(AudioGo, �10.20)

WITH filming currently underway on the seventh series of Doctor Who since the show’s revival, the anticipation for the new run is positively palpable. Unfortunately, we have to wait until the autumn to see any of these new stories, which makes AudioGo’s series of audio exclusives a nice way of bridging the gap.

An unexpected bout of time slippage causes the Doctor to experience a horrific vision of the end of reality, which he traces to what appears to be a 1950s English public school. But as he, Amy and Rory soon discover, things are not quite so simple at the Darkstar Academy, because the prefects are armed with guns, a mysterious forcefield surrounds the school’s perimeter, and a swarm of carnivorous creatures are on the loose…

However, despite this ominous set-up, Darkstar Academy is actually more of a romp than a horror story, with writer Mark Morris throwing in alien spiders, robots and more timey-wimey get-out-clauses into the mix.

Alexander Armstrong, who has appeared in the show and its spin-offs in several capacities, is the narrator for this latest release, but perhaps fails to live up to the high standards established by previous readers, occasionally lacking the drama and pace needed here.

That said, it’s an interesting little tale, with some nice moments for the TARDIS crew, and will certainly fill that aching void in your life until new episodes of the TV show appear on our screens.