Audio CD review
Big Finish
Starring the voices of David Warner, Susannah Harker
Release date Out now

Why have Sapphire and Steel been sent to a deserted American shopping arcade?

Unfortunately, for those hoping for some resolution to the various plotlines set up in the previous disc, Wall of Darkness fails to deal with the battle between the agents and the Transients but instead returns to the almost incomprehensible dilemma that the agents may have been in throughout this season.

The first three episodes, however, seem to be about something quite different, as Sapphire and Steel are separated onto two timelines, one post-apocalyptic, one normal reality. The reason for the split is quite standard Sapphire and Steel fare, but done with a great degree of style. It's only at the end when things aren't as expected that the listener is left bemused by metatextual comments and weirdnesses.

In the CD extras, outgoing producer and writer Nigel Fairs looks back over his time in charge, oddly including a lot of scenes from his Tomorrow People final season as well. There's a great deal of similarity between Wall of Darkness and what turned out to be the final TP story, Rachel – both feature Louise Jameson in roles that allow her to emote heavily at the expense of the story pacing. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 6/10
Let's hope a new producer resolves all the outstanding threads.