The Doctor and Jo arrive on the remote planet, Burnt Salt, and discover that the Cybermen are on the hunt…

This is another of those reviews where the quick version is – get hold of this now and let yourself be transported back four decades to the height of Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning’s era for a story that feels absolutely right. Tim Treloar’s Third Doctor is finessed with each batch of tales, and the scripting builds the increasing self-determination of Jo Grant, making her departure in The Green Death feel far more organic than it perhaps did on screen.

Marc Platt knows the particular foibles of this incarnation (there are certain scenes where he’s discussing the Cybermen that you simply can’t imagine with one of the more modern Doctors), and he creates a wide range of characters who aren’t as two-dimensional as some denizens of this period on TV could be. You suspect that there’s far more to the plans of both humans and Cybermen than is first apparent, and even so Platt pulls some surprises.

Nick Briggs has gathered a strong cast once more for this story, with Jeff Rawle’s Chad one of my favourite new characters in recent times (I might just be a little envious of his one-man band!). I’m sure I must have misheard one of the Cybermen talking about the CyberBieber (although there’s not much I’d put past Big Finish!)… but I won’t spoil any of the other Cyber-surprises.

It’s not Big Finish’s first Third Doctor vs Cybermen adventure, by the way – Blue Tooth, one of the very first Companion Chronicles, broke that ground over a decade ago – but it’s the first full cast one, and it’s a slight shame it’s set so late in Jo’s tenure, making a return match less likely.

Verdict: The Third Doctor Cybermen story we should have had in 1973 rather than just some blobs in a snowstorm! 10/10

Paul Simpson