Steven Taylor has only chance of surviving – cooperating with Two One Zero, a member of a race not exactly known for its willingness to help other races…

If you’ve not heard this story yet, then stop here, because it’s nigh on impossible to review this without discussing who Two One Zero is and why it’s rather hard for Steven to trust his companion…

 

 

As Nick Briggs mentions in the extras, there are certain similarities between David Bartlett’s script for this First Doctor-very lite story and the first appearance of the Daleks in the 21st century series, in Rob Shearman’s Dalek. Whereas Rose had no idea of the depths to which the metal mutants could sink, Steven certainly does, but he is at heart a pragmatist, and realizes that there’s far more going on than meets the eye.

It’s pretty much a two-hander between Peter Purves and Briggs, and both actors deliver powerful performances – Two One Zero’s modifications allow it to act in a way that is unusual for a Dalek, and Briggs brings in to life with some nicely subtle touches. Purves likewise sells the growing relationship between the two characters – his use of the Dalek’s designation is scripted, but it would be all too easy for that not to feel natural.

Director Helen Goldwyn and sound designer/composer Robert Harvey ensure that the pace is maintained and you get a real sense of the journey that the pair are making (a real journey, not, as Purves notes, one of those “journeys” that people go on on TV shows). Oh – and make sure you carry on listening after the closing theme, as a continuity bombshell is casually dropped into the mix.

Verdict: A very effective tale. 9/10

Paul SImpson