Christmas has come a month early for the Thirteenth Doctor and her fans. Continuing her bimonthly adventures with Yaz, the third instalment in the series, Lionesses in Winter, brings with it a sense of yuletide cheer and awkward family reunions.

Written by seasoned Big Finish veteran Lisa McMullin, her contribution to the Thirteenth Doctor Adventures range sees the duo tackle a historical. Landing in 1183, the pair are faced with a ghostly spectre threatening a royal family Christmas.

England, 1183 – The court of Henry II. The Doctor and Yaz gatecrash a right royal – if terrifyingly dysfunctional – family Christmas as Henry’s estranged wife Eleanor returns to spend Yuletide with the fam. The Doctor and Yaz uncover an imposter amongst them, but who are they really? And what do they want?

Big Finish Synopsis

Gatecrashing the royal festivities of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor, the latest addition to the Thirteenth Doctor range starts on solid ground. From the outset, the story finds its strengths in character writing. Within the first 10 minutes of the story, McMullin successfully introduces her listeners to the complex family dynamics that plagued the beginning of England’s Plantagenet dynasty. These scenes, with a tight focus on their vicious squabbling and insurrectionist tendencies, create the picture-perfect impression of a dysfunctional family.  

Complementing the strong character writing, the adventure’s first quarter also provides the listener with more to love from its ghostly mystery. First introduced as the ominous spectre of Henry and Eleanor’s dead son, Philip, his appearance within the story gets more engaging as the mysteries surrounding him deepen. No ordinary ghost, his growing sense of corporality brings with it some truly vivid imagery by McMullin. The ghostly Philip causes everything around him to decay, and despite not being able to smell anything through the computer screen, the remarks from Yaz, Alys and The Doctor about the vile smells of rotting food and dying plant life help to build a visceral sense of the decay that surrounds them.  

While the story’s first quarter is great, as the Doctor and Yaz attempt to solve the mystery behind Philp’s ghostly appearance, the plot begins to run into some pacing issues. From portals to parallel worlds to time travel, and even a mention of EastEnders, there are a lot of moving parts at play during the second act. Unfortunately, much like one of this version of The Doctor’s rambling speeches, these plot points move from one to the other too quickly, leaving little time to grasp the various concepts involved. As a result, the solution fails to land with any real impact.  

Fortunately, these pacing issues don’t overshadow the most important part of the climax, the emotional resolution between Henry and Eleanor. Their shared pain and grief over the loss of their son is maturely explored, underpinning the great character writing that is shown throughout the story.