It’s time to listen to and discuss The Dark Flame
Buy it online using the link above, or listen for free - you’ll find links where to listen free on the story page!
Once you’ve listened, talk about it below! Even if you listened to it before and just want to discuss it - dive right in! Just please use spoiler tags where appropriate.
Everyone who participates will get a coveted Audio Club badge! 
Just for fun, add your rating here:
Another nice Seven, Ace and Benny story that gets the seal of quality purely because of our leads performances but is also one of the most forgettable stories I’ve ever listened to.
It feels effectively VNA but with a incredibly stripped down and uninteresting plot.
Also, it was written by Trevor Baxendale, leaving little reason to actually listen to it.
Full review here, if you enjoy, feel free to drop a like:
I do not remember this episode. I barely remembered that my beloved Benny is in it. But I did read the title of the audio club and thing ugh, that one, so I must have some sort of repressed memory of this one being kind of subpar. Due a relisten I think
I don’t remember a huge amount about this story but I do remember it has a sequel:
Draconian Rage is one hell of a story 
I won’t turn this into Benny book club again but could bad things maybe not happen to her for one day please 
It’s weird, because “The Shadow of the Scourge” is a much better stab at “let’s cram the VNA vibe into our audio drama format.” I suppose being a somewhat forgettable runaround dealing with cults is also part of the VNA vibe? Still, it’s a rare audio of the Benny/Ace/7 team, and it’s always a delight to have these three actors bounce off each other.
I almost said she has a somewhat good day whenever the Grel are involved, but then I forget that they’re still awful to her, even when they’re being hilariously daft.
I loooove the Grel I think they’re so funny. I literally say ‘Good Fact!!!’ all the time in real life 
I feelt that this was pretty mid. It was not bad but I will probably not remember it in a couple of weeks. I am starting to like Benny even if is far from my favourite time-travelling archaeologist…
Just started listening to this! So far, I’m not really enjoying it, but I love having Ace and Benny in the same story (:
Not good, not bad. Mediocre. I have nothing else to say about it.
I did enjoy it while listening. Thought it was funny. There’s Bernice so that’s a plus. There’s this one very good scene with the robot. But for the rest I find that I’ve already forgotten most of it, or maybe there just wasn’t a lot happening. In terms of actual plot there’s not a lot here. It’s filled up with a lot of kinda entertaining character interactions, but it’s not like I go away from it remembering funny thing Bernice said number 7, and oh wow how funny that was. Oh and there was a big speech at the end where the Doctor calls a ‘god’ a parasite. Me when the Rings of Akhaten.
Very forgettable, and actually, that’s good, considering Baxendale. I really wouldn’t mind this getting buried in the pile of memories of stories.
Well this was completely average. Such a completely boring and forgettable plot.
But the good performances from Seven and Benny bring the score up.
I’m a bit confused about Joseph, maybe someone could help - this is the same Joseph that appears in Benny’s other adventures isn’t it? But it’s like an origin story for him, yet he appears in earlier stories as well? And he’s completely different here as described in the Wiki. I’m confused!
Yeah… this one was just awful, one of the very worst Monthlies.
I always insist that the biggest crime a Who Story can be is being boring. And this one is very boring, not only that, this one actively annoyed me while listening.
I am glad I had some previous Stories with the Character of Bernice, because if this was one of my first exposure of the Character, I think I would avoid her. The writing for her is just awful, she doesn’t feel very in character and while Bowerman does her best, the Material she is given is just awful. And I don’t think our other Cast Members get much better, while all of them do their best, a lot of their dialogue feels so wonky.
The Story itself is average done in the most boring execution ever, “HAHA Doctor, look at me, I AM EVIL!!” “Nooo how dare you be so evil has a monologue that feels good at first glance, but is unremarkable”.
I am sorry, I hate being so negative about a Who Story, but this is literally all the Things I could hate being done: Boring, doesn’t do the Characters justice and forgettable.
quoted for truth. DW can be Bad and still fun but boring is irredeemable
For anyone interested, the wiki states that this story is set between the novels All-Consuming Fire and Blood Harvest.
I just finished this. The way it seems to work out is this: Joseph sacrificed himself in this story by offering his positronic brain so the Doctor can fix the transmat and stop Krall. After Krall is defeated, the Doctor mentions having retrieved Joseph’s brain as part of his meddling. I suspect that the brain is put into the body that Joseph has in the Benny series as that takes place long after this as Benny doesn’t stop traveling with the Doctor until the novel Happy Endings. Does that help?
A total “Meh” of a story. It took too long to get going, but it was half interesting once it did, but still 100% predicatable. If it was an hour, it would be much better for it.
Solid performances throughout.
3/5. Enjoyable, but flawed.
I also never tire of hearing McCoys raised voice/shouting. So fake, but funny.
5.0 Perfect/Fav
4.5 Excellent/Fav
4.0 Very Good
3.5 Good
3.0 Enjoyable
2.5 Meh
2.0 Bad
1.0 Very Bad
I listened to this one this morning 
I don’t know what people are on about - boring? It’s great!
The Seventh Doctor, Ace and Benny are firing on all cylinders and they have an “evil from the dawn of time” possessing cadavers to fight.
The Doctor even lets Ace in on his primary, secondary and tertiary plans 
What’s not to love?
Cult-influenced Benny beating the s**t out of Ace, Ace knocking zombies around with the Doctor’s brolly, the Doctor having to accept that the only way to win is to let Joseph self-sacrifice himself and being emotional about it.
Lots of good little scenes scattered throughout.
It channels the atmosphere of that part of the VNAs perfectly.
I give it a 4/5 