The Diary Of River Song series 11: Friend Of The Family by Tim Foley (CD review).
‘This family has long been haunted by a strange lady.’
It’s time for something different. This series of ‘The Diary of River Song’ is one complete story, and, yes, of course, it’s about time. Tim Foley has crafted a four-piece suite of River’s travels within a closed system of time that lasts eighty years, involving an Agatha Christie-type mystery and, amongst other things, a room full of snow.
11-1. The Rules of the House
‘The Impossible River Song’
River Song (Alex Kingston) finds a bundle of diary entries she doesn’t remember making in a mysterious house in the 52nd century, which means she can’t resist investigating. The pages are full of riddles. She’s got an AI called Hugo (Mark Elstob) from the university with her. He’s up for learning and provides the perfect foil to the wit and wisdom of River. She’s keen not to time travel through the history of the Edwardian house, but time has other ideas, and she’s pulled into the past.
11-2. The Key to the Door
‘My previous maid knew what I liked.’
Riddle me on this. It’s 1936.
River, stuck in the past, is intrigued by young Maddie Mortimer (Lillie Flynn), lady of the house, who previously snubbed her. Maddie is now happy to accept River as her maid. Hugo arrives after a short-term glitch involving the canapés in the kitchen. The taster menu seems not to have been to his taste. River is more confused than ever, as are we.
11-3. The Bird From The Nest
‘Is that me?’
River makes a phone call. River answers the phone for herself. It’s helpful for her current problem. Things are getting more complicated. I hope you’re taking notes.
11-4. The Isle of the Shore
‘Two kinds of stories’. ghost stories and loves stories…sometimes both’
Young Henry Mortimer (Joseph Capp) is a sick man. He’s never really recovered from his experience in the First World War, and there’s about to be a terrible accident.
The final story wraps up those annoying loose ends and allows you to go back to the beginning to listen to it again without all the stress. This story is like ‘Downton Abbey, but with a much better plot and a great wrap-up.
‘Friends of the Family’ is a lovely piece of whimsical storytelling, and being timey-wimey, it ticks a lot of boxes for fans. I really liked it, so much so that revisiting it for this review kept drawing me back, which is always a sign of a good story. Well done, everybody.
Sue Davies
March 2024
(pub: Big Finish, 2023. 4 CDs 311 minutes 4 stories. Price: £34.99 (UK), $38.08 (US). SBN: 978-1-83868-946-9)
cast: Alex Kingston, Matt Addis, Timothy Bentinck, Isla Blair, James Camp, Joseph Capp, Wendy Craig, Mark Elstob, Lillie Flynn, Jack Holden, Phyllida Nash, Ronak Patani, Vineeta Rishi and Jemima Rooper
check out website: www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-diary-of-river-song-series-11-friend-of-the-family-2676