Released December 2022

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW

Despite her rather lengthy tenure aboard the TARDIS, Helen has remained fairly reticent to fully discuss details about her early life, revealing little more than that her father was quite abusive to both her mother and her, that she had three brothers, and that her grandmother suffered from a terminal disease. However, while there have been certain moments of incredible insight and introspection into her past over the years, the most fascinating and heartbreaking piece of information she divulged was in ‘UNIT Dating’ with the fact that her father disowned her brother, Albie, and eliminated all evidence of him from their family after Albie was caught and imprisoned for homosexuality. As the Doctor, Liv, and Helen hunt for time anomalies in 2025 Soho to open “Albie’s Angels” by Roy Gill, Helen steps into the past and reunites with the brother she thought she would never again see.

According to the story’s interviews, Albie’s story was inspired by that of a friend of Trevor Baxter who famously played Professor George Litefoot in Doctor Who, providing a stark reminder of just how drastically Great Britain and most of the world have publicly changed regarding the acceptance of people and their own happiness in such a short time period. Of course, Helen cannot reveal her true identity to her brother when a Weeping Angel sends her back into her past, but Hattie Morahan beautifully involves a sense of yearning, loss, and love to her performance as she reconnects to the brother who remained so heartbreakingly nearby without her knowledge after her father’s cruel actions took Albie away from her. It’s painfully obvious how fond of Albie Helen was and remains, and the fact that she spent her time during lockdown in the Stranded saga searching for any fragment of information about him is a testament to her character and her determination to not settle for what her father decreed. Helen has always been open-minded and compassionate, and her own first love as revealed in ‘The Love Vampires’ makes her even more empathetic to Albie’s own love as the two siblings prove how enduring the bond of family can be even when Albie does not know who Helen truly is.

In their Big Finish debuts, Barnaby Jago and Alex Mugnaioni make an incredible impact as Albie and Bailey who are instantly relatable as each works within the system to make a living for himself and to find happiness. Albie in particular is extremely charismatic and self-assured even as he fights to keep his secret from becoming known, and he shows a kindness and enthusiasm that allows for an easy connection with Helen whom he implicitly knows is more than just another stranger. Jago and Sinclair share a remarkable chemistry that seems to transcend the relationship of two actors, and the incredible emotions on display as Helen gradually sees Albie open up to her just as hidden letters revealing his true love become known and instantly extinguish the normal life amid the blatant bigotry he has made for himself make for one of the most powerful journeys a supporting character and companion have ever experienced in Doctor Who given its firm rooting in true mindsets of recent history. That Albie should end up cared for by Litefoot further in the past following the touch of a Weeping Angel is the perfect ending for this story and a belated but well-deserved testament to both Litefoot and Baxter who are such enduring figures within this franchise.

Naturally, the Doctor and Liv are very much supporting characters in the immense Sinclair story being told, but Paul McGann and Nicola Walker are again tremendous as the two look into the time disturbances and then try to find their displaced friend with the advent of strong emotional imprints that can supersede the physical roadblocks before them. The record store that remains constant through time is certainly an intriguing setting that capitalizes on the enduring- and more recently strengthening- love for vinyl, and the deal involving the Angels is a clever one that utilizes the Angels’ particular needs and abilities to great effect. Though the Angels are used relatively sparingly, the inherent threat they carry is always palpable and creates plenty of tension as even one sideways glance allow them to feed and emerge victorious. “Albie’s Angels” is an incredible character piece that utilizes a fantastic enemy and the paradoxes that can follow in their wake in the most emotional way possible, ending Connections on a distinct high and developing Helen immensely as a person in the process while affording her a modicum of happiness with the relationship and knowledge she has gained.