The Fifth Doctor gets dragged back in time to the period of the war against the Racnoss and becomes caught in the crossfire.

There are some very clever aspects to Scott Handcock’s script for this return of the Racnoss, not just potentially setting up elements of their appearance in The Runaway Bride, but also in the contrast between the actions of the Fifth and Tenth Doctors in dealing with the spidery creatures. It’s one of those things that you realise after listening rather than feeling as though you’re being slapped across the face with a “don’t you see how subtle I’m being?” message, and makes a change from the foreshadowing we’ve had in some Doctor Who stories of late.

Peter Davison’s Doctor works well on his own, without the established TV companions, and gains a new assistant (Alayna, played with just the right amount of cynicism by Lisa Kay) for the purposes of this story – as well as some interesting TARDIS guests. The story brings him in contact with contemporary Time Lords as well, and there’s an interesting emphasis from this Doctor on the sanctity of the Web of Time (something more normally associated with his immediate successor). Adoja Andoh brings the same malevolent qualities to the role of the Racnoss Empress as Sarah Parish did on screen (without the uncomfortable makeup!), with Nigel Planer and Andrew French creating very different males of the species to create a fascinating and deadly triangle.

Verdict: An enjoyable battle of wits. 9/10

Paul Simpson