NASA contact UNIT when something rather odd happens to Mariner 10. But when the Doctor and Sarah Jane investigate they discover they may be what happened…

Rob Nisbet’s half hour, single person cast story, narrated by Mark Reynolds, absolutely swings for the fences. There are more ideas here than in some full length episodes of the TV show. They don’t all work but there isn’t a single one the script doesn’t take a run at.

First off, the Mariner issue itself is really cleverly handled, offering the Third Doctor the exact sort of engineering problem he loved to show off about and simultaneously evoking the can-do spirit of that period of space travel. Plus the reveal on what and why Mariner is off beam is actually a really elegant piece of time travel shenanigans the show hasn’t often attempted or landed. This really does land.

Then there’s the alien threat, which is pleasingly alien and threatening. It’s also a touch sketched in but oddly enough it works better as a result. This is a story big on metaphor, and the central one depends entirely on the aliens being a little flat. It also, in a move which is either eerily prescient or just rather sweet, echoes The Doctor’s Wife in a manner which folks who rewatched it this week will greatly enjoy.

Finally, there’s the Coleridge connection. This is both the show’s most ambitious ask and the least developed one. It trusts you to put this together and when you do it’s honestly really impressive. It took me two listens and whether that’s too much of an ask is up to you. For me, it was worthwhile.

Verdict: This is a short, tight story that tries far more than it should and succeeds far more than you might expect. It’s by far the oddest Doctor Who story I’ve heard in a while and it’s absolutely worth your time. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart

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