Audio CD review
Starring the voices of Blair McDonough, Anna Skellern, Lisa Bowerman
Big Finish Release date Out now

At the end of their previous adventure, Sapphire and Steel were trapped on a CD. So who has been assigned to investigate a mysterious disappearance?

Big Finish aren't afraid to experiment with their Sapphire and Steel range, and Nigel Fairs' script for the first story of the third season both neatly wraps up the cliffhanger from the last script and poses some interesting new questions about the nature of the central characters.

The story gets off to a slightly slow start, reminiscent of the final Tomorrow People CD (which gets a cheeky name check along the way), as well as Joseph Lidster's contributions to the Big Finish canon. Slowly the various threads presented start to weave together but it's a good idea to listen carefully to the way in which some of the different tales are presented.

The replacement Sapphire and Steel, Anna Skellern and Blair McDonough, make the parts their own, and from Ruby's reaction to them, it's clear that elements have been recreated before. They retain some of the core characteristics of their predecessors but there are enough differences to make the story unpredictable. The rearranged title music and narration are a nice touch to add to the flavour. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10
An intriguing start to the series.