The Doctor wakes in a German hospital in the trenches of the First World War…

Paul Morris and Simon Barnard’s tale for a solo Fourth Doctor is one of those stories that you keep expecting to go down a certain path, and it resolutely refuses to do so. There are so many potential red herrings with regard to what’s going on – at times I thought there might be involvement from one of the key alien races from the series, at others that it might be interlinked to a key Second Doctor story, and yet others that it was a precursor to a Fifth Doctor story – but it charts its own path, and provides Baker with plenty of chances to dominate proceedings, but also to take a back seat when necessary.

Alicia Ambrose-Bayly makes a great one-off companion, and there’s strong roles for Nicholas Asbury, Richard Hope and Finlay Robertson with Christopher Naylor providing sterling service in three key roles. Jamie Robertson also does excellent work on both sound design and score, and Nicholas Briggs allows the story to breathe at key points – there’s a lot of action, but also some reflective moments.

Verdict: Another strong story for the solo Doctor. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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