The Doctor has encounters upstairs and downstairs in pre-war Yorkshire…

James Kettle kicks off Lost Warriors, the latest collection of adventures featuring Christopher Eccleston reprising the role of the 9th Doctor, and it’s immediately obvious that the actor is absolutely at the top of his game playing the Time Lord. His vocal mannerisms, delivery and above all confidence slot right into the “episode 0” placement of these stories before he encounters Rose, and while we’re going to need something down the line for him to lose a bit of the faith in humanity he’s showing here and elsewhere for the dialogue in Rose to stick, it’s great to have the 9th Doctor firing on all cylinders.

Kettle puts him in the middle of a class situation that seems to speak as much to the Doctor’s era as it does the actor’s own comments, and unsurprisingly, the Doctor isn’t that impressed with what he sees of the upper classes, and those who would aspire to be part of them. There’s a nasty undercurrent with regard to the butler (Gordon Jackson’s Mr Hudson he isn’t!) and Don Gilet plays Streatham with an edge throughout that’s matched by Allegra Marland’s Isobel’s bloodthirstiness. Alex Jennings gives Lord Hawthorn the necessary attitude, and Barnaby Edwards’ assured direction ensures that the sometimes visual elements, particularly involving Annete Badland’s Mrs Goose and Tilly Steele’s Alice, are communicated well.

Verdict: Also benefitting from an additional extra structural conceit, this is a strong start to the set. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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