Mel is a bit surprised when she meets an old friend of the Doctor…

This is the last of the Short Trips produced by Ian Atkins, who has overseen an incredibly varied selection of stories to a consistently high standard, ranging across the entire scope of the series. This is a tale from Season 24, with Mel accompanying the Seventh Doctor on a trip into history, encountering a real-life phenomenon, the Devil’s Footprints. These were strange markings in the snow discovered in Devon in February 1855, and writer Penelope Faith has skilfully mixed fact and fiction in her rendition.

Bonnie Langford seems to be having great fun in her portrayal of Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor; she doesn’t just give us the Scottish accent, but also the sometimes slightly breathy and unusually accented way in which he delivered his lines as the Doctor. Director Helen Goldwyn and sound designer Ian Potter ensure that the otherworldly elements are contrasted well with the expected cosy mundanity of a Victorian vicarage, ensuring that we never feel that we’re wandering into Ghost Light territory.

Verdict: A spooky blend of fact and fiction. 8/10

Paul Simpson