The Doctor and Rose arrive in a gleaming city in the middle of a civil war – but how is it connected to a very different time and place?

Una McCormack provides the second story in this box set, which once again gives Nicholas Briggs with loads of opportunities to hone his rendition of the Ninth Doctor. There’s just the odd moment where the accent slips, but this is once again a bravura performance by Briggs, who also has to provide the voices for most of the other characters, in particular Rose. It’d be unfair to criticise this too much, given how varied Billie Piper was in the role – her accent ranged quite spectacularly across appearances from Rose to The Day of the Doctor – and you’re never in any doubt as to who’s speaking.

Laura Riseborough plays the “celebrity historical” figure, Emily Bronte (and there’s a laugh out loud moment at the end when the Doctor and Rose discuss her most famous work). As you might expect with the format, Riseborough’s talents are also put to good use for other characters within the story, one of which uses a familiar trope from Doctor Who across the years and while the temptation for these Ninth Doctor tales to foreshadow later events in the series must have been great, there’s a nicely understated one here.

Helen Goldwyn again has a clear directorial vision for the set. There are plenty of enjoyable touches – the gaps between scenes in particular have a distinctive feel – and there’s a well-designed moment when the narration almost seems to get lost beneath everything… which, given the circumstances in which the Doctor and Rose find themselves is quite appropriate.

Verdict: Another enjoyable extra outing for the often overlooked Doctor. 8/10

Paul Simpson