Written By: Robert Valentine

Starring: Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper

Originally released : June 2026

Listened to: June 2026

Context: so, a break from Gallifrey and a move to a modern Doctor, THE modern Doctor I would say. Always enjoys these 9th Doctor adventures, with BP and CE always great.

THE REVIEW

What I thought

This is the final story set on this run of adventures set on the Powell estate, which I have enjoyed pretty much in all cases (I appreciate some folks are getting weary of the stuck on earth arc but I am ok with that). This adventure has a great creepy set up, with a smog bound powell estate, with Taxi drivers scared of going there etc, something weird is going on. We are re-introduced to Safron Windrose , companion in a previous adventure (Station to Station in fact), which should really have clued me onto what was actually going on in this story but it didn’t, too slow there JZ. I went through a lot of this adventure thinking that the Malus was the main baddie (classic old who fan thinking in evidence here) when in fact, said baddie from Station to Station has returned, the ‘Grimmony Gru’ (silly name but kinda cool villain, not as though I am entirely clear what it is, a kind of land of illusion fairy tale monster), well played by BF stalwart Dan Starkey. Great creepy stuff, and Chris E has some great scenes, especially in the climax, with the 9th Doctor playing the Gru for Rose’s life. Turns out the Gru wants to die in fact, and the Doctor needs to move on, not being able to stay in one place for too long without bringing chaos, death and destruction with him. Lovely ending to this arc of Earth based stories, no idea where this series is going next but I am all in.

Rating: 4.2 out of 5 Grims fairy tales: very much enjoyed this one, a great ending to this run of adventures and a decent explantion/return of a 9th Doctor BF main baddie, which is handled well here. Lovely stuff.

What am I left thinking?

• Where next for the 9th Doctor and Rose?
• Are we going to continue with Rose?
• Where this is placed in the 9th Doctor’s timeline I wonder if the writers are a little too constrained to do anything too new or novel for the next set of episodes?

Memorable bits

• The Gru is a lovely idea/villan
• Windrose is a lovely returning friend of the Doctors

Cast

Christopher Eccleston (The Doctor)

Billie Piper (Rose Tyler)

Will Chitty (Milton)

Indigo Griffiths (Saffron Windrose)

Dan Starkey (Cabbie / Mr Grim)

Sophie Thompson (Mrs Crook)