Turlough is not impressed when the Doctor sends him back to school…

Stephen Fewell’s Short Trip for the Fifth Doctor and Turlough (which apparently we’ve all been pronouncing incorrectly for the last 35 years!) doesn’t rush things, taking its time to establish the situation at St Neot’s, and Turlough’s discomfort at being put back into this sort of environment. In some ways it feels like a Fifth Doctor take on the ideas behind the Capaldi story The Caretaker, with the Time Lord around in a subsidiary role, and not always able to directly intervene. Mark Strickson’s version of Peter Davison’s Doctor is not an impersonation, but the speed and slightly breath-y mode of delivery makes it very clear who this is.

The story introduces a new alien race, which I hope there may be a way to meet again as it has quite a bit more potential than a 40 minute single story can explore, and there’s a good build up of the tension leading to the final confrontation.

Verdict: A tale that’s enjoyable for the listener – if not for the lead character! 8/10

Paul Simpson