Review: Doctor Who: AudioGo: The Eye of the Jungle

By Darren Jones

Read by David Troughton

AudioGo, out July 7

The Doctor, Amy and Rory land in the jungle at the start of the 19th Century and discover that something is attacking a zoological expedition…

Darren Jones is a newcomer to the Doctor Who line and his debut is an intriguing two-part story that barely stretches onto a second disc. Had Matt Smith been reading it, it would probably have had room to spare on a single CD, but David Troughton has a rather more languid style, which suits some tales, but not necessarily this one. Whereas he expertly captures his father’s vocal mannerisms (and indeed did a fair Jon Pertwee on the Peladon Companion Chronicle a few months back), he hasn’t really got the 11th Doctor’s cadences, and lines that are meant to be heard in the idiosyncratic manner with which Smith plays the part do get a little lost.

And that’s a shame, because there’s some cracking dialogue for both the Doctor and the newly-married Williams couple. The first episode is pretty much a historical story, with the time travellers becoming embroiled in the various power plays going on within the expedition; the second takes a sharp left turn as the secret of the Eye in the jungle is revealed, and the Last of the Time Lords has to ensure his own survival.

Verdict: A solid story that might have benefitted from a different narrator.  7/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to buy Doctor Who: Eye of the Jungle from Amazon.co.uk