Audio CD review
Starring Louise Jameson, Timothy Watson Big Finish
Release date Out now

Leela remembers the first time she met her torturer's race...

The good news is that according to this, Leela survived the destruction of Gallifrey. The bad news is that we find out in one of the most depressing tales told by Big Finish, which while true to the innate nature of the character, somehow goes against the ethos of much of the series.

It's hard to review The Catalyst without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say that this may well be Leela's final tale, and that the high death rate while she was travelling with the Doctor continued, despite his attempts to prevent it.

Louise Jameson gives a great performance as the aged Leela, defiant to the last, and also as her younger self around the time of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, although her Tom Baker impression is virtually unrecognisable. In the CD extras she's very complimentary about Nigel Fairs's script, and it is a story that would have fitted in well with the downbeat period of the New Adventures but seems at odds with the inherent optimism of much of current Who. Patrick Holm

VERDICT: 5/10
Big Finish continue to provide stories for all tastes but something doesn't ring true about this one.