The Sixth Doctor and Mel arrive as Peladon appears blighted on multiple fronts…

A very strong third instalment for this celebration of Peladon’s half-century of stories courtesy of Mark Wright, who provides Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford with some terrific dialogue and scenes, echoing at times the third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith’s time on the planet but making it feel very distinct. There’s also some further welcome character development for Alpha Centauri – the Doctor isn’t the only one who’s taken a special interest in Pel affairs, and there’s almost a sense that if Centauri isn’t on your side, chances are you’re doing the wrong thing.

The familiar Peladon tropes are mixed up once again – politics, intrigue, problems in the mines – and there’s an environmental message as well, given what the Doctor discovers. There’s also an understated look at the problems of aging, and the difficulties of dealing with those whose faculties are beginning to fail. One character’s motivations do seem to be a bit mixed – not a criticism, as it works to make them more credible than the cliché they could easily be. There’s also a justification for a certain musical motif (I don’t think I missed a reference to it earlier in the saga, and perhaps it would have been useful for there to have been).

Verdict: Episode 3s can sometimes feel like fillers, but this definitely isn’t – and make sure you listen right to the end of the final track! 9/10

Paul Simpson

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