Spoilers

The Doctor and Mrs Clarke are invited – to the apotheosis of the Eleven…

Chris Chapman wraps up this box set centred around Mark Bonnar’s unique Time Lord with a tale that gives all the characters something rather different. Bonnar’s Eleven seems to have finally found a way to win, while Miranda Raison’s Constance encounters some facets of herself that she isn’t always so keen on, and Lucy Gaskell’s Miskavel discovers the true face(s) of her husband. And Colin Baker’s Doctor has somehow got to make sense of it all.

As with the previous story, there are echoes here of the plans created by the Master (in particular in The End of Time) but Chapman distinguishes this one by the way in which the Eleven intends to make his mark on the people of Molaruss. He’s not quite the supreme egotist – he wants control and he’s found a distinctive way of doing it… and if a certain percentage of the population are lost along the way so be it. (Any similarities to the last 18 months no doubt are purely coincidental!)

The script is an utter gift to Miranda Raison who gives us multiple different Constances, all of whom are recognisably part and parcel of what makes her herself, but which on their own could be a little overwhelming. Bonnar and Gaskell make good foils for each other, and Ken Bentley ensures that Baker’s Doctor is at the heart of the tale.

Verdict: Turning things up to 11… A fine conclusion to this set. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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