playwright and artist Antonin Artaud, who, in real history, developed a new style of play – the ‘Theatre of Cruelty’ of the title. It was spectacularly unsuccessful, with the only play to be written using it being cancelled after 17 days. That play was on the subject of the 16th-century noblewoman Beatrice Cenci, executed for murdering her abusive father. In this story, Artaud is haunted by strange dreams of her that also affect the waking world, with the Doctor battling to unravel the mystery before they become too dangerous.
I know little of the Theatre of Cruelty beyond what’s in this story, but I suspect that it may, in part, draw on some of the surrealist imagery that peppers the latter. In fact, it’s all very strange and disjointed, rather dreamlike itself. And not, sadly, in a good way. It’s linear, and not timey-wimey, but still manages to be rather confusing. Artaud is the main guest character, and he just isn’t likeable, coming across as pretentious and self-obsessed… which is possibly accurate, but, lacking any other grounding figure besides the Doctor, doesn’t make for a good protagonist. One gets the impression that it’s being strange for the sake of it, rather than to carry forward the narrative. 2 stars.
The Running Men
The contemporary story takes us, not to London, but to Halifax in northern England. We’re on much more familiar ground than in the first story, kicking off with strange goings on at a building site. The companion stand-in is a police officer who, from the little we see of her background, is reminiscent of Yaz (without, of course, the undercurrent of unrequited love). The length of the single episode doesn’t give us much chance to really get to know her, or to distinguish her from her possible inspiration, but she and the local historian who also teams up with the Doctor both work as characters within the limits of the story.
The story uses many elements of the real Halifax, including named locations within the town, and, most significantly, the Gibbet, an early guillotine used to execute petty criminals up until 1650. It’s a fitting setting for Eccleston’s Doctor, with only the main villain not sporting a northern accent and at least some ties to the working-class history of the area. This all gives it a grounding that the previous episode lacked, and, while the story could work with almost any Doctor, it does so particularly well with Nine. Yes, it’s fairly traditional, recalling perhaps, The Daemons, but that’s not a bad thing to be riffing off, and the human villain feels straight out of the modern show. 4 stars.
Ancient History
This is the episode in which, as promised on the cover, the Ninth Doctor meets Benny Summerfield, former post-TV Seventh Doctor companion and star of her own ongoing audio series. Here, she’s taking part in an archaeological dig which, it should surprise nobody, ends up uncovering something dangerous. The dangerous thing is not especially interesting, although it fits well enough with the collection’s theme and makes sense within the universe. The result is a base-under-siege with a relatively small cast, complete with an incompetent boss, although one of the characters being a robot contributes to the plot.
It's the inclusion of Benny that pulls this away from the merely ordinary, however. She’s older and grumpier here than she was in her youth (the character mostly ages along with her actress, while TV companions are necessarily frozen at the age they were on screen), but identifiably the same person. Some of the snark is arguably diluted by her being paired with the Ninth Doctor, who is far more ready to make quips than Seven or Eight were, but somehow doesn’t bounce off her quite as well as one might hope. Having said that, there are elements of the story that wouldn’t work with anyone other than Nine, still in the shadow of his experiences in the Time War. If nothing else, the meeting ticks off a box that the audios surely had to get around to eventually. 3.5 stars.
Theatre of Cruelty
The first story features avant-garde playwright and artist Antonin Artaud, who, in real history, developed a new style of play – the ‘Theatre of Cruelty’ of the title. It was spectacularly unsuccessful, with the only play to be written using it being cancelled after 17 days. That play was on the subject of the 16th-century noblewoman Beatrice Cenci, executed for murdering her abusive father. In this story, Artaud is haunted by strange dreams of her that also affect the waking world, with the Doctor battling to unravel the mystery before they become too dangerous.
I know little of the Theatre of Cruelty beyond what’s in this story, but I suspect that it may, in part, draw on some of the surrealist imagery that peppers the latter. In fact, it’s all very strange and disjointed, rather dreamlike itself. And not, sadly, in a good way. It’s linear, and not timey-wimey, but still manages to be rather confusing. Artaud is the main guest character, and he just isn’t likeable, coming across as pretentious and self-obsessed… which is possibly accurate, but, lacking any other grounding figure besides the Doctor, doesn’t make for a good protagonist. One gets the impression that it’s being strange for the sake of it, rather than to carry forward the narrative. 2 stars.
The Running Men
The contemporary story takes us, not to London, but to Halifax in northern England. We’re on much more familiar ground than in the first story, kicking off with strange goings on at a building site. The companion stand-in is a police officer who, from the little we see of her background, is reminiscent of Yaz (without, of course, the undercurrent of unrequited love). The length of the single episode doesn’t give us much chance to really get to know her, or to distinguish her from her possible inspiration, but she and the local historian who also teams up with the Doctor both work as characters within the limits of the story.
The story uses many elements of the real Halifax, including named locations within the town, and, most significantly, the Gibbet, an early guillotine used to execute petty criminals up until 1650. It’s a fitting setting for Eccleston’s Doctor, with only the main villain not sporting a northern accent and at least some ties to the working-class history of the area. This all gives it a grounding that the previous episode lacked, and, while the story could work with almost any Doctor, it does so particularly well with Nine. Yes, it’s fairly traditional, recalling perhaps, The Daemons, but that’s not a bad thing to be riffing off, and the human villain feels straight out of the modern show. 4 stars.
Ancient History
This is the episode in which, as promised on the cover, the Ninth Doctor meets Benny Summerfield, former post-TV Seventh Doctor companion and star of her own ongoing audio series. Here, she’s taking part in an archaeological dig which, it should surprise nobody, ends up uncovering something dangerous. The dangerous thing is not especially interesting, although it fits well enough with the collection’s theme and makes sense within the universe. The result is a base-under-siege with a relatively small cast, complete with an incompetent boss, although one of the characters being a robot contributes to the plot.
It's the inclusion of Benny that pulls this away from the merely ordinary, however. She’s older and grumpier here than she was in her youth (the character mostly ages along with her actress, while TV companions are necessarily frozen at the age they were on screen), but identifiably the same person. Some of the snark is arguably diluted by her being paired with the Ninth Doctor, who is far more ready to make quips than Seven or Eight were, but somehow doesn’t bounce off her quite as well as one might hope. Having said that, there are elements of the story that wouldn’t work with anyone other than Nine, still in the shadow of his experiences in the Time War. If nothing else, the meeting ticks off a box that the audios surely had to get around to eventually. 3.5 stars.
May 11, 2024
The Ninth Doctor Adventures is a range I really enjoy, it's a very consistent range that rarely dips in quality. It is admittedly known for reusing some ideas, but the writers always find a new way of using them thematically. I love Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor and despite how much I often delay listening to these releases, I always enjoy them in some way or other.
Theatre of Cruelty:
When The Tardis' doorbell goes off in the time vortex, The Doctor knows something very wrong is happening. Something is manipulating the dreams of a genius French playwright and theatre visionary Antonin Artaud. But worst of all they are using his meaningful and tragic play on a true story of a woman who was brutally killed after murdering her abusive father as a means of causing chaos and The Doctor is very angry.
It's not hard to see why Christopher Eccleston considers Lisa McMullin to be his favorite writer at Big Finish. Her stories for the 9th Doctor are always meaningful, funny, frightening, and clever, and this story is no different. It's a very atmospheric listen with terrific ideas, cool imagery, a sense of humor, and plenty of heartfelt scenes. It does subtly tackle unsettling themes such as depression and s*xual assault, however, so I feel it's a good idea to give you all a heads up! 9/10
The Running Men:
After a surprise in the time vortex, The Tardis brings The Doctor to 21st-century Halifax. He's immediately arrested by Sergeant Ambika Desai, for impersonating a police officer. However, a construction site is going on at a nearby historical location and the locals aren't too happy about it. Something is about to be unearthed and it's all The Doctor's fault.
Mark Wright has written a fun crime drama that has a lot to say about how we should remember history and why we shouldn't mourn over the past but rather learn from it. It's a story with a nice sense of atmosphere and tension. 8/10
Ancient History:
Bernice Summerfield is delving into the mystery of the Korravin, a monstrous warrior horde who had hopes of universal conquest, but they vanished overnight. However, the mystery is about to be unraveled, The Doctor is here and Bernice is about to see a new side to her old friend. Just what is he hiding and what has he done?
Matt Fitton has written a brilliant episode to conclude this set with a story that's not only about unearthing the past of a lost alien species but also exploring the history between The Doctor and Benny and what has happened since they parted ways. It's a tense adventure with some brilliant character work and a lovely ending. 9.5/10
Overall: 26.5/30
Theatre of Cruelty:
When The Tardis' doorbell goes off in the time vortex, The Doctor knows something very wrong is happening. Something is manipulating the dreams of a genius French playwright and theatre visionary Antonin Artaud. But worst of all they are using his meaningful and tragic play on a true story of a woman who was brutally killed after murdering her abusive father as a means of causing chaos and The Doctor is very angry.
It's not hard to see why Christopher Eccleston considers Lisa McMullin to be his favorite writer at Big Finish. Her stories for the 9th Doctor are always meaningful, funny, frightening, and clever, and this story is no different. It's a very atmospheric listen with terrific ideas, cool imagery, a sense of humor, and plenty of heartfelt scenes. It does subtly tackle unsettling themes such as depression and s*xual assault, however, so I feel it's a good idea to give you all a heads up! 9/10
The Running Men:
After a surprise in the time vortex, The Tardis brings The Doctor to 21st-century Halifax. He's immediately arrested by Sergeant Ambika Desai, for impersonating a police officer. However, a construction site is going on at a nearby historical location and the locals aren't too happy about it. Something is about to be unearthed and it's all The Doctor's fault.
Mark Wright has written a fun crime drama that has a lot to say about how we should remember history and why we shouldn't mourn over the past but rather learn from it. It's a story with a nice sense of atmosphere and tension. 8/10
Ancient History:
Bernice Summerfield is delving into the mystery of the Korravin, a monstrous warrior horde who had hopes of universal conquest, but they vanished overnight. However, the mystery is about to be unraveled, The Doctor is here and Bernice is about to see a new side to her old friend. Just what is he hiding and what has he done?
Matt Fitton has written a brilliant episode to conclude this set with a story that's not only about unearthing the past of a lost alien species but also exploring the history between The Doctor and Benny and what has happened since they parted ways. It's a tense adventure with some brilliant character work and a lovely ending. 9.5/10
Overall: 26.5/30
February 16, 2024
Doctor Who: Buried Threats offers a solid showcase of the Ninth Doctor's character. He wanders the universe, helping out where he can. But right there, close behind him, is that fear of who he's been, of the atrocities he's been a part of. When the boxset gives Eccleston the room to truly dig into those deeper emotions and trauma, it really comes to life. But, as has been the case for Big Finish's Ninth Doctor series as a whole, it seems scared to fully open that box. And that's a shame, as the thing that's always made the Ninth Doctor so interesting is seeing him come to terms with his role in the Time War. Sure, his TV run covered that nicely, but Eccleston is so good at sinking his teeth in that kind of drama that he ought to be given more chances to do so.
As it is, Buried Threats delivers an enjoyable trilogy of standalone stories. You've got your emotional historical, your off-the-walls modern-day murder mystery, and your character-driven, introspective exploration of the Doctor. It's all very standard fare for these box sets at this point, but Buried Threats executes those standards quite well.
As it is, Buried Threats delivers an enjoyable trilogy of standalone stories. You've got your emotional historical, your off-the-walls modern-day murder mystery, and your character-driven, introspective exploration of the Doctor. It's all very standard fare for these box sets at this point, but Buried Threats executes those standards quite well.
May 31, 2024
This was an absolutely “fantastic” three story collection in every way, from the plots to star sound design and recording quality.
While I think that A Theatre of Cruelty is probably the strongest story of the three all of them are very good and could easily have supported an actual televised episode of Doctor Who.
The voice cast chosen for each installment is absolutely perfect, with the Ninth Doctor himself Christopher Eccleston doing a phenomenal job at reprising the role in an audio format. From the dry humor to conveying a real sense of fiery determination in the face of danger, his line reads are as perfect as always and help make this a memorable collection of stories.
Definitely worth while for any fan of the show.
While I think that A Theatre of Cruelty is probably the strongest story of the three all of them are very good and could easily have supported an actual televised episode of Doctor Who.
The voice cast chosen for each installment is absolutely perfect, with the Ninth Doctor himself Christopher Eccleston doing a phenomenal job at reprising the role in an audio format. From the dry humor to conveying a real sense of fiery determination in the face of danger, his line reads are as perfect as always and help make this a memorable collection of stories.
Definitely worth while for any fan of the show.
February 17, 2024
Bernice Summerfield is a draw to this set, but really all three of these stories were fun. I think Theatre of Cruelty was my favorite as it deals with immersive theatre. Funny enough, The Doctor experiences the opposite of deja vu when he hears someone say "Allonsy." Weirdly, the story also mentions Big Finish Doctor Who writer Lizzie Hopley. Earlier, I talked about how this type of name-dropping takes me out of Star Trek novels, but somehow it works for Doctor Who audios, and I can’t really put my finger on why.
July 7, 2024
9th Doctor: No offence, but I'm steering clear of archaeology and archaeologists for now. Goodbye!
Bernice: Sometimes, history doesn't always give you a choice Doctor.
-
The 9th Doctor range has always been hit and miss for me, and I need to catch up on the other two boxsets but I had to listen to this one simply because of 9th Doctor and Benny.
This was such a good boxset and I really enjoyed all three stories. It felt so much like the old big finish style of stories, so I hope they continue along this side of things. And having the 9th doctor and Bernice meet was such a treat!
Bernice: Sometimes, history doesn't always give you a choice Doctor.
-
The 9th Doctor range has always been hit and miss for me, and I need to catch up on the other two boxsets but I had to listen to this one simply because of 9th Doctor and Benny.
This was such a good boxset and I really enjoyed all three stories. It felt so much like the old big finish style of stories, so I hope they continue along this side of things. And having the 9th doctor and Bernice meet was such a treat!
May 1, 2024
Good enough. The first two episodes are really forgettable. The third -- featuring Benny -- is really the selling point here, and I wish Benny had been featured in all three episodes. T'would have been fun. As it is, even the Benny episode is just a little . . . meh. But it's got Benny, so that's cool.
But seriously, if they're going to do Nine and River Song for three whole episodes, why not three whole episodes featuring his original archaeologist-companion?
But seriously, if they're going to do Nine and River Song for three whole episodes, why not three whole episodes featuring his original archaeologist-companion?
March 30, 2024
I am still so glad we get more Ninth Doctor stories, and this time, we even get Bernice Summerfield. What a treat.
March 30, 2024
Benny always gets 5 stars
March 31, 2024
A Theatre of Cruelty ***
The Running Men *** 1/2
Ancient History ****
The Running Men *** 1/2
Ancient History ****
May 8, 2024
I enjoyed all three stories included in this set... honestly, I know they were flawed but I had such a good time listening to them that I can't rate this any lower.
July 11, 2025
3.1 'A Theatre of Cruelty' by Lisa McMullin: 4,5*
3.2 'The Running Men' by Mark Wright: 5*
3.3 'Ancient History' by Matt Fitton: 5*
3.2 'The Running Men' by Mark Wright: 5*
3.3 'Ancient History' by Matt Fitton: 5*
December 26, 2025
Worth it just to hear Eccleston criticise "bourgeois" theatre in the interviews after the stories, thats why he's the goat
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews