The Doctor finds himself at the blunt end of the Time Lord war training process…

Matt Fitton’s script for this third tale doesn’t pull any punches. It’s a story that focuses on the parts of war that films on the subject often include in montages, as the brutal regime breaks down the individuality of the recruits/conscripts and then builds them up into a fighting unit. But when you thrown someone as individual as the Doctor into the mix, then things are not going to play out the way that anyone involved expects… or, more to the point, wants.

Inevitably there’s a casualty when someone applies the dictum “What would the Doctor do?” to a life or death situation, and we’re made to experience the loss that those around that person feel – including at least one character who you’d think would be more hardened than they actually are. And there’s a very well written, played, and directed sequence towards the end when the Doctor is made aware of the gravity of the situation and his whole demeanour changes in an instant.

Verdict: A very strong instalment on all fronts. 9/10

Paul Simpson