Though Cold Vengeance was the third story in the second volume of Big Finish’s Tenth Doctor Adventures, in a slightly timey-wimey way, it was the first one I ended up listening to.

It was also incredibly average, I’m sad to say; though it was a fun story and one that hearkened back to the feel of one-off Tenth Doctor/Rose episodes from the TV series, it didn’t have any clever twists or much in the way of interesting plot developments or characters.

That’s not the case for Infamy of the Zaross, which is a much better experience overall.

Rose’s mum Jackie (Camille Coduri) is having a break in Norwich, visiting an old friend who’s done well for herself since moving away from London.

Almost as soon as Jackie arrives, however, Norwich is invaded by the Zaross. Getting in touch with Rose (Billie Piper) and The Doctor (David Tennant) they arrive to assist.

Yet why hasn’t The Doctor ever heard of the Zaross? Why are they only invading Norwich? And what’s with all of the drones flying around with them?

Though the big twist of the episode is telegraphed in the scene that takes place before the opening theme, there’s still a great deal to enjoy in Infamy of the Zaross.

It has a genuinely interesting and unusual premise, as well as an almost secondary villain in the form of Jackie Tyler’s friend, the insufferably braggadocious Marge (Rosie Cavaliero).

Tennant and Piper are great together as always, but it’s also good to hear the brilliant Coduri back as Jackie.

Rose gets a real chance to shine here too, particularly when interacting with Marge’s long suffering teen daughter.

Without wishing to delve too much into spoiler territory, there’s some great commentary on celebrities and a certain genre of TV, which became ridiculously popular in the time period this story is set in – the mid-00s.

Overall then, this is perhaps a better way to reacquaint yourself with the classic Tenth Doctor era and a better jumping on point for listeners new to Big Finish’s audio dramas than Cold Vengeance was.

That’s because it does something a bit different, less simplistic and much more involving for the listener, without being overly complicated or featuring a sprawling cast of characters.

Though not as satisfying overall as many of the audio dramas I’ve recently listened to, Infamy of the Zaross is a fun diversion and one that’s cheerfully undemanding, while still being somewhat unique and, at times, surprising.

You can buy Infamy of the Zaross directly from Big Finish, as a digital download, here.

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