Doctor Who review: Murder and conspiracies feature in The Hunting Ground
By James Aggas
The Sixth Doctor finds a strange and unusual conspiracy in present day Iceland in this month’s Doctor Who audio The Hunting Ground.
AK Benedict’s The Hunting Ground is a very enjoyable Sixth Doctor story. There are a lot of interesting elements combined in this one, and the story goes in directions that you don’t expect it to.
It’s very clear that Benedict is a big fan of Colin’s Doctor, as she writes him extremely well. He’s wonderfully quirky and eccentric, and gets a lot of great dialogue. Particularly when he’s with Inspector Yrsa Kristjansdottir. Initially suspecting him of murder, she very quickly starts to fill in the companion-type role for the story.
The story starts to play out as a dark mystery in Iceland, something along the lines of Nordic noir. There’s an intriguing murder mystery that’s introduced, and the Inspector herself has a very personal connection to the case.
But the story that unfolds is a little lighter and more colorful than that. There are elements that are very reminiscent of The Woman Who Fell to Earth, particularly with the character of the Hunter, but there’s also more of a story to it. There are hints of a conspiracy at work, and not everything – or everyone – is at it initially appears.
More from Winter is Coming
- For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
- Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
- Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
- Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
- Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”
A mixture of interesting characters
There are some very distinctive alien characters introduced in this one, especially Marfick and Marfick. The two really stand out, and come across as very memorable and funny characters. The Constable and even a singing printer work well, too.
But my favorite guest character is definitely Yrsa, who’s wonderfully played by Amy Beth Hayes. Not only does she bounce off the very strange and eccentric Sixth Doctor very well. But her own personal stakes in the story, particularly involving the unsolved murder of her father, gives some depth to her character, too.
Overall, The Hunting Ground is a very enjoyable release, alongside this month’s other audio, Muse of Fire. Not my favorite of the year, but it’s a decent and enjoyable story. It’s got an interesting plot, a distinctive monster, and a lot of humor to it, too. Not a bad listen for this time of year.
Gallifrey review: Pandora shakes up the Doctor Who spin-off in a big way. dark. Next
Have you listened to The Hunting Ground? Do you enjoy Sixth Doctor stories? Do you think the genre of Nordic noir would be a good fit for a Doctor Who story? Let us know in the comments below.