dwmr220_quicksilver_1417The Sixth Doctor drops Mrs Clarke back near enough in her own time – but ends up departing Vienna a few years later with multiple travelling companions…

Matt Fitton’s Earthbound adventure makes a good contrast with Jamie Anderson’s alien planet tale released at the same time, with the return of Philippa (“Flip”) Jackson adding a definite fresh edge to proceedings. It always felt as if Flip’s time in the TARDIS was up too quickly, and it’s good to see her back – like Miranda Raison’s Constance, Lisa Greenwood’s character brings out other sides to Colin Baker’s performance as the Doctor, so I can forgive the Runaway Bride/Eleventh Hour element (although there’s an almost throwaway line of dialogue between Flip and “Connie” that suggests another wrinkle for later appearances of the character…)

Post war Vienna conjures up images of Orson Welles and Harry Lime (although sensibly, there’s no zither music that I could spot in Jamie Robertson’s score) and director Jamie Anderson captures certainly that slightly seedy noir atmosphere for this story, with the Doctor and Constance not just caught in the conflict between two alien races, but also between the sides in the nascent cold war. The ending’s slightly more over the top than you might expect – and, er, when did he become Lord President of Gallifrey? (yes, I know he may be exaggerating for effect but that’s not how it’s played) – but it works set against the very down to Earth emotional Constance subplot, even if the parallels with the cold war element are hammered home a bit.

Verdict: An effective resolution to some ongoing storylines contained within a solid tale. 8/10

Paul Simpson