The Doctor and Romana find themselves caught between the Silex and the inhabitants of huge Drill-towns…

Jonathan Morris’ new adventure for the Doctor and Romana (K9 is busy improving his mind!) has a Brass-y air to it, with characters that feel straight out of Dickens’ Hard Times and David Copperfield transposed to a science fiction environment. It’s a story that feels closer to Meglos than the other tales in Season 18, with both the Doctor and Romana involved with groups that have a certain close-knittedness to their thinking.

Director Nick Briggs never lets the humour of the characters overshadow the seriousness of the situations in which they find themselves, and has assembled another strong cast – Matthew Cottle and Abigail McKern play very well off each other, as do Robbie Stevens and Jane Slavin. Neither Tom Baker nor Lalla Ward are called to go out on a limb in this one, but both make the most of the material, even when it feels a bit familiar – although as the current TV season has proved, it doesn’t always matter if you’re retreading old ground, as long as it’s done with style!

Verdict: An enjoyable hour. 8/10

Paul Simpson