Trying to keep away from the Time Lords. the Doctor and Benny try to live “normal” lives on a faraway planet…

James Goss provides this penultimate tale in the set, as the Unbound Doctor and Bernice get on each other’s nerves, try to find ways of surviving and inevitably get caught up in a mystery – in this case, deciphering the language of the indigenous population on the planet, and tying that in with the archaeological discoveries that Benny is making. As is noted in the extras, one of the strengths of this TARDIS team is their interactions with each other, and this story very much plays to that, with the Doctor and Benny bickering but never allowing a chasm to develop between them. Lisa Bowerman and David Warner, as you’d expect, deliver terrific performances.

The theme of miscommunication comes to the fore once more, as the TARDIS being switched “off” means that its translation circuits can’t automatically deliver the clarity that would normally be present, and there are scenes (and indeed to an extent the whole premise of the story) that wouldn’t work in usual circumstances. Bernice and the Doctor both make headway in their own way, but dangers still lurk.

Verdict: A change of pace before the grand finale allows listeners and the lead characters some necessary breathing space. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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and click here to read the reviews of the earlier stories in this range