Doctor Who review: Missy meets Strax in Brimstone and Terror

In the second episode of Doctor Who spinoff box set Missy: Series 2, Missy is not only reunited with two children she was once a nanny to but encounters a certain Sontaran who lives on Paternoster Row…

Back when Missy: Series 1 was released last year, the audio box set began with the episode A Spoonful of Mayhem by Roy Gill. Set in Victorian London, this was one of the more fun episodes from the Doctor Who spinoff, with Missy finding herself in the role of a nanny while trying to escape from Earth. Roy Gill’s story felt like a Victorian-era fairy tale, one which had more than a few nods to Mary Poppins.

So it’s unsurprising that, for Missy’s second series, we get a direct sequel to A Spoonful of Mayhem in the form of Brimstone and Terror. Missy wants to create an army, and she thinks that a boarding school in Scotland might just be the place to do that.

Of course, she didn’t count on being reunited with Oliver and Lucy Davis, the two children she was once governess to. And she certainly didn’t expect to deal with a rather unusual Sontaran by the name of Strax…

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Oliver and Lucy

What’s particularly enjoyable about Brimstone and Terror is that, after being heavily focused on in opening episode The Lumiat, we get something much closer to a typical Master story for Missy in this episode. She clearly has a scheme in mind, infiltrating something as ordinary as a school to do it. Finding out what she’s up to is a key part of the story. While Missy still gets to be fun to listen to, it’s nice to have an episode that sounds like an old-school Master story, even without the Doctor in it.

It’s also nice to hear from Oliver and Lucy again. Just like in A Spoonful of Mayhem, they come across as the protagonists for this episode, and we see the Victorian era through their eyes. They’ve noticeably grown up a little since their previous appearance, and while they still have a hint of childhood innocence, they don’t trust Missy as much as they once did. It’s nice to hear from them again, and Oliver Clement and Bonnie Kingston clearly have a lot of fun playing these distinctive characters.

Strax

Another character who’s fun to listen to is Strax. Interestingly, while this the first time that the Sontaran has appeared in Missy, Dan Starkey has voice acted for the series before. In fact, he had a rather key role in A Spoonful of Mayhem as Missy’s probation officer Mr. Cosmo. Like his previous appearance, we get to hear more of his vocal talents in Brimstone and Terror, as he voices several different and distinctive characters.

Strax is as fun as ever to listen to. It’s not surprising, as Roy Gill has written a couple of key episodes for The Paternoster Gang, so he has a good grasp of Strax’s character. Sadly, we don’t hear him interact with Missy a great deal, but he still gets a lot of solid comedy moments, at least.

Brimstone and Terror is a worthy follow-up to A Spoonful of Mayhem. It captures the Victorian era well, and has more than a hint of magic to it, but still remains faithful to who Missy is. A solid listen for fans of Victorian adventure stories.

Did you listen to Oliver and Lucy’s previous appearance in A Spoonful of Mayhem? Do you think a sequel story for these characters was needed? Should Missy meet them again in a future episode? Let us know in the comments below.