"Creature of the night, eh? I think you'd like the red jelly babies then..."

I take it February is meant to be the month of Big Finish defying my expectations. My initial thoughts on this story before I listened to it were blown out of the water yet again... But listening to it, I found that it fell back onto the mainstays of Tom's era. And that is never a bad thing. Especially with a beautifully tense and Gothic tale like this... (I take it this is practice for the May Big Finish Classic? Hint, hint...)

DOCTOR WHO FOURTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES REVIEW

5.02: THE LABYRINTH OF BUDA CASTLE
BY JACK RYAN

BEWARE: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

"Wonderful, wonderful Budapest!" At least that's what the Doctor says, taking Romana to the stunning city in the late 1970's, for a nice relaxing holiday of peace and some culture. And then someone gets attack by a vampire. Or at least that's what the rumours and vampire hunters say. But soon, the TARDIS team, with new assistant, vampire hunter Celia Sommes, discover a string of similar murders and conspiracies, all leading to the famous labyrinths of Buda Castle, currently under use of the military. As the evidence unfolds, they are all lead to a certain Zoltan Frid, but The Doctor will soon discover that the vampire conspiracy goes further than the labyrinths, and a little closer to home...

Tom Baker, Doctor Who and Gothic stories. Three sets of words that just intertwine with each other perfectly. And as for good Gothic stories, you can't get more Gothic that vampires. This story, perfectly crafted by Eddie Robson, takes the vampire legend and the story of Dracula, and twists it on its head. The regular mainstays are there; vampire, love interest, hunter, dark gloomy labyrinths (I'm saying the word labyrinths far too much) and has a healthy dash of 4th Doctor madness dropped in.

So whilst doing this review, I only noticed the cast list properly for the first time. HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT MARK BONNAR WAS IN THIS?!?!? As well as Tom and Lalla as the Doctor and Romana, Mark Bonnar (fresh from his role of The Eleven in Doom Coalition) takes the reins of Zoltan Frid, the delightfully distinguished but dastardly villain of the tale. His performance in this is a testament to his acting ability, considering I was unable to realise that it was the voice behind The Eleven. Apart from him, Kate Bracken is excellent in her role of Celia, mixing in belief with skepticism. Also, John Dorney is acting in this one. Permission to squee, sah.

I don't think I need to talk about the music and sound design much for this one. It's done by Jamie Robertson. You know the chap who did the music for The Prisoner, whose high praises I sang in that review? Yep, Jamie Robertson. That's all I need to say on the matter. His name is a byword for perfect music suites and sound design.

The fifth series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures has begun with a cracking start. The first two stories are pure perfection, with this excelling in its pure Gothic theme, and if the rest follow suit, we're going to be in for a good couple of months. And if you need any further enticement for the rest of this series....

JOHN CHALLIS, DAVID WARNER AND DAVID TROUGHTON!!! That is all.

VERDICT: 5/5 I'm really hoping this streak continues for the rest of the series.