Reaching the penultimate story in the second Classic Doctors New Monsters boxset, and it’s time for another story with the 6^th Doctor.

For his latest appearance in the series, Ol’ Sixie finds himself in the middle of yet another trial, a witch trial, to be precise. An abhorrent historical practice, he’s horrified that this incident is taking place in the 1980s, but these witches are very dangerous indeed – these are the Carrionites!

Katy Bell returns to her Midlands home to find strange goings-on at the buskers fair. A witch trial in the 1980s. A bonfire ready to be lit…

Luckily, a colourful visitor is already investigating, and the local vicar, Katy’s dad, is versed in tales of the macabre. Terrifying forces are on the loose, and the town hall holds a secret. There is black magic in the Black Country, and the Doctor has the name of his enemy on the tip of his tongue…

Something wicked this way comes.

Big Finish Synopsis

The Carrionite Curse has always been an interesting addition to the CDNM boxset. Based on a frankly unloved story from the NuWho series, it had its odds stacked against it from the very start. However, Guerrier manages to beat those odds by presenting us with a simple story that excels in script and character writing.

The plot of the story itself isn’t particularly strong. Set somewhere in the Black Country countryside, the story essentially boils down to a revenge match between the Carrionites and The Doctor (even though he hasn’t met them yet). Unwittingly unleashed during a village fete, these witch-like aliens cause mischief and mayhem as the Doctor searches for a way to defeat them and to understand why they seem so familiar to him.

While this type of adventure works for well-established villains of the series, the same can’t quite be said of the Carrionites. Beyond adding a few new tools to their arsenal, such as sanguinous ink, it is never quite enough to push them above any other generic foe that you get in Doctor Who from week to week.

What isn’t generic or weak about this adventure, however, is Guerrier’s script and character writing. From the outset, Guerrier’s writing for Katy, the Doctor’s companion for the episode, completely elevates this story. Much like Joel and Gabby from Fallen Angels, she has the air of an archetypal companion about her. Despite her youth, she’s feisty, strong-minded, and able to push back against this Doctor’s pithy humour. She’s instantly likeable, which makes it all the more tragic when she sacrifices herself at the end of the story.

This story’s strong writing also makes its way to The Doctor as well. Guerrier clearly understands the 6^th Doctor’s character, and his material only helps the fine form that Colin Baker is in during this recording. Moreover, this story suits Sixie better than any other version of the Doctor. I’m not talking about the fact that there’s a trial in this story but rather that this story is all about the power of words, and Ol’ Sixie loves to pontificate.