BBC Children's Books Disappearing Act Doctor Who Files 14: The Ood

Published

2007

A magician with an Ood for an assistant performs for the Doctor and Donna.

• Scooby-Who and the Space Magician by Noe Geric

Scooby-Who and the Space Magician by Noe Geric 16/12/21

I never thought a short story for children could be good enough to make me feel satisfied in my reading. In ten pages, Disappearing Act introduce three guests characters, the Doctor and Donna and a little (but not really fun original) story about a Magician using an Ood to steal people's valuables. The story is really simple but complete, nonetheless. There's the introduction, the confrontation and the resolution. Characterization is spot on, even if the characters don't speak much, and the Doctor really gets something to do (sadly, Donna spends her time eating someone else's food and nothing else).

Actually, the way the Doctor traps the Magician is obvious if you've seen enough Doctor Who episodes. But I don't know if the young children reading the story could understand it, because it is never properly explained. I was still impressed by the way the story managed to be a complete and decent adventure in ten pages. After reading Secret of the Stones in which the writer took ten pages just for a stupid joke, it's refreshing to see Justin Richards finally come back to basics. Some jokes are put into the mix, but my greatest regret is still that Donna is completely useless except for a quick gag at the beginning. But even with her two lines, her characterization is spot on. She's one of these characters who can have more presence in two minutes screen time than Rory Williams in 26 episodes.

If you've got twenty minutes to spare, read that one. It has the feel of a Doctor Who/Scooby-Doo crossover and it is entertaining enough to get a 8/10. I wasn't expecting anything from the Doctor Who Short Trips, but some of them actually managed to surprise me!