The Doctor repays a favour to the Time Lords…

This is a fascinating instalment, courtesy of Roland Moore, with some nice foreshadowing for the Doctor’s post-Time War future (done in a sufficiently low-key way that it wouldn’t spoil it if you weren’t aware of what comes up), and enjoyable playing with various familiar tropes – in particular, the ‘go and pretend to be someone who knows everything about this planet and its ways’. There are constant surprises as we go along, with some well-played scenes between Bliss and the king, before we get into the inevitable clash between the Doctor and Major Tamasan.

Guest star Wendy Craig gives Shonnath some real pathos alongside the harder edge that the character has needed to survive this far, and director Ken Bentley ensures that the narrative stays taut. Benji Clifford’s sound design and Jamie Robertson’s score blend well and match the change in mood as the story progresses to a real Tennant-esque ‘what what what’ moment at the end. (Which is only a surprise if you’ve not seen the cover for the set unfortunately.)

Verdict: The Time War allows the series to go into shades of grey that might not always be possible, and this is a fine example. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Eighth Doctor: The Time War Volume 3 from Big Finish