The Time Lords bring the Doctor to Edinburgh in 1776…

We’ve known since the release of the Third Doctor story The Annihilators nearly 18 months ago that the post-War Games Second Doctor would be travelling with an older Jamie McCrimmon, although for obvious reasons, the reasons for that were glossed off in that tale. Now, this year’s box set for Michael Troughton’s Time Lord sees the Doctor reunited with Jamie, thirty or so years after they last met – at least as far as the former piper is concerned.

Mark Wright’s two-parter gives a good amount of time to Jamie, showing us the weirdness that’s going on inside his head – which we hear courtesy of some really all-encompassing effects from Toby Hrycek-Robinson – which incorporates unseen adventures with possible pasts, presents and futures… The Doctor, meanwhile, becomes involved in investigating some mysterious deaths, helped (but more usually hindered) by his Time Lord “handler”, Raven.

There feels like a good rapport between Troughton and Frazer Hines, and once again Troughton’s vocal performance embodies that of his father – you can almost see him wringing his hands at times. Emma Noakes’ Raven is 90% irritating and 10% intriguing, and it’ll be interesting to see what the long term plans are for her. Daisy Ashford gives a strong performance as Ellen – there’s hints that the character is destined for something more, and it would be good to hear her reprise the role – with Alec Newman likewise making a marked impression as Dr Beck, and Glen McCready providing multiple supporting roles.

Verdict: A neat way of dealing with further consequences of The War Games, and hopefully the start of a long and productive partnership. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Big Finish