Originally posted here at Anime Radius.

Companions on Doctor Who, when it comes to their first outing in the TARDIS, never get an easy ride: Tegan is forced to carry a post-regenerated Doctor around a strange planet; Charley Pollard faced down Cybermen while Ace smashed the hell out of Daleks with a baseball bat. Seems only fair that everyone’s favorite male nurse from the near future, Thomas Hector Schofield, should get the same treatment. With a giant chunk of Australia floating through space on a meteor, filled with ghosts and stone people and dangerous monsters round every corner, Dreamtime certainly succeeds in introducing Hex to the wild and wonderful universe that awaits him in future travels.

The story itself is very spooky and beautiful in a way. It’s obvious how much time and research Simon A. Forward put into the backstory of the Dreamtime, a concept which itself originates from Aboriginal mythology. The Galyari themselves actually originate from a previous Big Finish audio, but you don’t need to listen to it to understand their part of the story. I wish I could say that the story itself made sense overall, but a lot of it went over my head and seemed overly complicated at some points. The opening scene, however, is utterly brilliant and a great way to pull in listeners – by throwing them head first into an unknown situation, get them interested, then jump to a seemingly unrelated setting shortly afterward. I also thought the switches between past and future (present?) were handled deftly and at no time did I feel confused or put off by any of the time jumps in the narrative.

It is important to note that this is Hex’s first trip in the TARDIS, which means this story also includes his first encounter with a new world, an alien species, and dangers unlike anything back home. He does so admirably, approaching everything with a sense of awe and wonder but not so much that he loses sight of what’s going on. He feels a bit odd being called upon to bring the Doctor out of the Dreamtime, rightfully thinking that Ace would be a better candidate as she knows him better, but despite all odds Hex does a fine job of helping solve the mystery of the Dreaming and saving the Doctor from the void. Ace, older and wiser since her appearance on the TV, becomes Hex’s mentor in time travel, having done it herself for quite some time. The Doctor is still playing professor for his companions, leading them through the alien world like a teacher on a field trip – well, that is, until he gets snatched up by the void and Ace and Hex have to fend for themselves.

Another something worth noting: the Doctor. Sylvester McCoy once again does a bang-up job as his respective Doctor, and the script gives him opportunity to be the wonderfully dark alien from season 26 that this reviewer enjoyed watching so much. When he plays the Not!Doctor who tries to trick Ace and ends up trying to kill her instead, he is so delightfully creepy that I almost which they had let the Not!Doctor have more scenes. He delivers one of the most memorable lines in the story – “It’s a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea” – and his Doctor’s return from the Dreamtime is a subtle and understated victory for fans who like their Time Lords a little bit devious and not afraid to muck about in the time stream.

As an audioplay, Dreamtime delivers on all fronts. A combination of a great soundtrack and a fully competent cast creates an atmosphere that is both frightening yet interesting. The world of Oz on a rock is one which draws the listener in and entices with its tales of ghosts and stone people. Yes, some of it doesn’t make sense, but once you let go and allow the play to wash over you with its cold charm and non-linear story techniques, you’ll find yourself enjoying it despite its flaws. Also, if this is how Hex is as a companion, I look forward to listening to his following adventures in the TARDIS. As the Doctor said, they’ll make a seasoned time traveler out of him yet. ( )

Dreamtime is the first trip in the Tardis for the Seventh Doctor's new companion Hex: some splendid audio-scapes conveying the double weirdness of the landscape - Uluru is bizarre enough in the first place, but to find it on an atmospheric asteroid is extra value. I'm not sure if the plot really made a lot of sense but I enjoyed the ride. ( )