The Doctor and Jo are tasked by the Time Lords to return to the Second World War to retrieve a lost amulet…

Jonathan Barnes takes up the pen for this new adventure for Tim Treloar and Katy Manning as the Third Doctor and Jo, with a terrific turn from Mark Elstob as Dennis Wheatley Wing Commander Douglas Quilter. It’s a slightly different take on this era than we’re used to – as David Richardson points out in the extras, pure historicals weren’t really a feature of the time, and it also hearkens back to some of the great Countdown strips from the period.

Listening to this I was constantly reminded of those old hardbacks that were in the library when I was younger featuring Dennis Wheatley’s spy/black magic tales, and this is a true tale of derring-do with chaps (and chappesses) doing what’s necessary. Terry Molloy’s Finch, Jeany Spark’s Daisy and Samuel Clemens’ Hegley all feel like they’ve stepped out of those novels, and it’s always good to hear Ian McNeice’s Churchill appear opposite another Doctor.

Treloar and Manning are given a great deal to do – Jo, in particular, has to get herself out of some quite tight corners, and Manning rises to the occasion. The ending begs a number of questions, and I’m hoping that means that there’s a sequel coming along at some point.

Scott Ampleford’s sound design mixes scenes more than we’re sometimes used to in Big Finish productions, which keeps the tension up, and Nick Briggs’ score emulates Dudley Simpson’s compositions well.

Verdict: A thoroughly entertaining chapter for the Doctor and Jo. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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