Doctor Who: Snare

The Ninth Doctor Adventures #4.1

by Tim Foley, Christopher Eccleston (Narrator ), Billie Piper (Narrator )

Kevin left the Powell Estate a long time ago. He wasn’t going to be trapped there. But all these years later, he’s back and clearing out his dad’s old flat. At least his neighbours, the Tylers, are still here.
But Rose has a strange new man in her life. And this Doctor’s going to show Kevin a world he never knew existed. Unfortunately, something ancient is stirring on the Estate. Perhaps Kevin will be trapped here after all.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Time Travel

Audio CD

First published August 6, 2025

About the author

Tim Foley is an artist and illustrator born in Flint, Michigan, in 1962. Over the past quarter century, his clients have included national and international magazines, book publishers, and advertising agencies such as the Wall Street Journal, Cricket Magazine, New York Newsday, LA Weekly, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He currently lives and works in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest was tickled with the return of Chris Ecclestone & Billie Piper together as they were quiet brilliant when they restarted tthe tv series Doctor Who in which we meet the Doctor again dressed like an U-boat captain who saves a sassy London girl named Rosé Tyler. Ecclestone lasted only one season which was in my opinion a few seasons too short as hé was quiet brilliant in the role.
Anyhow an aquaintance by the name of Kevin returns to the neighbourhood to clear out his dad's appartement and runs into something odd. Hé visits Rose"s mum Jackie Tyler, a great character on her own, and asks for help. As luck will have it the Doctor is around and hé will step up and is always curious enough. If a timelord cannot help you who can?
The story is a three star tale, but the Doctor, Rosé and Jackie together lifts this tale up to very satisfying. They pick up the thread with the ninth Doctor from 2005 and are as brilliant fun as they were then. This story is situated just after the tv episode in which Rose meets her dad. This episode "Snare" has missing fathers as a theme which is a nice touch. Big Finish has done the fans of the Ninth Doctor a great pleasure with reuniting the original cast. I do not expect Mickey the boyfriend due to his legal troubles but they handles that quite well.
looking forward to the next installment it feels like 2005 again.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Big Finish story to have both Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper reprising their roles together. It nicely fits into Series 1, picking up thematically and chronologically after Father's Day. A strong first story

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 50 Prompt Eighth Doctor Reading Challenge - Companions And Allies - 14) A Story Featuring Family As A Central Theme (For Sam Jones)

I was looking forward to this audiobook so much. I pre-ordered it and I've counted down the days, and I can say that the wait was so worth it.

I love the relationship between Rose and the Doctor, and I love that there is a little bit of tension and unease between them following on from Father's Day, and the little digs about family and the Doctor struggling with the domestics and it leacing the impression for the reader that he's struggling following the Time War.

I did also think how they handled Mickey was decent. Clearly, Noel Clarke would not be asked to come back, but it would be weird not having Mickey around, considering the time period that they've set the audios at, and how they mentioned Mickey in passing and wrote him out in two sentences. I thought it was really good.

The plot however, was a little disappointing. They handled the mental health well enough and it was nice to see the relationships between Jackie and her neighbours, but also, they bring in a character that supposedly Rose has grown up with, spent all of her life around him, and they've never mentioned his name before. I found it really difficult to care about Kevin and his father.

However, the voice acting was incredible, from everyone. They were all fantastic.

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

People were beyond excited when Big Finish announced a whole series of adventures with 9 and Rose, as we've wanted this ever since Christopher Eccleston returned to Doctor Who over at Big Finish in 2020 and, even better, the opening story is written by Tim Foley. I was really impressed with 'Vampire Weekend', so I am really excited to try 'Snare'.

After losing her dad all over again, Rose has gone back home to the Powell Estate to spend time with her mother, and The Doctor's willingly staying grounded to give her time. But when Kevin returns home to his deceased father's flat, it isn't long before things become strange. Where have the alien plants come from? What happened to Kevin's dad? Worst of all, where did Monty the Cat go? So many questions and one absurd answer.

Tim Foley has written a very fun yet emotional story that tackles the aftermath of what life is like after someone's mentally unwell dad has passed away. This funny, occasionally unsettling and heartbreaking audio follows up on Paul Cornell's 'Father's Day' and makes its consequences felt.

Overall: A really fun audio that took me back to 2005. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper were brilliant in this, and I can't wait to hear more from them. 8.5/10

[Bill Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable listen that instantly took me back to 2005. Have always been obsessed with Doctor Who and this just added to it. I enjoyed most of this, just the story was extremely rushed overall to me. I didn’t care enough about Kevin to really feel for him on anything. And there just wasn’t enough of a villain to get too involved emotionally. Loved hearing Jackie and the Doctor bicker again, and of course Rose is Rose. Enjoyable but needed a bit more for more than a 3 star.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, after 4 sets of well, let’s call it “series 0”, we’ve got the gang from Series 1 back together again. Okay, so no Mickey, but that’s okay given everything that’s fallen out with him. But The (Ninth) Doctor is reunited with Rose and Jackie Tyler, in an adventure that falls just after the events of Father’s Day. This does feel very authentic and vibes like it came right out of that 2005 series. Nicely done. This is fantastic and wonderful.

[Maxim Ivanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Уже второй за год камбэк Билли Пайпер в «Доктора Кто» — на мой взгляд, гораздо более уместный, чем сериальный. Экклстон, Билли и мама Роуз жоска друг от друга кайфуют и это СЛЫШНО

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ninth Doctor and Rose are back! Even 20 years later, Eccleston and Piper still have that camaraderie and step right back into their characters' shoes, as does Camille Coduri as Jackie.

Despite the excellent acting, however, I really don't think this was a strong start to 9 and Rose's audio adventures. The plot was fairly predictable, so when the "twist" came and that really was all there was to it, I was slightly let down. "Vampire Weekend" was a far better showcase of Foley's writing talents IMO.

I also think the worldbuilding was slightly weak here. The description of the Powell estate flats didn't seem to match up with what was seen on-screen, though that may just be me, and I didn't feel there was enough in the way of description of the monsters in this story.

All the same, I won't deny the fact that I felt a rush of nostalgia when the title sequence hit, and that ending was really beautiful too.

I'm going to hold out hope for this series based on some tidbits I read in DWM 619, but having seen that the next story will ALSO be set on the Powell Estate, my hopes are somewhat capped for any varied storytelling.

[Seb Hasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

After most of the Big Finish 9th Doctor adventures being so naff, I was very apprehensive to start the first proper 9 and Rose adventure. Safe to say this story really exceeded my expectations. I assumed it was going to be some kind of horror story, but instead it was a great mystery story with some profound commentary on mental health. I don’t mean all the stuff with Rose stepping on eggshells about being a bit mean to the main character though. That stuff was just a bit stupid, but thankfully the rest of the monologues about it were so touching. As someone with mental health issues I found I could really relate to the ideas thrown out, and feel like the topic was handled respectfully.

In terms of it being a sci fi adventure though, it wasn’t really that memorable. The action sequences and imagery of the alien world are really nice but those subtleties aren’t enough to carry a whole story on their own. That isn’t my biggest issue with the story, that one is just that the Doctor feels barely present. He does most of his investigation ‘off screen’ so the story is fully led by Rose, and given she’s not remotely as interesting as this Doctor; it doesn’t work as well.
There are some beautiful scenes at the end which brought a tear to my eye, and from that alone I can describe the story as incredibly lovely.

The story didn’t blow me away but all the incidental aspects such as a great score, and some fab sound design really boost the story. The story left me very excited for the rest of this new series, and hopefully it enlightened some listeners to the complexity of certain mental health conditions.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a rather simplistic story, concerning a cupboard door in a flat, which leads to an extraterrestrial jungle onboard a spaceship. It's another 'misunderstood intergalactic threat' narrative, which is a popular trope within Doctor Who. There is a neat twist in regards to the jungle's robot gardener, though, which connects to Rose's (Billie Piper) friend, Kevin's (Alex Austin), arc in the story.

Snare is mostly a fun excuse to hear Christopher Eccleston's Doctor and Rose return to the Powell Estate. It's like old times, with Camille Coduri also along for the ride as Jackie. The story brilliantly captures the Ninth Doctor's playful teasing of Jackie, complaining about her desire to make him watch the 'traumatic' movie Titanic, as well as Jackie cooking the Doctor children's favourite snacks, like waffles and McCain's Smiles. Snare evokes the feel of 2005 Doctor Who perfectly, seeming as though us listeners have stepped inside our own TARDISes and returned to this era of the show's history.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice step back in time to 2005 with a refreshing lack of el-jibbity messaging and other woke nonsense that has been infesting Big Finish releases in the past few years. My chief complaint with BF's Ninth Doctor audios to this point (aside from the large number of "The Doctor Saves Lesbians" episodes) has been the lack of a regular companion (although they came close with Callen and Doyle appearing in two back-to-back episodes). Now we have Rose back at his side for the new releases, and that's really brought them up a notch. (Helps to have Jackie Tyler on board for this one, too.)

This is a pretty basic episode set after the TV episode "Father's Day" and continuing some of the same themes. I'm giving this one a generous four stars because I've been pretty disappointed in BF's recent Doctor Who outpoint, so let's give this a boost. I mean, it's good and solid, so . . . yeah. Recommended.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler are back at the Powell Estate in this brilliant adventure set just after the traumatic events of the episode Father's Day. To take a break from what happened in 1987, Rose and the Doctor spend some time with Rose's mum, Jackie, and find a mystery unfolding at the Estate. This was such a great story! Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper were amazing, bringing the listener back to the Ninth Doctor's era so smoothly it's like we've never been away. Camille Coduri returning as Jackie was also wonderful! She and Christopher Eccleston bounce off each other wonderfully and made for some great comedy relief!

A great story!

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3

Entertaining enough story set in the 2005 season of nu-who.
Tbh for me this was a fairly typical big finish audio. Not a bad story, actors all good, sound design that actually meant I could hear the actors voices clearly, (although admit had trouble telling apart rose and Jackie actors initially), passed the time and entertained me, doubt if I will ever listen again though.

[John]

This feels right out of S1 and a solid thematic follow-up to Father's Day with some classic visceral horror. 9/Rose are reunited again and they seem to step back into these roles effortlessly. Glad Jackie Tyler is in an audio that makes sense for her to be in for once

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think it was a coincidence that this was released the same day Billie Piper made her Wednesday debut. Much of the story feels by the numbers, but I do like how Rose questions of The Doctor had a family and he says the connections we keep with people are what are important.

[Toby Sutton-Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting twelve years for this, my favourite Doctor/companion duo reunited and boy it didn't disappoint! A classic Powell Estate kitchen sink drama mixed in with aliens, fun and flirting. One I'll be listening to a lot in the future.

[Sara Habein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I missed these two together! The Ninth Doctor audios have been consistently great, and this one being the first set within the timeline of the show is also fun to have. We had so little time with him and Rose, so I'm glad that they were both willing to come back and do Big Finish.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm big enough to admit I teared up a little at hearing that version of the who theme play after hearing nine and rose together again at last. I'm not made of stone. Eight million more of these please

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nah because why did I literally start crying at the end of this audio? It was absolutely incredible and I LOVED every single second of it! Took me right back to when I first watched season one which I absolutely loved!!

[Helen (they or he) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Extremely engaging and little to no plot holes with extremely dimensional one-off side characters. It was nice to hear Jackie Tyler because I didn't know she would be here! And of course Christopher and Billie had incredible performances.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, funny (Jackie is hilarious), with a bittersweet ending. Captures the 2005 era like it was written then.

[P.J. Benney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came here for laughs. I didn't come here to feel things! This one was just the right amount of unsettling and sad. Bravo.

[Piper Huxley · Rating 4 out of 5]

such an important piece about class, socio-economic divides and how that can relate to mental health.

loved hearing the trio back together :’)))

4.25/5

[A Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

glad to hear that jackie tyler loves natasha bedingfield
me too, girlie, me too

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Love Rose and Nine, love Jackie, love the constant threat of film nights and junk food after the trauma of Father's Day. Cannot wait for the next.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good all the way through, but I wasn't expecting to nearly cry while on the elliptical at gym. That ending. Wow. Such a brilliant moment for the 9th Doctor.

[Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

me everytime i listen to/watch something about the doctor and rose:

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt very much like a classic (and by that I mean 2005) Doctor Who episode! It made me a tiny bit emotional hearing Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper together again. :’)

[Marie]

god, i missed this duo so much. love how they weaved this into the series 1 timeline and thematically linked it to father's day. good stuff.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant reintroduction to the first series Doctor and Rose duo. An interesting story.