The Martians have taken London and as the Doctor arrives in the red weed-choked city he finds his TARDIS stolen by a Martian war machine around the same time his face changes yet again and… wait… what’s going on?

Jonathan Barnes’ breezy script hits the ground running, crams three Doctors, the Paternoster Gang, Missy and an intriguing new figure into a swashbuckling adventure that’s as smart as it is fun.

This is one of the strongest casts Big Finish have assembled for a while and the Paternoster Gang especially get some surprisingly new, fun stuff to do. Neve McIntosh’s Vastra has some delightful opportunities to go full Consulting Detective Ninja and Catrin Stewart’s Jenny has a surprising arc which pays off for them both in a deeply romantic and sweet way. Dan Starkey, a man who seems to enjoy everything he does, is on top form too. Strax gets to embody my favourite War of the Worlds joke here and Starkey somehow makes the word ‘bucket’ a six syllable expression of martial triumph. Delightful stuff from them all. Hannah Genesius is great too as Victorian writer Jessamy Moore and her friendship with the Doctor has that easy familiarity that the best companions have. Pay attention to Jessamy too, Barnes hides some very interesting things about the arc in plain sight with her.

But the beating hearts, all four of them, of the story are David Tennant and Michelle Gomez. Barnes’ dialogue fizzes and sparks and fits Tennant like a glove, whose hard charging, big haired Gallifreyan whirlwind is a delight as always. Gomez smartly plays slightly against type here, this Missy a little more recalcitrant and cautious for reasons that tie into the core story in some surprising ways. This is one of the most interesting Missy stories, in any format, we’ve had so far and Gomez finds some interesting moments of pathos and vulnerability in the Master’s cheeriest incarnation. She also, as we find out in the interviews, riffs constantly and the improv builds on the strong script and direction to make the whole thing shine.

Verdict: Rounded out with lovely turns from Stephen Noonan and Tim Treloar as the First and Third Doctors this is a great story that works admirably alone and moves the arc along in some welcome ways. As always the interviews are worth listening to as well. This story was recorded in 2020 and the cast talking about working in lockdown is a poignant counterpoint to the story and a welcome reminder of how this work is done. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart

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