Javic Piotr Thane is not happy. Money’s vanishing from his account, and it seems as if he’s being unfairly treated by the Time Agency…

It might seem odd that the final story in this box set goes back to a time when Jack Harkness wasn’t even Jack Harkness, but plain and simple Javic Piotr Thane, Time Agent extraordinaire, but when you get to the end it makes sense. On TV, in Jack’s first story, we learned about his missing two years, and at the Torchwood launch back in 2006, I asked Russell T Davies whether we’d ever learn what happened to him. RTD’s answer was non-committal and it’s taken a decade before the right opportunity has presented itself.

Guy Adams has had fun writing – and John Barrowman has clearly enjoyed himself playing – this brasher, younger version of the character we’ve come to know so well. Go back and watch his debut appearance in The Empty Child, and you realise just how far Jack has come. (Equally, given how many decades if not centuries he’s lived, let alone how many times he’s died, you’d hope some small degree of maturity had started to arrive!) There’s a certain appropriateness to the casting of Alexander Vlahos in the story, given his other key role in the Big Finish universe, and his scenes with Barrowman fizz.

There’s a very dark side to this story as well, and links to elements introduced across the whole set. Together they ensure that this first (and I’m sure it can only be the first of many) collection goes out on exactly the bittersweet note that should always accompany Jack Harkness in his adventures…

Verdict: An intriguing solution to one of the longest puzzles in Jack Harkness’ many lives. 9/10

Paul Simpson