Together with new companion Joe – or rather, Peri’s partner, Joe – the Sixth Doctor makes a stop in the 59th century…

There’s something of an annual tradition with the Big Finish main range that there’s an anthology story to make up the 13th slot of releases (with the other 12 divided into sets of three under current plans), which tends to go to different Doctors each year. This time round it’s Colin Baker’s turn – but producer John Ainsworth has given it something of a twist.

If you’ve not listened to the audio yet, then stop reading here, and jump to the verdict…

Spoilers follow

As becomes increasingly obvious during the third story, this isn’t an anthology at all but a four-part story whose first three episodes are set in different locations. I’ll leave it to someone else to work out the derivation of the “authors”’ names but it’s all down to Nev Fountain, who’s cornered the market to an extent in providing Nicola Bryant’s Peri with emotional scenes. There are a number of dramatic moments in this that would not be out of place in the show in the 21st century, but are the sorts of thing that happen “off-stage” in the earlier incarnations of the show.

There’s a feel at times as if this is a trilogy of adventures that’s been pared down into a single release – the first two episodes, in particular, cram a lot in – and it deals with a certain genre archetype that’s appeared quite a bit in recent times in the Big Finish universe. However, Fountain provides a different take and I did actually wonder at one point if there was going to be an early Doctor Who Weekly link to the aliens at the heart of the tale.

There’s fine performances from Baker, Bryant and Luke Allen-Gale as Joe and John Ainsworth provides a very multi-voiced production from a much smaller cast than you might expect. Simon Power’s sound design and music switch genre and mood as appropriate, giving the whole piece a unified air without giving away the twist too early.

Verdict: Some nice sleigh of hand in a very seasonal adventure. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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