A collection of four stories showcasing the variety of companions that Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor has had, beyond his single, full on screen episode, The Company of Friends was released way back in 2009.

Even then, the Eighth Doctor had already had an incredibly long life beyond that lone TV movie; it’s fascinating that his stories continued even when Doctor Who itself had been revived onscreen in 2005 and indeed, still do to this day.

Kicking off the collection is Benny’s Story, featuring Lisa Bowerman’s perennially popular (and, like the Eighth Doctor himself, impressively enduring) archaeologist from the future.

Introduced in the New Adventures novels in the 90s (which were intended as a continuation of the TV series after it was cancelled, and the feeling was that it wasn’t coming back), in this story she is tasked with finding and retrieving a TARDIS key.

When activated, the key summons the TARDIS it belongs to; you’ll never guess who turns up when that happens.

Fitz’s Story showcases cockney wide boy Fitz Kreiner, who investigates a weird situation in which the Doctor appears to be endorsing an organisation repelling extraterrestrial threats on a distant planet.

Izzy’s Story sees the titular companion and the Doctor checking out the mysterious lost issue of a popular weekly sci fi comic.

Finally, Mary’s Story takes us to the infamous Villa Diodati, as a monster calling itself The Doctor interrupts the gathering of poets and writers at Lord Byron’s Swiss retreat.

It’s an enjoyable enough collection of stories, but with each of them under half an hour, they can’t help but feel incredibly slight and over far too quickly, with resolutions that feel rather swift in each case.

It’s a good way to spend time with some very distinct personalities bouncing off the Doctor, and a good springboard for checking out their other adventures with the Time Lord (not always the Eighth, either!), but as a set of done in one stories, it doesn’t have the necessary breathing room to do each tale justice.

A bonus story, Cremation Point, is hidden after the behind the scenes feature, but again feels a bit too short and unsatisfying.

It is wonderful to hear Nicholas Courtney as the wonderful Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart again though.

You can buy Doctor Who: The Company of Friends as a digital download, directly from Big Finish, here.

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