Jamie and the Doctor come to the aid of a film producer.

This is the sort of story that the Short Trips does well – there are no major villains to fight or huge audio landscapes to portray, it’s a character piece about the Second Doctor and Jamie, who are both recovering from a certain key event and need time to recuperate. Angus Dunican sets the story in two timeframes, as a lecturer talks about a legendary lost film to a contemporary audience, and we hear what actually happened. There’s an intriguing coda that slightly detracts from the main story – in many ways, there’s potential there for a Short Trip all of its own – but it’s overall a strong tale.

Frazer Hines gives us a Jamie who’s put through a bit more than usual, as well as a Doctor who similarly has to face certain situations that we’ve not seen him encounter before – as well as bringing to life all the various other voices (French and otherwise). Lisa Bowerman allows the story to unfold at its own distinct pace and Richard Fox’s sound design sells the various different locales well.

Verdict: A strong story with a slight structural flaw. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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