The Doctor, Flip and Constance’s encounter with Lady Clara is not exactly what anyone expects…

As writer Marc Platt points out in the extras, the Lady Clara, and her companion Captain van der Meer, really did exist in the eighteenth century, and around them, Platt has woven an intricate and very enjoyable tale that takes in slavery, the foibles and fallacies of Georgian society – and even a spot of prestidigitation! As we’ve come to expect with Jamie Anderson in the director’s chair, there’s a very cinematic feel to the soundscape courtesy of Joe Kramer and Josh Arekelian, with the scene changes handled in a more sedate manner (where appropriate), and some new voices joining the Big Finish repertory company. Kraemer’s score, as ever, is a delight, note perfect for the time the story’s set.

One of my favourite Colin Baker TV stories is The Mark of the Rani for its evocation of the period, and the way in which Baker’s larger than life Doctor fits into that environment. The same applies here, and there’s even a nice tip of the hat to Eric Saward’s trope of keeping key characters apart from the Doctor for the majority (if not sometimes all) of the story. Miranda Raison’s Constance and Lisa Greenwood’s Flip have turned into a strong team alongside Baker’s Doctor, their differences in outlook being used cleverly here to further the story.

Platt doesn’t skip over the nastiness involved with the slave trade and I was pleased that there was a scene in which the Doctor contemplates the cost in human terms of some of the luxuries that he enjoyed earlier in the tale. As Raison notes in the extras, this can’t be a full-blooded look at the evils of slavery, but there’s plenty within the script that acknowledges some of the aspects that a 2-hour TV tie-in can’t delve into too deeply.

Verdict: A very strong start to the new trilogy. 9/10

Paul Simpson