‘THE RIPARIAN RIPPER’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Red River Murders with the Seventh Doctor and Ace
This story is by Andrew Cartmel. It features the Seventh Doctor and Ace and is read by Sophie Aldred. Andrew Cartmel was the script editor of ‘Doctor Who’ from 1987 to 1989 and is well-versed in the Seventh Doctor and Ace. So he knows the characters inside out when he writes for them here.
‘The Riparian Ripper’ is narrated by Ace in the first person. In the story, she and the Doctor are investigating a series of brutal murders at Red River. With help from people at St. Saviour’s Hospital, the Doctor and Ace track down to where the Riparian Ripper might be before he escapes in his ship.
I did find myself lost when listening to this tale for the first time. I tried again to get a clearer idea as to what was happening the second time I heard it. I can’t deny I found the ending disappointing. I even had to listen to the climatic track again to be sure I hadn’t missed anything. Still disappointing!
With that said, Sophie Aldred is a lovely narrator. I enjoyed the voices she gave to characters in the adventure as she’s very good at that. Her voice for Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor is brilliant and she would use it to good use in ‘Shockwave’. I wish the story aspects matched with Sophie’s reading of it.
I have noticed that Andrew Cartmel likes to set his ‘Doctor Who’ stories in an earthbound setting and sometimes at universities. This is particularly the case when he wrote ‘Animal’ for Big Finish audio and when he wrote ‘The Girl Who Stole Stars’ for ‘The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who’ book.
‘The Riparian Ripper’ rating – 4/10
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