Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor initially got a raw deal when it came to his part in the ongoing saga of Doctor Who.

Appearing in a TV movie pilot – co-produced by Universal Studios and the BBC – intended to launch a new era for the Gallifreyan time and space traveller, it did well in the UK but didn’t receive a big enough reception in the US to justify funding on a series, which is a massive shame.

For all the faults the TV movie had, it also showed a great deal of promise and a much slicker, more modern way forward for the Doctor, certainly in terms of its visuals and special effects – aspects of the show that had often turned off more casual viewers in the past, despite the continual strength of Doctor Who’s writing and performances.

McGann himself made for a brilliantly charming Doctor; though it took a little while, over the years he became a fan favourite – and his adventures continued in comics, novels and audio adventures too.

He’s even made more appearances in the TV show itself at this point – so a case could easily be made for McGann’s Eighth Doctor having both the shortest and the longest runs for any Doctor; if you’re a big fan of Doctor Who, McGann’s Doctor never really went away.

His audio adventures still continue to this day; in fact, a new era, with a new companion, has just begun – and that’s exactly what we’re taking a look at here.

The brilliantly named Lady Audacity Montague – played by the wonderful Jaye Griffiths (who played an excellent UNIT operative in the Doctor Who TV show – and deserved more than the offhand death she received) – is strong-willed and socially aware; qualities which aren’t necessarily widespread among women of her status in Regency period England.

She’s fascinated by the stars, angry at the social order – appreciating the fact that her own privilege comes from her choice of husband – and even partakes in Robin Hood-style shenanigans too.

In the first episode – The Devouring – we spend an awful lot of time getting to know Audacity (or ‘Dassy’ to her friends and family), though a few details about her life pre-marriage are only teased.

The Devouring sees our heroine have the, well, audacity (sorry) to catch the eye of a malevolent space thing through a telescope, setting off a chain of events that require a certain Doctor to intervene.

This opening story really is Audacity’s story; both Griffiths and writer Lisa McMullin imbue her with a great deal of personality; she’s an almost immediately captivating creation.

The story itself is a fantastic condemnation of male entitlement too; it brilliantly weaves Audacity’s distaste for the place of women in society – and their general treatment by snooty men who always know best – into its extra-terrestrial threat.

The next two chapters in the set are a single, longer story: The Great Cyber-War Parts 1 & 2, by Tim Foley.

Though action packed, full of incident and even stuffed with references to a classic Fourth Doctor serial – this being a sort of prequel to Revenge of the Cybermen.

Unfortunately, my lack of familiarity with much of classic Who, not to mention just how busy the story gets – with lots of plot and action points to get through – I found it far less satisfying than The Devouring.

Audacity herself doesn’t exactly get sidelined in The Great Cyber-War, but she certainly doesn’t take centre stage as she does in The Devouring – and, perhaps because this set introduces – and is named after – the character, I was expecting that she’d be more of a focus in both stories.

Still, she does get to make her mark and the strength of her character definitely shines through in The Great Cyber-War.

Special mention must also go to Trudie Goodwin, ex-copper from famously long-running Brit Police drama The Bill, who gives listeners a great performance as administrator Galta; it’s a shame we won’t be seeing this character again (sorry, spoilers perhaps), but she’s certainly a great addition to the cast and story here.

So, there you have it; in Audacity , we have a new companion for the Doctor, who’s a little older, wiser and stronger willed than many companions when they start out.

Though she also feels pretty fully formed right from the start, we’re teased with intriguing details about Audacity’s past – and we’ll no doubt be given a bit more about her backstory as the new Eighth Doctor adventures continue.

Even though Audacity – the box set – overall was a bit of a mixed bag for me, the same couldn’t be said of the character or Jaye Griffiths herself, who’s long deserved a second shot at making her mark in the Whoniverse.

You can purchase the Audacity box set as a digital download or CD+digital version directly from Big Finish.