Mel left the TARDIS after only her sixth adventure with the Doctor. All-too-fleeting though her association with ‘Doctor Who’ may have been, she was there to oversee the transition from his Sixth to Seventh incarnations. Then, at the climax of 1987’s story ‘Dragonfire’ the plucky, courageous and unceasingly honest Melanie Bush traded her travels with the Doctor to join the loveable and roguish intergalactic trader of pilfered produce, Sabalom Glitz.
‘Doctor Who’ fans have wondered ever since whether Mel and Glitz, an unlikely pairing, were compatible travelling companions. Did she succeed in keeping Glitz out of trouble, as the Doctor hoped? What became of them after they headed into the stars aboard the Nosferatu II spaceship?
Now, over three and a half decades later, ‘Doctor Who’ fans finally have their answer. And it comes in the form of ‘Death in the Stars’, a novel penned by Mel’s real-life alter ego, Bonnie Langford, with support from ‘Doctor Who’ author Jacqueline Rayner. The story picks up from where ‘Dragonfire’ left off, so climb aboard the Nosferatu II, buckle up and prepare for take off!
There is a history of non-Doctor spin-off adventures written by former companions. Some have been excellent (Ian Marter’s ‘Harry Sullivan’s War’) and some have been duds (Mark Strickson’s ‘Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma’). I’m pleased to say that Bonnie Langford’s ‘Death in the Stars’, despite its formulaic title and underwhelming cover art, massively exceeded my expectations and is quite simply a delight from start to finish. It falls firmly in the former camp as an outing in the wider ‘Doctor Who’ universe that is packed with more than enough adventure, references and nods to the series’ history to thrill any fan.
The story takes readers or listeners on a trip to a trading outpost where Mel hopes to persuade Glitz of the benefits of honest trading. But all is not as it seems, and they almost end up as sacrifices to the gods of a vending machine. Extracting a young woman, Hope, they just about escape with their lives. But fantastical ideas abound. On reviving the crew of a ship from deep sleep, they find that the survivors’ mission sounds just like that of a cult. When the bodies start to pile up, they face up to the reality of a murderer at large on board. With crew members certain that there can be no disagreement between them, suspicion, and a whole heap of circumstantial evidence fall upon Mel and Glitz.
One of the impressive things about ‘Death in the Stars’ is just how deeply Bonnie Langford understands the character of Mel. The affection she has for her fictional alter ego shines from the page. Mel gets to use her skills as a computer programmer, using basic principles to operate technology of the future. Her elephantine memory is also well-used (most amusingly when Glitz accuses her of counting cards – before he realises what an awesome team they’d make in a trip to every casino in the nearby galaxies). But it’s Mel’s honesty, love of life and desire to help other people that comes through strongly on every page, reinforcing each action that she takes.
Sabalom Glitz is well-characterised too. He was the final superb contribution to ‘Doctor Who’ mythology of the much-revered Robert Holmes. Langford has an ear for the cheeky and amusing turns of phrase that seemed to so effortlessly pop out of Glitz’s mouth. There’s an obvious affection for Tony Selby’s interpretation of Glitz in Langford’s vocalisation of the character too, which is also incredibly accurate. You can immediately conjure Selby’s portrayal in your mind’s eye. Best of all is how great a dynamic duo Mel and Glitz truly make. This is a friendship and a partnership like no other, and under the guiding hand of Langford, it has the ring of authenticity. Like all good fictional duos, Mel and Glitz bring the best out of one another and time in their company is a joy.
Original characters are well-drawn too. The feral Hope, denied a proper childhood or much experience of life, is very much a well-meaning outsider that Mel can take under her wing and nurture. Most enjoyably, there’s an AI assistant that takes the form of a scientist turned 1980s children’s TV presenter called Barry Day, a Geordie who was also in a pop group called ‘Dutch Elm Disease’. Possibly loosely based on Professor Brian Cox, Barry Day and his assistant Squiggsie the Squirrel make regular amusing appearances throughout the narrative.
‘Doctor Who’ fans will be delighted by the number of references to the show that Langford sneaks into her story as little Easter eggs. There are teasing mentions of both of the incarnations of the Doctor that she travelled with, and an appearance by the Time Lord himself is delightfully teased. Not only that but other well-known characters from Langford’s CV are subtly dropped in too. See how many you can spot!
Although some of the overarching concepts found within ‘Death in the Stars' are fairly well-trodden science-fiction ideas (stranded space ships, cargo cults building up among misguided young people after a catastrophe, a murder mystery to solve), they are nevertheless well-developed, and come with some surprising and original resolutions. And with enough engaging characters both loved and original to keep readers and listeners hooked, ‘Death in the Stars' has so much to recommend it. In fact, given the strength of this debut, my hope is that this is only the first of many adventures with Mel and Glitz that we're welcome to join. With a bit of luck, Bonnie Langford will be conjuring the sequel for us already…
The audiobook version is highly recommended. Read by the author, Langford's perfect diction and natural storytelling techniques ensure that she keeps her listener entertained from start to finish. She deftly brings life to each of her characters and maintains a vocal consistency so that you really are transported into the world of the story and held there. If you close your eyes it's like having Mel and Glitz back on screen, and that's sure to hit you in the nostalgia feels.
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK audio Publication date: 22nd August 2024 Buy ‘Death in the Stars'
