The Doctor takes Bliss home… but it’s not at all what she expected.

Jonathan Morris’ opener for this second box set of Paul McGann’s Doctor’s exploits prior to his crashlanding on Karn is a convoluted tale that very much plays on the listener’s expectations, and everything that we “know” about the Time War. Time Lords are good; Daleks are bad? If you still think that, you’ve not been concentrating – and Morris demonstrates exactly why the Doctor prefers to stay right out of things if at all possible.

Rakhee Thakrar has some very powerful moments scattered throughout the story as Bliss tries to come to terms with some potentially major changes in her life and the ending, in particular, will stay with you for some time to come. Guest stars Simon Slater and Nikki Amuka-Bird also grab the material and give strong performances – it’s one of those stories where a lack of credibility for one moment will bring the whole edifice down.

There’s echoes here of the morality on display by some in The Dalek Invasion of Earth and if the other Time War stories concentrate as much on those affected as the protagonists, then we’ll get a much more rounded picture.

Verdict: A strong and often surprising start. 9/10

Paul Simpson