The Doctor and Mrs Clarke answer a distress call and find a colony under attack…

It’s fascinating listening to the extras on this to hear producer/director John Ainsworth and writer Roland Moore confirm that this is a story that has been in preparation for a couple of years, and that one of its core ideas, about the Doctor’s past, was always there. It’s not a “reaction to The Timeless Children” – but I do wonder if it’s setting something up for future Big Finish releases, in the way that the early Eighth Doctor audios made reference to things that weren’t followed up on for years.

In addition to this thread, Moore’s script also plays with some of the tropes of the base under siege, with characters not necessarily being what you expect, and an air of impending disaster that sometimes gets lost in these things. Steve Foxon’s sound design and music reflect the era this would have been set, with perhaps more time than usual allotted to some of the destructive moments, as if to underline how devastating they are.

Separating Colin Baker and Miranda Raison’s characters and teaming them with others works well, particularly given Mrs Clarke’s own backstory at this stage in her travels with the Doctor. All the guest cast give strong performances, and this is definitely one of those occasions where it would be interesting to revisit the characters later down the line.

Verdict: A solid, entertaining piece of Doctor Who, with some questions left to puzzle at its end. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Big Finish