On Deimos, Ice Lord Slaadek plans to kill every human on Mars in order to reclaim the planet and revive the ancient Ice Warrior civilisation. Only the Doctor can stop him... but an old enemy, hiding in the catacombs, has an alternative plan - a plan that will test the Doctor’s heroism to its limits. Just how far will the Doctor go to prevent the destruction and resurrection of Mars - on a day when his friends become enemies, and his enemies have the greater good on their side...?

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

The Resurrection of Mars picks up where Deimos left off, forming what is in effect a four-part story. Jonathan Morris continues to heap peril upon disaster, so that by the end of the first episode (or, if you like, the third episode of the four-parter), the writer has jettisoned most of the guest cast, allowing a sharper focus on the regular and semi-regular cast.

However, this CD is far more than just a continuation of Deimos. Morris also ties together plot strands from Death in Blackpool, Situation Vacant and The Book of Kells, bringing back both Lucie Miller (the excellent Sheridan Smith) and the Meddling Monk (the wonderful Graeme Garden). Allusions to The Apprentice in Situation Vacant are followed up as the Monk informs Lucie that, “You’re fired”, and dumps on her Deimos. The reality-show references don’t end there, though, as the story rapidly goes all Wife Swap - or rather Companion Swap - as the Doctor (Paul McGann) is reunited with Lucie, while Tamsin Drew (Niky Wardley) finds herself recruited by the Monk.

The latter development isn’t exactly a surprise. As soon as the Monk abandoned Lucie at the start of the disc (at which point we experience the closing moments of Deimos from her perspective), I began to think, “Hey, I wonder if...” The departure and return of a companion (i.e. Lucie) is reminiscent of recent developments in the television series (think Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Donna Noble), as is the writing in of a companion (i.e. Tamsin) whose presence proves to be short-lived (think Adam Mitchell, Captain Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith and Rory Williams). In a further homage to the TV show, Tamsin is set to return (with the Monk) for the season finale.

Nevertheless, these developments are extremely exciting, especially as they prompt a discussion of the Eighth Doctor’s morality, which is contrasted with that of the Monk and also that of the Seventh Doctor. McGann’s Doctor speaks eloquently and passionately about why he turned his back on the manipulative methods of his previous incarnation, who ended his days travelling alone following the death of... We are left guessing as to whose death the Doctor and the writer are referring to. Fans of Who in other media may interpret this as a reference to Ace in the comic strip Ground Zero or Antimony in the webcast Death Comes to Time. More intriguingly, could this be a foreshadowing of events to be revealed in a Big Finish audio adventure to come...?

Oh yeah - and there are some Ice Warriors in it too!

The CD concludes with 16 minutes of interviews with the cast and crew, including Sheridan Smith and Graeme Garden.

The return of Miller and the writing of Morris make for a most enjoyable Resurrection of Mars.

9

Richard McGinlay