The Creeping Death, written by Roy Gill, takes the Doctor and Donna to London in the early 1950s. Donna is hoping to have a vacation, but as it always turns out, the TARDIS has other plans for the Doctor and his companion! The Doctor and Donna arrive in London to find it enveloped with a deadly smog, so thick one can barely breathe. Donna is ready to go back into the TARDIS and head for someplace sunny and relaxing, but the Doctor knows they were pulled to this place and time for a reason - and anyone who knows the Doctor knows he will never pass up the chance to right a wrong, fix a problem, or help out those in need. So, off he goes, and before you can say, "Wait a minute," the the Doctor and Donna get separated in the ever swirling smog that makes it nearly impossible to see where you are going.
The Doctor meets up with young Ivy Clark, who works in a movie theater. But something strange has happened in there, and Ivy is crying out for help. The Doctor can't help himself, and he runs to investigate, only to find the theater filled with dead people - all of whom seem to have died of suffocation. Ivy tells the Doctor that things came into the theater - tiny, like insects - and killed all of those people. And when those shadowy things show up again, with their buzzing, the Doctor and Ivy do the one thing the Doctor does best - they run!
Meanwhile, Donna bumps into someone of her own - literally! As she searches for the Doctor, a gentleman by the name of Terry Hopkins knocks into Donna, as he doesn't see her in the smog. After a rather rocky start, Donna comes to like Terry (not in that way!) and joins him as he heads off to meet Richard Cooper, who just so happens to be his boyfriend (shhhh! don't say that too loud - after all, it's only 1952, and their love is not something people of that time take too kindly to!).
It isn't long before circumstances reunite the Doctor and Donna and bring Ivy, Terry, and Richard, along with an overly dramatic stage actress named Alice and an out-of-shape vacuum salesman named Malcolm together at the bus station, where they find themselves trapped against an unknown enemy who seems intent on killing more people. But the Doctor has a plan - he's ALWAYS got a plan - and soon enough, the survivors from the bus station (you don't really think I'm going to give things away, do you?) head over to the local museum for a final confrontation with these alien smog creatures (and before you ask - no, it is not those crab-like creatures from the Martha Jones season). The final confrontation is serious, but fun, with plenty of danger and excitement, and provides a spectacular ending in true Doctor Who fashion!
Gill has a very firm grip on the characters of the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble - their dialogue and actions are so consistent with the television show that this feels very much like a missing episode from series 4 of the new Doctor Who. The sound effects and music do not overpower the dialogue, as a previous audio or two have done in the past, and it makes for much easier listening and much greater enjoyment of the story. Of all the Doctor/Donna audios to date, this one could very well be my favorite so far.
Now, to patiently wait for the Donna Noble solo audio stories to come out...
RATING: 10 glowing rocks from outer space out of 10 for continuing the adventures of Donna Noble's time with the Doctor in such a wonderful way!
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