dw3d02_slipcase_1417sqThe Doctor promises Jo that Ephros will be a lovely place to visit – but the reality is very different…

You can’t say that Big Finish don’t listen to the feedback that they receive about their audios: one of the big bones of contention about the first set of Third Doctor adventures featuring Tim Treloar wasn’t the recasting of the Time Lord, but the narration that had been incorporated into the narrative. The first set felt more like the Early Adventures than they did the Tom Baker tales, and, put bluntly, Treloar’s performance was good enough that this simply wasn’t required. Sensibly, for this second volume, we’ve got full cast dramas without narration.

Guy Adams’ opening story hits all the key notes for a Pertwee tale – derring-do, commentary on colonialism and materialism, people who genuinely believe in their causes… and of course a malevolent presence hiding behind the scenes. No, they’ve not gone as far as recasting Delgado’s Master, or fiddling yet further with that particular renegade’s time stream, but even in stories where he didn’t appear, there were similar characters, manipulating events and we’ve got a prime example here… There are numerous twists and turns within this that alter how you see the situation, and those caught up in it, and Adams has recognised how much Jo Grant has grown during her time with the Doctor, giving Katy Manning some strong material to work with.

With each story, Treloar is tweaking sides to his performance as the third Doctor, and it’s starting to sound effortless (which paradoxically is a reflection of the huge amount of work that’s going into it!). Nick Briggs keeps the energy up in all the performances, and ensures that Bernard Holley’s Karswell doesn’t become the pain in the neck that he could easily have been!

Verdict: To rework another BF tag, it’s teatime in 1973 once more – great work from all involved. 9/10

Paul Simpson