Trying to help an old friend, the Doctor brings Peri to a planet where social media rules…

Jacqueline Rayner’s contribution to this series featuring the sixth Doctor and an older Peri Brown feels very much like a update of themes present in the season 22 story Vengeance on Varos. Sensibly there is no reference back to that story – which of course is some considerable period in Peri’s past – even though there are certain elements of society that are nigh on identical, and indeed the Doctor’s solution depends in part on implementing something similar.

There is a nice Paul Verhoeven sensibility to the story, with what appear to be satirical ads interspersed with the drama, but which turn out to have more importance as the story goes on. As seems to be a hallmark of this set, there’s more focus on Peri than before, and Nicola Bryant gets plenty of opportunity to show more mature sides to her character – an opportunity that not every classic companion gets that she makes the most of.

There’s also a slightly harder edge to the story, as there was with the first in the set – the Doctor’s solution involves his friends being put in a tasteless situation, albeit one that has good end results, and what seems to be a certain amount of reversal of the attitude present before. This time, the end does appear to justify the means, and I’m intrigued by the way it’s played.

As well as voicing some of the faux ads, Scott Handcock does a fine job directing the story, and Andy Hardwick’s sound design and score keep the ever-present subbing sound at the appropriate place in the mix.

Verdict: He said he was the Doctor, whether Peri liked it or not… An interesting tale. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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