The Doctor has been fighting monsters throughout all his incarnations, but could it be that some races see him as the monster?

The Clutch is a vast nomadic armada of ships, forever moving between the stars. Among them are the Galyari, a race that have legends of a ruthless enemy who has dogged them through all their history. A terrible creature known as the Sandman.

The Doctor and Evelyn arrive among the Clutch seemingly by random chance. But it appears the Doctor may have brought them here for a reason. For he and the Galyari go back a long way. The Sandman of their legends is also called the Doctor.

But as Evelyn begins to question whether her friend is all he seems, someone is using the legends of the Galyari against them. It seems the Sandman has returned, but can the Doctor stop him in time to save the Galyari race?

While this is an interesting premise for a Doctor Who story, The Sandman isn't as good as the sum of its parts. Which is a shame, as Simon A. Forward, the author of this play, was also the author of the excellent 2002 4th Doctor BBC novel Drift.

Colin Baker and Maggie Stables are as good as ever in their roles of the Doctor and Evelyn, the banter between them still fresh and fun. And it's interesting to see the doubts begin to form in Evelyn's mind as the Doctor's role in the history of the Galyari is told.

And while the guest cast boasts Anneke Wills (former companion Polly) and Ian Hogg (Josiah Samuel Smith in the 7th Doctor TV tale Ghost Light) they can't be recognised under the voice modulation needed for them to become Galyari. So it is difficult to find anybody that stands out in this production.

For whatever reasons, The Sandman just doesn't work for me. It should, given the obvious effort that has gone into the production, but it doesn't. Rather like ...ish earlier in the year, this is a disappointing entry into the 6th Doctor adventures at Big Finish. I hope that the next story to feature him (and Evelyn), Jubilee, will be better.

No real highlights and nothing to recommend. A poor end to 2002 for the best Doctor of 2001, according to the DWM poll. I doubt this will help him retain the crown.