A process that can remove all the pollution from Earth’s atmosphere – when something seems too good to be true, inevitably it is. As the Doctor, Jo, the Brigadier and Benton discover…

Guy Adams’ new Dalek tale for Tim Treloar’s Third Doctor and Jon Culshaw’s Brigadier alongside Katy Manning and John Levene reprising their roles as Jo and Benton reminds me very much of the excellent Countdown comic strips from the period (Daleks in submarines under Sydney Harbour Bridge etc.). Adams packs a hell of a lot into this story – we’ve got squabbling project managers who the Doctor can be superior to, Daleks with a sense of irony (“friendship” is used in a very interesting way), deadly plant life, rebels hiding in a secret base, another pair of squabbling scientists one of whom is superior to the Doctor (it must be true, given the unlikely validation that Abigail McKern’s Skwoj gets at one point), Robomen (and women) – all topped off with a very pertinent ecological message, something that Manning understandably gets engaged with in the CD extras. It stays true to the period with some off-camera activities that we hear about second-hand, and some “tell not show” with regard to the set up.

Adams writes some great character moments for all of the regulars – it feels as if Levene gets more lines here than at any time on television, and the Doctor/Brigadier adversarial relationship is at its height. Jo’s not the shrinking violet she can sometimes be and Manning runs with the material. It really does feel now that Tim Treloar is playing the Third Doctor, rather than playing Jon Pertwee playing the Third Doctor (an important distinction), and the ten-year-old kid in me loves hearing that core era being recreated in such an authentic way.

Nick Briggs has brought together a very strong cast. In addition to the regulars, we have McKern, Clive Hayward, Elli Garnett and Alexandria Riley all presenting their characters in a way that we feel that they’ve had lives before (and after – maybe; no spoilers) this story. Steve Foxon’s sound design feels very of the era, with Briggs’ musical score (which doesn’t get its own suite, unfortunately) blending well with it.

Verdict: A real treat for anyone (and very definitely including myself) who loves this era of the show. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 6 from Big Finish