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20TH OCTOBER 2008 - 27TH OCTOBER 2008

(2 EPISODES)

Secrets of the Stars is perhaps my least favourite offering of the season. It is

not that it is a bad story by any means; far from it, in fact. Gareth Roberts’ story is replete

with his customary wit and wiliness, and better still it features a glorious performance from Russ Abbot as the corrupted mystic, Mr Trueman.

“What if astrology is a kind of memory? It’s the power of the stars; the old universe.”

Roberts’ story also toys with an interesting idea that has been hanging around the Doctor Who universe for a while, suggesting that there was a universe that existed before ours;

a universe that was home to creatures and forces that simply are not compatible with our science or at least our understanding of science. Creatures like the Satan Beast, the Gods of Ragnorok and the Great Intelligence. Forces like the Ancient Lights of Secrets of the Stars.

Nevertheless, even in the face of some dazzling performances and an appealing narrative, I found that Secrets of the Stars soon lost its momentum. It’s not often that I find myself saying this these days, but this one seemed to lack pace as well as that very definite punch that only a good old fashioned monster can bring.

Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2009

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