The Doctor and Nyssa respond to a distress call – but find themselves arriving too early…

Alan Flanagan’s tale for Peter Davison’s Doctor has a neat audio conceit at its heart that gives a different flavour to the storytelling, and it’s one of those that you’ll listen to very differently the second time around. The author understands the relationship between the two time travellers – both how similar they are, and where they fundamentally differ – and the first person narration by Sarah Sutton’s Nyssa captures the sometimes mercurial mood changes of the Time Lord, and the exasperation felt by his friend.

There’s a strong central idea to the story that ties neatly into more recent Doctor Who continuity and Sutton imbues all the various different characters with clear personalities. Richard Fox’s sound design adds suitable atmosphere, and director Lisa Bowerman allows the story time to breathe where appropriate – there are definitely moments within it that need space for both narrator and listener to make the necessary connections.

Verdict: A well-executed Short Trip that would be fascinating heard told from a different perspective. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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