A resistance is building; Rassilon is ranting; and Leela accidentally gets caught in a rescue mission.

Lisa McMullin’s opener for this final Gallifrey: Time War box set hits the ground running – it’s not really the time for a newbie to come into this series, to put it mildly – but we’re quickly reminded of the status quo with Romana, Leela and Narvin, and then how things stand on Gallifrey. Leela, Narvin and their ward are quickly separated, with Leela finding out firsthand about one of the nasty tricks the Time Lords are willing to play in order to get an upper hand. The rescue takes a lot out of her, and Louise Jameson’s tortured screams ring in your ears for some time after. The weapon’s effects are very well realised – overlapping echoing effects can sometimes be extremely disorienting for the listener but Russell McGee’s sound design allows you to focus on one aspect and therefore follow the plot!

Meanwhile, as they say, on Gallifrey, the greatest of all Time Lords – now played by Richard Armitage – is basically going off his rocker! There’s not a great deal of difference between Rassilon’s rant about traitors and the way Michael Wisher’s Davros screamed in Genesis of the Daleks about power setting him up above the gods, and I’m hoping that’s a deliberate parallel that will continue through the set.

Verdict: We’re thrown back into the middle of the front lines of the Time War – and the dark secrets at the heart of the Time Lord Capitol… 8/10

Paul Simpson

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