Don't Go Under The Bridge...

The Day Of The Troll is a return to form from the BBC's series of original audio readings, after the disappointment of The Rising Night.

That said it relies on a lot of Doctor Who staples (such a gung-hu military presence; an obstinate, bull-headed politician; and even the 'twist' in the nature of the 'troll' creature) in a tried-and-tested Doctor Who set-up: an isolated base where the inhabitants are trapped with an unknown monster (in fact, I strongly suspect, this is the very set-up being used in the next TV outing for the 10th Doctor, The Waters Of Mars).

In this tale The 10th Doctor arrives in England, in the far future, to find the whole country abandoned after an ecological and environmental disaster has left it a barren wasteland. Only the residents of a converted stately home known as The Grange, a group of scientists funded by a eco-aware billionaire, are trying - all be it not too successfully - to reclaim the lands for farming.

Their efforts are being further hampered by the sudden disappearance of their benefactor and the appearance, from under a nearby bridge, of a strange creature seemingly composed of vegetable matter.

The plant-creature - the 'troll' - is an alien lifeform that came to Earth millions of years ago and remains dormant as long as it is getting nutrients from the soil; of course with the recent disasters its food supply has been cut off and it needs to find food elsewhere.

With strong hints of The Thing From Another World and Tremors, and a classic example of the Quatermass influence on Doctor Who I was talking about the other day,The Day Of The Troll is a slow-burner; for the first quarter of the story - except for the abduction of the billionaire - very little happens, but like a good horror movie, the tension eventually escalates and builds until at the half-way point it has turned into a blockbuster.

And just as you don't think things can get any worse for The Doctor and The Grange scientists, the military and the Food Minister show up, unwilling to accept The Doctor's explanation of "monsters" or allow news of the going-ons to get out.

Despite the slightly clichéd aspects of the story, The Day Of The Troll has the massive advantage of being read by The Doctor himself, David Tennant; a master of voices, who gives all the individual supporting characters distinctively characteristics (helped by the multi-national make-up of the ensemble).

It's not the greatest, or most original, of these audio tales, but there's enough creepiness and visual suggestions to conjure up the requisite nightmares that author Simon Messingham was aiming for.

Strangely, and rather intriguingly, The Doctor sounds slightly angrier and more manic and belligerent than usual - perhaps he knows his time is running out?