Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Doctor Who: Human Nature

  • A 7th Doctor novel
  • By: Paul Cornell
  • Narrated by: Lisa Bowerman
  • Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (61 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Doctor Who: Human Nature cover art

Doctor Who: Human Nature

By: Paul Cornell
Narrated by: Lisa Bowerman
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Doctor Who: Harvest of Time (3rd Doctor Novel) cover art
Doctor Who: Classic TV Adventures Collection One cover art
Doctor Who: The Alt Reality Collection cover art
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars cover art
Doctor Who: Decades Collection 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s cover art
Doctor Who: Illegal Alien cover art
Doctor Who: The Third Monsters Collection cover art
The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh cover art
Doctor Who: Decades Collection 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s cover art
Doctor Who: The Nest Cottage Chronicles cover art
Doctor Who: Planet of the Ood cover art
Doctor Who: Ten Days of Christmas cover art
Doctor Who: Scales of Injustice cover art
Doctor Who: Rose cover art
Worldshaker cover art
Doctor Who: Origin Stories cover art

Summary

An unabridged reading of the 7th Doctor novel by Paul Cornell, which formed the basis for the 10th Doctor television story "Human Nature/The Family of Blood".

Hulton College in Norfolk is a school dedicated to producing military officers.

With the First World War about to start, the boys of the school will soon be on the front line. But no one expects a war - not even Dr. John Smith, the college’s new house master.

The Doctor’s friend, Benny, is enjoying her holiday in the same town. But then she meets a future version of the Doctor, and things start to get dangerous very quickly.

With the Doctor she knows gone and only a suffragette and an elderly rake for company, can Benny fight off a vicious alien attack? And will Dr. Smith be able to save the day?

©2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

What listeners say about Doctor Who: Human Nature

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    47
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    42
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    39
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fear makes companions of us all

What did you like most about Doctor Who: Human Nature?

Human Nature is an excellent story. You can easily see why it was dramatised in 2007 with David Tennant's 10th Doctor.

One of the elements I enjoyed most of all - SPOILERS! - was the scene in which the companion Bernice Summerfield accidentally informs a friend of a friend in the village of the forthcoming First World War. This friend's reaction to the news that someone for whom they care deeply will die in the first charge at the Somme was an excellent dramatisation of the different stages of grief in microcosm and yet you could see despite the fear that he was willing to do what he could to help her.

This also explained one of the novel's main themes which I enjoyed: Even when people are faced with tough choices which may hurt them as individuals or be the easy way out they should do the right thing whatever that may be.

Have you listened to any of Lisa Bowerman’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have listened to several of Lisa Bowerman's audio performances for the company Big Finish. In those performances she does not play all the parts but I still feel that in comparison to some of her work this shows her versatility with parts and voices and tone - be it the emotionally charged sequences with Smith and Joan Redfern, the desperation of Benny to have her Doctor return and Tim to have the bullies ignore him and lastly the anger of McCoy's Doctor once he returns. On a related note I must congratulate Bowerman for doing a far more true to life and intense 7th Doctor than I was expecting.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Aside from the previously mentioned accidental revelation, one other moment which tugged at my heart strings was the sequence during the climax where Benny - and later on Tim - try to convince Smith to become The Doctor again with all the carnage around them. It moved me to see that in an attempt to discover what makes us human, all that occurred was devastation and bloodshed, with love in the centre of it all.

Any additional comments?

This book is excellent. Some may prefer the modern television version but it is a great piece by itself and it is always good to see both the original and the reinterpretation. 10/10.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

Loved hearing the book that was the inspiration of one of two part TV adaptations for the tenth Doctor and Martha. Fabulously read by Lisa Bowerman. A really good listen. Would recommend to any Doctor Who fan.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Confusing and long

Great performance, but dreadful music sound quality makes it really annoying to listen to. Maybe I’m just not bright enough to follow the story… or maybe because I know the TV version so well, it confuses me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Read really well.
Would recommend it to anyone.
Kept you gripped to the end.
V enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!