Nothing works quite as well as it used to – and maybe Vicki can find out why when she is called in to answer a few questions…

Ian Potter’s tale for the second TARDIS line-up demonstrates the flexibility of the Companion Chronicle format – the majority of the story focuses on Maureen O’Brien as Vicki, but you could easily be persuaded into believing that Ian, Barbara and the Doctor all were heard in a very nicely-constructed piece of trompe l’oreille. Using effects as background to narration is a standard tool in the arsenal for this sort of story, but this is done in the same way that blue lights appeared in Ghost Light on TV – adding to the force of the scene in an unusual way.

Like many of the Chronicles, it’s a story that is hard to review in detail without giving away some of the twists that Potter includes, but O’Brien is given plenty to do, with only a few very small pieces of impersonation of her cast mates. Her scenes are juxtaposed with some featuring the Doctor and a rather voluble ally who doesn’t allow him to get a word in edgeways, which again is a different approach for the series, and works better than you might expect!

Verdict: Some enjoyable twists in an unusual Chronicle. 8/10

Paul Simpson