Doctor Who: The Ghosts of N-Space

Doctor Who BBC Audio Dramas

by Barry Letts

The Brigadier's ancient great-uncle Mario seems unsurprised by the spectres which haunt his even more ancient Sicilian castle. But when the Doctor comes to investigate he finds himself faced with a danger as great as any he has yet encountered.

Genres: Doctor Who, Time Travel

3 pages, Audio CD

First published February 24, 1996

About the author

Barry Letts was a British actor, television director, writer and producer. He was most associated with the television series Doctor Who for many years, with active involvement in the television series from 1967 to 1981, and later contributions to its spin-offs in other media.

Reviews

[Melenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Ghosts of N-Space was a 6 part audio drama original written and recorded in 1994, but in fact wasn’t broadcast until after this novelisation was published (Timey-Wimey) is most notable for being the last time Pertwee played the Third Doctor prior to he’s death." Quote taken from Ken's review in 2017.

What I attempted to listen to was the audio drama and I found it extremely hard to follow, but I do look forward to reading to novelization in the future. I feel like I will be able to follow it better (I hope).

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable and I laughed quite a bit; though probably not at spots I was supposed to; the plot was just so incredibly silly. The Doctor (Jon Pertwee's) winds up trying to help the Brig with his uncle's Sicilian castle ghosts. Sarah Jane Smith and her cowardly friend Jeremy join the group.

Funny part one is the plot: It appears that these "ghosts" are menacing fiends from N-Space; and if the Doctor and SJS don't figure things out in time; an immortal alchemist from the 1600s will take over the world or something...using and merging with the negative energy absorbed from all the leftover emotions found in N-space (you know; that space through which your spirit passes on its way to whatever you think is heaven or hell after you die?).

Funny part two is that the Brig's uncle has an accent that dips into over stereotypical Italian, then Greek, then even a bit of Jar Jar Binks at times (Meesah Shoot gun!) Oy.

Funny part three: the music cues are more like those found in the 7th doctor's era; very 1980s.

The saving grace for me is having the original show actors voice their parts. There are moments where the writing is a bit against character for them but the voicings and dramatisations were good and made me feel like I was listening to a lost episode of the show.

One part DID make me a bit queasy though: Jeremy is getting tortured by the Mafia/Mob boss (current iteration of the ancient immortal dude) and it's really rather gruesome sounding. Far too many squelchy noises and screams and let's just say that Jeremy's voice actor REALLY sold it well and it is uncomfortable to say the least!

If you're looking to be a bit nostalgic and to laugh and the completely bizarre plot; this is a good 3 hours.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

First broadcast January to February 1996 - I didn’t really enjoy this one very much. The attempt to rationalize the existence of ghosts via pseudoscience felt very contrived. But I’m giving it an extra star for the performances from Jon Pertwee, as The (Third) Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen, as Sarah Jane Smith, and Nicholas Courtney, as the Brigadier. But the time we get to the end, it’s just about as silly as camp pantomime.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 2 out of 5]

42 WORD REVIEW:

Unfortunately the gratified nostalgia of having a new Third Doctor adventure after twenty-one years, even with strong performances by Jon Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen, could not make up for the manifest shortcomings (namely, dire minor characters and plot) of this audio adventure.

[Candyce Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m impressed with sci-fi attempting to explain religious concepts. Here, it’s life after death, where people go when they die, Hell, and ghosts. Quite a list! The narration is much more seamless than other versions, too. It’s worth a listen.

[Paweł Dembowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the weakest Doctor Who stories, despite starring Jon Pertwee and Elizabeth Sladen.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little cheesy and a bit hard to follow with all the characters that are shoved in at once, traveling in time, flip flopping around, and the move from N-Space to E-Space.

[Terrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it.

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry Letts is an odd writer when it comes to Doctor Who you either get classics like The Daemons and The Green Death or wet farts like Planet of The Spiders or Paradise of Death. The Time Monster being in the middle is a fun story that has good and bad elements, it's hard to dislike though. I was quite frankly dreading The Ghosts of N-Space having seen its reviews but I still wanted to give it a chance since it is Jon Pertwee's final performance as the 3rd Doctor.

The Brigadier's ancient great uncle Mario is in trouble with the mafia who want to gain access to his castle, but when The Brigadier sees a phantom he knows he needs the help of The Doctor. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane Smith and Jeremy Fitzoliver are nearby and Sarah's fed up with being a journalist and instead trying to be a novelist, when she bumps into The Brigadier and The Doctor they find themselves in a lot of trouble that could have consequences for the entire universe. Maximilian an ancient astronomer has come to the modern age as the leader of a mafia group to find his passage to godhood but first, he must open a portal into N-Space. The past, present, and future are all at stake, ghosts stalk the halls and eldritch beings of another dimension threaten reality, time is ticking and the end is near.

This story isn't well-regarded among fans but you do get people who like it all the same and I'm one of them. I genuinely thought this story was brilliant, dodgy accents aside, it's high in concept, timey-wimey, atmospheric, creepy, and at times quite clever and unique. It is a story with balls, it brings the afterlife into the realm of Doctor Who and gives it a scientific explanation that is both satisfying and makes sense for this universe. There are a lot of different time periods throughout this story, so it had a large cast of characters but I had such a good time with this audio.

I didn't think Jeremy was all that annoying in this and he did a few things that contributed to the story in a way that actively benefits it. I loved hearing Jon Pertwee, Elizabeth Sladen, and Nicholas Courtney together one last time, and honestly, they were firing on all cylinders in this one. It was nice to see more of The Brigadier's extended family and Sarah's sense of kindness and humanity towards those she knows are doomed to die. This is insane audio but honestly, it's insane in all the right ways and I loved it.

Overall: I won't lie, I genuinely consider this to be the most underrated Doctor Who story I've ever experienced. It's a brilliant story with a terrific atmosphere and unique ideas. 10/10

[DrAshleyWho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeremy continues to be a whiny annoyance and we should thank small mercies that he never showed up again (plus the Brigadier having an Italian uncle tangled up with the mob is weird), but for all of its convolutedness at times, it’s hard to deny that Letts pulls at the stops when it comes to ambition here. There’s some similarities, surprisingly enough, to Minuet in Hell, but unlike that one which felt like it was trying to actively mock and desecrate Doctor Who and human intelligence for two-and-a-half-hours (I’m not exaggerating, it’s my least favourite Who story in any medium with 2010’s The Beast Below my least favourite on TV), Barry Letts offers us a competent version of that story with a breathless sense of enjoyment. It’s definitely a flawed piece of work, but it nevertheless succeeds as a swansong for Pertwee’s Who performances and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t wish this was made instead of the sluggish era low-point of The Monster of Peladon.