A trio of renegades converge on one small planet…

We’re moving into the endgame of Ravenous with this taut contribution from Matt Fitton, bringing Geoffrey Beevers’ Master into play (and providing an excellent explanation for his continuing appearance that takes into account Eric Roberts’ new tales as well), and leaving the Doctor and his friends well and truly in trouble. When the Eighth Doctor range began, we had no idea what might be in store for the companions, since it was charting the future of the show; that uncertainty is back here – we know from later stories that the Doctor has said farewell to Helen and Liv… could this be where they part company involuntarily?

There are some great scenes between Mark Bonnar’s Eleven and Beevers’ Master, reminiscent in a good way of the powerplays between the Master and the Rani back in the day, and the Doctor’s reactions to the Master’s apparent fate ring true to later encounters. (At the back of my mind, I’m recalling that the Master tells the Doctor that the Time Lords “resurrected” him… which means he did genuinely die at some point. Could this be it?)

With all this interplay between Time Lords, it would be easy for the ‘lesser species’ to get forgotten but Fitton creates a credible society, one dominated by the Provider and his servants.

Verdict: The tension is rising as the endgame begins. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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