The Doctor, Ace and Hex encounter Iris Wildthyme in Paris – but this incarnation of the Doctor is a little less trusting…

Iris Wildthyme can sometimes be misunderstood, and it’s to the credit of her creator Paul Magrs and those others who have contributed to her adventures over the years that a story such as Muse of Fire can still work, because we can’t be 100 percent certain that the Doctor has read the situation correctly, and that Iris is not necessarily on the side of the angels. We know that she has a loose relationship with the truth, and that as narrators go, she’s about as unreliable as they come – but at heart, there’s a lot of good in her.

Katy Manning’s portrayal of this incarnation of Iris is always great value, and she seems to be having a great deal of fun here – particularly when persuading Philip Olivier’s Hex to disrobe for an art class! David Benson also is in his element as Panda, with some great verbal sparring with Sophie Aldred’s Ace, and Sylvester McCoy gets to unleash his righteous wrath in various directions. Gethin Anthony, Rebecca La Chance and Christine Kavanaugh are put through their paces by director Jamie Anderson – even when the dialogue is at its deliberately archest, they never fail to maintain credibility – while Daniel Burnett’s sound design and Benji Clifford’s music help to create the necessary ambience.

Verdict: A lighter adventure than many we’ve had recently and an enjoyable adventure to bring 2018 to a close. 8/10

Paul Simpson