Benny's Story by Lance Perkin
Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) is one of the most well-liked characters from extended media but this was my first introduction of her. She's an archeologist and in many ways a precursor to River Song, although I have to say she's a better character. This is the first time Benny and the Eighth Doctor meet and it's a lot of fun.
Fitz's Story by Stephen Cole
Fitz (Matt di Angelo) is the Eighth Doctor's longest serving companion in the 'Eighth Doctor Adventures' novels but this is his only appearance on audio. He's a superb character, a mixture of Danny Dyer and Donna Noble which works brilliantly. The story too is a good one as the pair investigate Alien Defence Incorporated which is using the Doctor's image to make money from protection from aliens. A genuinely funny and engaging story.
Izzy's Story by Alan Barnes
Izzy (Jemima Rooper) is the Eighth Doctor's longest serving companion in the Doctor Who Monthly comic. She's a geek and this is reflected in the story where she uses the TARDIS to track rare copies of comic Aggrotron! A great story which has a lot to say about the idea of being a fan dealing with reboots of things you loved when you were young.
Mary's Story by Jonathan Morris
Throughout the Eighth Doctor audio stories prior to this it had been often joked that the Doctor was friends with Mary Shelley (Julie Cox) and this story confirms that by depicting when they first met. This is a really clever story, using Frankenstein as inspiration for the story, which obviously in turn later inspires Shelley. It's also the only story here which goes a bit deeper with the character- here Mary's relationship with her husband Percy is explored and is the key to her leaving with the Doctor.
It's a fun set of stories which focuses more on humour than drama. In my mind that's no bad thing and works well here. The companions are really well defined given how little time we actually spend with them, largely thanks to the monologues which open each story and all four actors fitting the parts perfectly. A really enjoyable anthology.
Also included here is a short story from The Three Companions boxset, Cremation Point. In this story Polly (Anneke Willis) narrates a Second Doctor adventure where she, Ben and Jamie try to escape a tram on a planet which is about to be destroyed. It's a welcome addition and a well-told story though it would have worked better in context with the rest of the story.
