Romana and Leela recall visiting the same planet with the Doctor – and its lethal outcome…

This review contains spoilers for The Legacy of Time

Before I get into a discussion of the specifics of this episode, and the way in which it ties up the whole story, I think this is the appropriate place to talk about the bits behind the scenes that we don’t see or hear, or indeed often appreciate when listening to something like this.

This six-hour story incorporates dozens of different characters, played by actors many of whom are reprising roles that they played anything up to five decades ago, and many of whom are still working on stage, TV, film or radio. They’re not roles that can be simply recast because the story needs a line from character X – they’ve got to be played by actor Y who is associated with it. That means ensuring their availability and juggling schedules so everything needed can be gained – a mammoth scheduling job that I’m sure kept David Richardson awake at nights!

When Steven Moffat beefed up the end of The Day of the Doctor for his novel, he could have all the Doctors carrying out fits of derring-do that would have been impossible to show on screen – the only person who had to embody that was Nick Briggs as the audiobook narrator. With this story, to bring together multiple incarnations of the Doctor – together with a number of companions – for the climax (let alone the bits and pieces that were dotted throughout the saga) doesn’t mean getting them all together in one room but recording all the relevant lines at different times in a way that will work when combined – and then combining them all so it sounds like they were all together in one room. Director Ken Bentley and sound designer Howard Carter have worked miracles to make this so cohesive across the whole six hours.

And Guy Adams also deserves credit for wrapping it up well. The scenes with the Fourth Doctor and Leela or Romana blend together well, establishing the threat of the Sirens as well as the import of the setting. The final portion is the bit that everybody expects from the multi-Doctor story where the incarnations get together and have a few little tiffs (the needling of the Fifth Doctor provoked a grin), while having Romana, Leela and Benny there gave it some grounding. There are a few nice twists to ensure that the story encompasses more of Big Finish’s Doctor Who output than you believe will be the case – and a strong final moment for Leela and Romana.

Big Finish have celebrated anniversaries with special stories before – Zagreus and The Light at the End in particular – and The Legacy of Time takes advantage of their increased range of acting talent to provide another true celebration, while adding something to the mythology of the show. To all involved – writers, directors, script editors, producers, sound designers, composers as well as actors old and new – I raise a glass: here’s to 20 more years!

Verdict: A highly enjoyable wrap up that may well have you laughing and punching the air in delight. 10/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Legacy of Time from Big Finish