Peladon’s best seamstress has a new assistant – he’s rather older than usual, and goes by the unusual title of the Doctor…

There’s not an air of finality about this fourth story in the Peladon 50th anniversary box set, penned by Tim Foley. That’s not to say that a number of threads aren’t tied off, and that we see an appropriate fate for certain parties, but it’s not as if the Doctor ends up barred from the world forever (or some other sort of timey-wimey excuse). I wonder if deep in the secret caverns of the Mines of Big Finish, someone is working on a box set that will celebrate 50 years of The Monster of Peladon’s first broadcast… and if that’s the case, I’ll be looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Paul McGann and Meera Syal have a lot of two-handed scenes in this, as the Doctor takes on a Dickensian role once he has gained Arla Decanto’s trust – but exactly what game is Jason Watkins’ Chancellor Barok playing, and why is the Doctor in touch with people who have not always had Peladon’s best interests at heart?

There are plenty of twists along the way – and, as has been read into the original Brian Hayles story, parallels to be drawn should you wish to see the story that way. Listening to it in the week of Boris Johnson’s departure and events in Sri Lanka add a certain piquancy that Foley can’t have intended (unless he’s hiding a TARDIS somewhere…)

The lullaby that’s been at the heart of the saga – and its score – comes into its own once again, with a special final track that gives Paul McGann an unusual opportunity!

Verdict: A tale that looks back at Peladon’s past while giving hope for its future – both in-universe and at Big Finish 8/10

Paul Simpson

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