Doctor Who: Pest Control

By: Peter Anghelides

Narrated by: David Tennant

The TARDIS is lost in battle on a distant planet. When the Doctor sets off in pursuit, Donna is left behind, and finds herself accepting a commission in the Pioneer Corps. Something is transforming soldiers into monstrous beetles, and she could be the next victim. Meanwhile, the Doctor steals a motorbike and stages a jailbreak. Well, how hard can it be to find the TARDIS, rescue Donna, and negotiate a peace? But that’s before the arrival of a brutal and remorseless mechanical exterminator, bent on wiping out the insects. It may be that nothing can stop it, because this robot’s solution for the infestation is very simple: kill everything. Featuring the Doctor and Donna, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate in the hit series from BBC Television, this story has been written specially for audio, and is read by David Tennant.

Critic reviews

Pest Control is a fantastic science-fiction story, well presented and very well written. (E. G. Wolverson)

what is not to like?

I've listened to this story through twice. It was a bit confusing at first because there are a lot of characters and a number of actual or potential villains, and I don't always concentrate fully when I listen to audiobooks (i.e. my confusion was not the fault of the story or the narration). The first time I was a bit disappointed because the Doctor and Donna are separated for a lot of the story. But the second time I knew that was going to happen, so I really enjoyed their little bickering conversation at the beginning, and how they dealt with the separate and somewhat bewildering situations they each found themselves in. The story was quite interesting as it unfolded. I anticipated certain plot developments but others came as a surprise. I absolutely loved the Doctor's speech on what he will and won't bear. It is classic, pure Doctor.

Tennant does a brilliant array of accents, including American and Russian, and of course it's a delight to hear the Doctor's dialogue in the Doctor's own voice. There are excellent sound effects for certain of the creatures. Overall, really great!

Great Doctor Who fun

For anyone who can’t get enough of the 10th Doctor! David Tennant does a great job with the narration, really giving voice to all the characters.

Loved this Story!

I love the way David Tennant narrates audiobooks! This Doctor Who story is a fantastic Doctor & Donna story that has two parts, the first part is more of a slow buildup to the second part. But the story is really involved and plays out nicely, just like a good TV episode would. I definitely recommend this ones for fans of Doctor Who and the 10th Doctor!

A fascinating story but not everybody's genre

If you could sum up Doctor Who in three words, what would they be?

Emotional, adventurous, wonderful.

Would you be willing to try another book from Peter Anghelides? Why or why not?

I'm not sure. His writing was good but the topic wasn't really mine so I would have to see what the other book would be about.

What about David Tennant’s performance did you like?

Everything, as usual. His wonderful voice, his ability to create atmosphere and build up tension, his various characters and accents. Great performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it was. It was a well told story full of tension and I was curious about how it would procede. The story evolves around war and soldiers which I don't normally like (hence my three stars for the story) but it was well told.

Military Story

I liked this one for the most part. I didn't like the dramatic music playing in the background. I don't think it needed it, and it made it 10 times as creepy, especially since I usually listen at night. If you like to be super creeped out and a little grossed out, go ahead and listen.