The 12th Doctor helps a tour guide at Rochester Castle as things get rather out of hand…

Once again, Jacob Dudman’s ever-sharpening presentation of Peter Capaldi’s Doctor is the focus of the tale, with Lizbeth Myles’ script giving him plenty of opportunities to display the various different sides to this incarnation. He’s teamed here with Emily Redpath, primarily playing Cameron, a tour guide who’s experiencing strange things at Rochester Castle – but nothing like as strange as those she undergoes after meeting the Doctor. It seems to be Redpath’s debut (the way in which stories are released by Big Finish compared to their recording may mean this isn’t actually the case) but she’s a strong addition to the company’s repertory company.

Myles cleverly twists the plot, confounding expectations as to both the cause and the effects of the timeslip that’s at the centre of the story. (There’s also some fun references to one of the generally overlooked fun tales of the Fifth Doctor’s era, The King’s Demons.) Helen Goldwyn steers the story confidently, with the sound design by Lee Adams particularly effective.

This box set is putting the Doctor into various different military situations, and Myles lets us see what’s behind this incarnation’s interesting relationship with war.

Verdict: An enjoyably surprising tale. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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