The Doctor, Liz Shaw and the Brigadier find themselves on the run – from UNIT troops.

Mark Wright’s adventure for the season 7 team is a terrific addition to the series, emulating that year’s grittier format, with the Brigadier more serious, and two proper scientists in the UNIT lab. It also emulates one of that season’s less strong elements – the way in which reprises are treated – and you can see why that was dropped!

It’s the first time that we’ve got a Third Doctor adventure completely recast – and, while I know this is anathema to some, if it’s done as well as this, I really can’t see what the problem is. Tim Treloar, Daisy Ashford and Jon Culshaw don’t simply imitate Pertwee, John and Courtney – they bring their own talents to bear. This is an element of these recastings that does sometimes get forgotten: it’s not enough simply to sound like the original, you need to be able to act, particularly when, as is usual with Big Finish material, the stories take the characters to places that either weren’t considered back in the day, or weren’t appropriate. These aren’t impressions – they are actors playing the same roles.

Nicholas Briggs keeps the pressure up, as stakes get progressively higher, using a period-appropriate score well, and Benji Clifford’s sound design brings Wright’s 007-esque set pieces to life. The guest cast bring us UNIT members from around the country, let by a nice performance from Misha Malcolm as Sergeant Attah, a character I hope we learn has been in the background throughout the Pertwee years. Clare Corbett’s Director Cherilyn Dankworth (how dare her title be missed over the cast list!) makes a good foil – and do not switch off when the end credits to episode 4 start to roll or you’ll miss a key component to her character (albeit one that we’ve probably guessed by now).

Verdict: A triumphant addition to the Third Doctor adventures – more like this, please. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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