Product Description

When the Doctor arrives on Earth in the far future, he is horrified to find the planet beset by famine and starvation. England is a barren wasteland, and scientists are desperately seeding the ground to make the crops grow again. But now it seems that something even worse is happening. Karl Baring, the owner of research facility The Grange, has been snatched away in the middle of the night. His sister Katy was with him when he vanished, but is now in catatonic shock - so it is up to the Doctor, with the help of the scientists at The Grange, to investigate. What is lurking under the old bridge, and why is it preying on people? The Doctor must find out, before it strikes again...Written specially for audio by Simon Messingham and read by David Tennant, this brand new exclusive adventure features the Doctor as played by David Tennant in the acclaimed hit series from BBC Television.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2212 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-08
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

'Come under the bridge with me!'
Despite not being hugely original, this latest BBC audio adventure for the Tenth Doctor is atmospheric and engaging. Tennant nails a range of accents - his South African being particularly impressive, as the 'base under siege' staple formula over the years of TV stories makes a welcome return to audio.

Other reviewers before me have commented on the plot and style, so I'll stick with saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this offering from the pen of Simon Messingham, with its original monster and its focus on characters rather than simply on action. Compared to previous offerings in this range such as the dull 'Nemonite Invasion' and the patchy 'Forever Trap', this is superb, and a timely reminder of why we love David Tennant's portrayal of the nomadic Time Lord so much, with his constant bonhomie and incessant need to poke his nose in where it could well get bitten off.

under the bridge
Another doctor who talking book from the BBC. An all new story, spread over two discs each of which run for approximately one hour and ten minutes. David Tennant reads it in his normal voice and adopts different ones for each character. There no breaks other than the chapter ones in each disc so you've basically got one one long two part story.

The story has the doctor arriving in britain in the far future. A dry and desolate place where no crops grow, thanks to climate problems. Fans should listen out for a line of dialogue which establishes that this takes place after a certain tv story that the country in somewhat similar problems.

A research base is attempting to grow crops, but when it's leader goes missing and his sister is scared senseless, things threaten to fall apart. And their superiors don't like that at all. But the Doctor is on the scene, and discovers deadly danger lurking in the area that's a threat to the whole planet.

This strives hard for atmosphere and succeeds very well in the first half, with a scary pre credits sequence and a believable group of multi national workers at the base. There are some effectively scary moments to be had.

The second part isn't quite as strong as the nature of the threat is rather similar to things we've seen before - it sneakily references one particular tv story that fans will be reminded of - but whilst things play out as much as you might expect all the supporting characters do behave in a very believable manner. It's all down to which ones will give into fear and which ones won't. And that's well handled by the writing.

Ultimately nothing desperately special but quite an enjoyable listen.

A troll through familiar territory
The Tenth Doctor's time is almost up. On the upside, though, it does at least mean David Tennant has some time on his hands to record Doctor Who audio books, something he hasn't done since "Doctor Who", the Stone Rose (Dr Who), "Doctor Who", the Feast of the Drowned (Dr Who) and "Doctor Who", the Resurrection Casket (Dr Who) back in 2006. And this audio exclusive certainly needs a good reader...

It's basically a rehash of familiar Doctor Who stocks in trade, including the archetypal scientific base under siege. Indeed, Simon Messingham's narrative takes place in the aftermath of another "base under siege" story, "Doctor Who", the Ice Warriors (Dr Who Radio Collection) - it is revealed that, following the ionisation of the glaciers, the retreating ice has left the land barren. The scientists aren't a terribly interesting bunch, but Tennant makes the most of them by adopting a range of accents for the international team.

There's also an unscrupulous government minister - though he's more actively villainous than the indolent bureaucrats we usually encounter in Who - and a terrifying legend come true. Actually, the plant-based menace is more like Swamp Thing than the trolls of folklore, though he does at least live under a bridge. There are some particularly vivid and creepy descriptions as animated roots and twiggy creatures strike terror into the hearts of their victims.

The Day of the Troll contains few real surprises, but if you need a comforting dose of traditional "tick the boxes" Who to keep you going before the next television episode arrives, Tennant's reading should do the trick.