PLOTLINE

Up early one morning, Sarah Jane is astonished to seethat the house opposite hers has changed overnight: what used to be a non descript 1970s family home has been replaced by a smart Victorian residence. How did a house from 1884 suddenly materialise in Bannerman Road? Where has the old O'Brien place gone? And more importantly, who - or what - has caused this temporal anomaly? Sarah Jane and friends must find out before time itself explodes and destroys the world...

COMMENT

There is something reassuring about not only Elisabeth Sladen returning to the DOCTOR WHO universe (the BIG FINISH audio plays failed to comprehend the DND of the Sarah Jane Smith character) but the return to Ealing's fictitious Bannerman Road - the centre of planet Earth's alien fighting efforts without the need for guns (TORCHWOOD take note.) - it's like walking on sun-warmed grass with bare feet or tucking into a freshly basked scone with jam & clotted cream. Relaxing.

With Stephen Cole's latest story as part of THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES brand from BBC AUDIO is more intriguing than previous releases. THE GHOST HOUSE delivers exactly what it should for younger fans who have become engrossed with the DOCTOR WHO NEW SERIES; time distortions, aliens, earth in jeopardy and wise-cracking courtesy of Clyde.

To be honest, it's not for children; it too intelligent and it would be a travesty if anyone over 30 years ignores this release.

Creatively it is sublime (a crack in time that drags an entire detached house into the 21 st century from the 19th century) enhanced by a new alien species (one called "Dearthy" but has a dialect of Dutch/Afrikane as if he has just been matter-transported from Pretoria) but supported by the familiar voices of out heroes: Luke, Rani, Clyde and Sarah Jane.

An unseen force has established a link to our Time that if not severed would threaten the planet's very existence - past and present, and, of course, future. Who is the "bad man" living conveniently in the "spider-place"? What is the significance of a Victorian child called May? And what or who has extricated themselves from a Russian prison?

Cole generously litters a CLASSIC SERIES paper-trail for fans to pick-up on; Zigma energy is derived from THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG and Sarah Jane's recollection of having seen data on the use of mirrors relating to time travel recalls THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS.

The success of recent BBC AUDIO releases is the organic development of the basic "one voice one microphone" audiobook by adding supportive music cues and highly effective sound effects where required to move the story forward. This is only true of the main brand DOCTOR WHO but with both THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES and TORCHWOOD. The extra material with THE GHOST HOUSE is diligently artistic if not inventive.

THE GHOST HOUSE is the ideal vehicle for the effortless Elisabeth Claira Heath Sladen as she deftly skips from character to character: whether the dead-pan computer Mr Smith, or teenager Clyde, or Victorian matriarch, or a three-eyed alien, she commands your time (a seemingly very quick 65 minutes).

SERIES 3 of THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES (including an appearance of "Mr. Sladen" - Brian Miller, and David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor in the story THE WEDDING OF SARAH JANE) will be aired in November 2009 and so to bridge the gap until then eyeofhorus.org.uk recommends BBC AUDIO releases - in particular THE GHOST HOUSE.

BBC AUDIO release: 13 November 2008