How pure is Purity’s world?

The final box set of the Purity arc kicks off with a story by producer Jacqueline Rayner that starts with what we think is a bedtime story, but realise, at its heart, is a rather nasty way of reminding a little girl that she’s not made of the “proper stuff” and almost deserves to be locked away from everybody else. The girl is, of course, this timeline’s version of Hebe – the one we met at the end of the last set – and her very limited horizons, and her desire to go beyond them, are delineated swiftly and assuredly, with some fine work by Toby Hadoke and Ruth Madeley.

The arrival of Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor and Bonnie Langford’s Mel threatens everything that Ron and Hebe have understood and the Doctor uses a clever way to bring back the version of their friend that they know (listen out for the way Hebe addresses Mel as the story goes on). Rayner’s script pays tribute to Maggie Stables’ Evelyn Smythe, making her an essential part of the set up, and there’s a strong guest performance from Kacey Ainsworth, aided by Barnaby Eaton-Jones.

For those who’ve not relistened to the whole saga in recent times, there’s a slightly heavy handed recap of events in the three previous sets, but the pieces that we as listeners were aware of now become clear to the Doctor and Mel, and give them even more urgency to sort things out…

Verdict: A strong start to the final set. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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