The Doctor and Anya find themselves on an unusual world – alongside a Movellan who looks and sounds an awful lot like River Song…

The final act of this 10 part saga kicks off with Lizzie Hopley’s tale of conscience and cognizance, which presents us with the perhaps unlikely idea that River has a son… or at least Meto, the Movellan who resembles her, has. There’s a lot of this “next generation” around at the moment – Missy has offspring in the latest box set, and we’ve got new adventures for Jenny, the Doctor’s Daughter coming – but certain elements are cleared up pretty much straightaway. This leaves the Doctor and Anya trying to puzzle out exactly who Meto is, and why she is there – and quite who or what her son is.

Alex Kingston gets a chance to show a different side to her usual character with a nicely judged performance that will bring back memories of the controlled Movellan voices from Destiny of the Daleks, while Jane Slavin demonstrates why Anya Kingdom has been such a strong companion for the 10th Doctor. I’m hoping that there’s potential for more stories (even if it seems we have lost Joe Sims’ Mark Seven forever…)

Verdict: A story that warrants careful listening, this starts the finale off in style. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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