What do you think?
Rate this book
Lady Christina #1
Lady Christina: Series 1
Jetsetter, adventurer, and owner of a very unusual London bus, Lady Christina de Souza likes the finest things. Even if they don’t belong to her. And the more exotic – or alien – the better.
But Christina’s activities have caught the attention of UNIT, and now Sam Bishop is on her trail...
1.1 It Takes a Thief by John Dorney
The French Riviera has always provided rich pickings for the aristocratic cat-burglar. Lady Christina is enjoying the high life while adding to her collection. But when suspicion falls on her after a robbery-turned-murder, Christina decides to catch the culprit herself...
1.2 Skin Deep by James Goss
Sylvia Noble always knew she deserved better. So, when a chance encounter with aristocracy propels her out of Chiswick and into high society, she’s delighted. But the beautiful people have their own agenda – and Christina is surprised when those plans involve her father.
1.3 Portrait of a Lady by Tim Dawson
When her plot to steal a priceless painting runs into trouble, Christina crashes into an undercover UNIT operation – and Sam Bishop. Soon, her Number 200 bus is racing from Europe to South America and into the depths of the Pacific, chasing a mysterious and unstoppable foe…
1.4 Death on the Mile by Donald McLeary
Lady Christina has been offered a job: the heist of a lifetime. She simply has to break into Edinburgh Castle. At the same time, UNIT are investigating alien activity at the Military Tattoo. And where there’s treasure and treachery, there are also Slitheen…
But Christina’s activities have caught the attention of UNIT, and now Sam Bishop is on her trail...
1.1 It Takes a Thief by John Dorney
The French Riviera has always provided rich pickings for the aristocratic cat-burglar. Lady Christina is enjoying the high life while adding to her collection. But when suspicion falls on her after a robbery-turned-murder, Christina decides to catch the culprit herself...
1.2 Skin Deep by James Goss
Sylvia Noble always knew she deserved better. So, when a chance encounter with aristocracy propels her out of Chiswick and into high society, she’s delighted. But the beautiful people have their own agenda – and Christina is surprised when those plans involve her father.
1.3 Portrait of a Lady by Tim Dawson
When her plot to steal a priceless painting runs into trouble, Christina crashes into an undercover UNIT operation – and Sam Bishop. Soon, her Number 200 bus is racing from Europe to South America and into the depths of the Pacific, chasing a mysterious and unstoppable foe…
1.4 Death on the Mile by Donald McLeary
Lady Christina has been offered a job: the heist of a lifetime. She simply has to break into Edinburgh Castle. At the same time, UNIT are investigating alien activity at the Military Tattoo. And where there’s treasure and treachery, there are also Slitheen…
Audiobook
First published August 23, 2018
1 person is currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
John Dorney
166 books26 followersJohn Dorney is a British writer and actor best known for stage roles including the National Theatre, the BBC Radio 4 sitcom My First Planet; and his scripts for the Big Finish Doctor Who range. His script 'Solitaire' was rated the most popular Doctor Who Companion Chronicle of 2010 on the Timescales website and was the runner up in Unreality Sci-fi net's poll for Story of the Year 2010-11.
As well as Doctor Who, he has written for Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel series and on radio co-wrote three series of BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes. He won the BBC Show Me the Funny 'Sketch Factor' competition, was a finalist in the BBC 'Laughing Stock' competition, and has performed in Mark Watson's Edinburgh Comedy Award winning long shows as 'The Balladeer'. On stage, he has written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead and Soho Theatres.
He trained at LAMDA.
As well as Doctor Who, he has written for Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel series and on radio co-wrote three series of BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes. He won the BBC Show Me the Funny 'Sketch Factor' competition, was a finalist in the BBC 'Laughing Stock' competition, and has performed in Mark Watson's Edinburgh Comedy Award winning long shows as 'The Balladeer'. On stage, he has written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead and Soho Theatres.
He trained at LAMDA.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 15, 2021
A set of four largely unconnected stories starring Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina da Souza, the aristocratic cat burglar and nearly-companion of the Tenth Doctor from Planet of the Dead. Each story is built around a planned theft of some sort, although not always by Christina herself, and not always as the main focus of events. There's glamour, gadgets, a flying bus, plenty of links to the TV series, and a clever and kickass female lead... but, on the whole, it's not really one to be taken too seriously.
• It Takes a Thief – The story kicks off in a setting that’s surely ideal for Lady Christina – the French Riviera. She’s there for… well, fairly obvious reasons, but it turns out that there’s a more deadly cat burglar also at work in the area. For some reason that I wasn’t really clear about, this brings the attention of Interpol, rather than the French police, and Christina has to clear her name. (In this story, Interpol appears to be an actual international police force, rather than a liaison and database-storage organisation, as they are in the real world).
The result is a fun caper, with Christina being joined by an upper-class twit as she hunts down the killer and spends a lot of time in expensive hotels for the idle rich. The theme tune to this series is a little reminiscent of the James Bond theme stylistically, and this feels very appropriate here, with its daring escapades and implied glamour. There are also several connections with the TV series, as well as with another audio series (in the latter case, though, it’s more of an easter egg, and you absolutely don’t need to have encountered the character before). 4 stars.
• Skin Deep – Here, we’re in for a much more typical Doctor Who story, although it’s not initially clear whether we’re dealing with aliens or some new piece of deadly technology. It has some points in common with the TV story Partners in Crime (as is mentioned in an aside by one of the characters), but the resemblance turns out to be fleeting. The story is more significant for bringing back Donna’s mother, Sylvia, as Christina befriends her as part of some larger scheme.
Sylvia isn’t really as much fun as Donna is, and, although she does have an important role in the plot, she seems there more to provide a connection with the TV show than for any other reason. However, we do get to see a little of Christina’s background, and some of what drove her to become the woman she is. (Among other things, to the surprise of surely no one, she turns out to have gone to school at Roedean). In the end, it’s a decent attempt to do a DW tale with Christina as the protagonist, although she doesn’t come out of it entirely positively. 4 stars.
• Portrait of a Lady – We’re back in full James Bond territory with this story about a master criminal arranging an art heist. The heist is a relatively minor part of the story, which is really about the struggle to retain the stolen art after the theft. Lady Christina herself doesn’t turn up until some way in, and the story is at least as much told from the perspective of UNIT officer Sam Bishop, who’s trying to track her down. Along the way, there are flying cars, alien tech, an angry Sontaran, and… well, quite a few Bond cliches.
Although this is definitely fun, I found it not quite as good as the first two tales. The main reason for this is that the action is difficult to follow in a few places, with not quite enough dialogue to make it clear – often an issue on audio. But, in addition, some of the geography just doesn’t make sense, with the most obvious example being the presence of the Amazon jungle in Argentina (coastal Argentina at that, so maybe 1000 miles too far south?) If you don’t mind that, though, it’s a decent caper, although more The Spy Who Loved Me than, say, Ocean’s Eleven. 3.5 stars.
• Death on the Mile – We move to Edinburgh for the final instalment – which makes a change from so many stories set in London… or Cardiff, for that matter. Once again, this is a heist, this time of some mundane, but very valuable, treasure concealed beneath Edinburgh Castle that just has to be stolen while the Royal Military Tattoo is going on. (So, yes, there’s bagpipes). Bishop is providing security, but this time the focus is more on Christina, although their encounters in the previous story do play into this one. There’s also an appearance of a character who appeared early on in the modern UNIT audios, although it’s not necessary to be familiar with her, since she’s effectively introduced as new.
The story is quite mad, with teleportation, remarkably effective antigravity, and (as is obvious from the cover) a certain race of New Who aliens making a prominent appearance as they race Christina for the treasure. But it’s good over-the-top, fun, and easier to follow than the preceding story, assuming you don’t mind a number of major Edinburgh landmarks getting trashed along the way. A good conclusion to the set, if not the deepest thing Big Finish have ever done. Plus, you know… it has farting aliens. 4 stars.
• It Takes a Thief – The story kicks off in a setting that’s surely ideal for Lady Christina – the French Riviera. She’s there for… well, fairly obvious reasons, but it turns out that there’s a more deadly cat burglar also at work in the area. For some reason that I wasn’t really clear about, this brings the attention of Interpol, rather than the French police, and Christina has to clear her name. (In this story, Interpol appears to be an actual international police force, rather than a liaison and database-storage organisation, as they are in the real world).
The result is a fun caper, with Christina being joined by an upper-class twit as she hunts down the killer and spends a lot of time in expensive hotels for the idle rich. The theme tune to this series is a little reminiscent of the James Bond theme stylistically, and this feels very appropriate here, with its daring escapades and implied glamour. There are also several connections with the TV series, as well as with another audio series (in the latter case, though, it’s more of an easter egg, and you absolutely don’t need to have encountered the character before). 4 stars.
• Skin Deep – Here, we’re in for a much more typical Doctor Who story, although it’s not initially clear whether we’re dealing with aliens or some new piece of deadly technology. It has some points in common with the TV story Partners in Crime (as is mentioned in an aside by one of the characters), but the resemblance turns out to be fleeting. The story is more significant for bringing back Donna’s mother, Sylvia, as Christina befriends her as part of some larger scheme.
Sylvia isn’t really as much fun as Donna is, and, although she does have an important role in the plot, she seems there more to provide a connection with the TV show than for any other reason. However, we do get to see a little of Christina’s background, and some of what drove her to become the woman she is. (Among other things, to the surprise of surely no one, she turns out to have gone to school at Roedean). In the end, it’s a decent attempt to do a DW tale with Christina as the protagonist, although she doesn’t come out of it entirely positively. 4 stars.
• Portrait of a Lady – We’re back in full James Bond territory with this story about a master criminal arranging an art heist. The heist is a relatively minor part of the story, which is really about the struggle to retain the stolen art after the theft. Lady Christina herself doesn’t turn up until some way in, and the story is at least as much told from the perspective of UNIT officer Sam Bishop, who’s trying to track her down. Along the way, there are flying cars, alien tech, an angry Sontaran, and… well, quite a few Bond cliches.
Although this is definitely fun, I found it not quite as good as the first two tales. The main reason for this is that the action is difficult to follow in a few places, with not quite enough dialogue to make it clear – often an issue on audio. But, in addition, some of the geography just doesn’t make sense, with the most obvious example being the presence of the Amazon jungle in Argentina (coastal Argentina at that, so maybe 1000 miles too far south?) If you don’t mind that, though, it’s a decent caper, although more The Spy Who Loved Me than, say, Ocean’s Eleven. 3.5 stars.
• Death on the Mile – We move to Edinburgh for the final instalment – which makes a change from so many stories set in London… or Cardiff, for that matter. Once again, this is a heist, this time of some mundane, but very valuable, treasure concealed beneath Edinburgh Castle that just has to be stolen while the Royal Military Tattoo is going on. (So, yes, there’s bagpipes). Bishop is providing security, but this time the focus is more on Christina, although their encounters in the previous story do play into this one. There’s also an appearance of a character who appeared early on in the modern UNIT audios, although it’s not necessary to be familiar with her, since she’s effectively introduced as new.
The story is quite mad, with teleportation, remarkably effective antigravity, and (as is obvious from the cover) a certain race of New Who aliens making a prominent appearance as they race Christina for the treasure. But it’s good over-the-top, fun, and easier to follow than the preceding story, assuming you don’t mind a number of major Edinburgh landmarks getting trashed along the way. A good conclusion to the set, if not the deepest thing Big Finish have ever done. Plus, you know… it has farting aliens. 4 stars.
November 30, 2022
1.1 It Takes a Thief by John Dorney: 4*
1.2 Skin Deep by James Goss: 3*
1.3 Portrait of a Lady by Tim Dawson: 2*
1.4 Death on the Mile by Donald McLeary: 4*
1.2 Skin Deep by James Goss: 3*
1.3 Portrait of a Lady by Tim Dawson: 2*
1.4 Death on the Mile by Donald McLeary: 4*
September 14, 2021
Fun and entertaining, but nothing really jumped out and said: Yeah! This is awesome! The approach is one that Big Finish does well, but unfortunately, it’s one that they do too often. They take a character that isn’t the Doctor and try to squeeze that character into a Doctor style story. Or perhaps: Let’s take a Doctor Who story, that doesn’t quite work as a Doctor Who story, drop a couple elements and make it another character instead.
March 8, 2022
This is another Big Finish series that I have wanted to check out, but was deterred by the price. I loved Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina de Souza when she made her ONE appearance in the 2009 Doctor Who Christmas special, however I still don't get how one appearance markets a $29.99 price when series regulars like River Song and Missy sell for $19.99.
All that being said, I did enjoy this series. The first story was okay, but the second, third, and fourth were exemplary. In the second, we get to see a post-End of Time Sylvia Noble; in her adventure we get to see a more human, compassionate side to her. I thought she was a toxic bitch on the show, but here I could feel a sort of affection for her.
In the third and fourth stories we get a UNIT crossover with Sam and Jackie appearing. I'd have liked for Kate and Osgood to appear too, but the story was good enough that I can forgive it.
All that being said, I did enjoy this series. The first story was okay, but the second, third, and fourth were exemplary. In the second, we get to see a post-End of Time Sylvia Noble; in her adventure we get to see a more human, compassionate side to her. I thought she was a toxic bitch on the show, but here I could feel a sort of affection for her.
In the third and fourth stories we get a UNIT crossover with Sam and Jackie appearing. I'd have liked for Kate and Osgood to appear too, but the story was good enough that I can forgive it.
September 6, 2018
It Takes a Thief by John Dorney - ***
Skin Deep by James Goss - ****
Portrait of a Lady by Tim Dawson - ***
Death on the Mile by Donald McLeary
Lady Christina is barely in the episode and there are also Slitheen… so - **
Altogether I'll give it 3.5 stars rounded up to four, but it's a very dissatisfied four.
Skin Deep by James Goss - ****
Portrait of a Lady by Tim Dawson - ***
Death on the Mile by Donald McLeary
Lady Christina is barely in the episode and there are also Slitheen… so - **
Altogether I'll give it 3.5 stars rounded up to four, but it's a very dissatisfied four.
October 3, 2018
This series is incredible. Lady Christina is the thief that was with David Tennant's doctor on another planet with a double decker bus full of people. These stories are just as exciting and are well worth listening to. Maybe not the one with Donna's mother but you be the judge. 4 fantastic stories.
April 22, 2021
Never knew I needed more Lady Christina in my life, but after this series of audio adventures, now I would love to see Michelle Ryan's character return to the TV show.
These were all super fun stories, a bit campy, but fit well into the Whoniverse. Production values are stellar, as one would expect from Big Finish.
Highly recommended.
These were all super fun stories, a bit campy, but fit well into the Whoniverse. Production values are stellar, as one would expect from Big Finish.
Highly recommended.
October 23, 2020
These 4 stories focus on the exploits of Lady Christina de Souza (Michelle Ryan) after her one off adventure with the 10th Doctor during the Specials season (the Easter special Planet of the Dead).
The cat burglar with charm gets into various jams and scrapes all to the delight of the listener.
The cat burglar with charm gets into various jams and scrapes all to the delight of the listener.
December 27, 2022
The character of Lady Christina de Souza was a one-off during the David Tennant era of the Doctor Who television series, and letting actress Michelle Ryan leave may be one the greatest lost opportunities of the entire Doctor Who series. Christina is witty, smart, and sexy. Despite being a cat burglar, she usually does the right thing in the end. The four stories in this series play as something from the 1960s--James Bond, It Takes a Thief or The Avengers. There is the Mediterranean, luxury hotels, fast cars, travel, art, and jewelry with a touch of science fiction technology and the occasional alien. I like connecting her with UNIT as it gives her backup and flirting opportunities. Not as good as the Doctor Who stories from Big Finish but an enjoyable look into what might have been.
May 11, 2023
Planet of the Dead felt like one of the most expendable Doctor Who episodes, so I was looking forward to seeing Big Finish do what they do well, which is make you care more about characters who didn’t get much screentime. Ultimately, though, I thought this was just fine. An interesting prequel to Planet of the Dead, I guess, with the main highlight for me being the theme song.
January 2, 2021
Rating 3
An okay series one of this spinoff character, the stories were entertaining enough to keep you listening. Not really sure where they can take the characters next though and it might work better as a straight up thriller / heist series instead.
An okay series one of this spinoff character, the stories were entertaining enough to keep you listening. Not really sure where they can take the characters next though and it might work better as a straight up thriller / heist series instead.
October 9, 2018
Honestly, quite good.
April 22, 2020
The first two stories are great, but the last two let it down. The premise is also so close to River Song’s Diary.
December 6, 2024
It Takes a Thief 2.5
Skin Deep 2.5
Portrait of a Lady 2.5
Death on the Mile 2
found on a podcast app
Skin Deep 2.5
Portrait of a Lady 2.5
Death on the Mile 2
found on a podcast app
February 13, 2025
3.5 really
I liked 1.1 the best 1.2 was fine
The others were Werid and hard to follow
I liked 1.1 the best 1.2 was fine
The others were Werid and hard to follow
September 11, 2025
3.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews