The Doctor recalls how he ended up in a rather freaky predicament…

David Llewellyn’s script for this third story in the Hearts of Darkness box set is a complete flashback – narratively homaging the start of Paul McGann’s first TV appearance as the Doctor where it’s his voice that we hear explaining about the trip to Skaro rather than the Doctor we see on screen. Effectively this is the first story of the set, explaining how the Doctor followed the Master’s trail to Kurnos 5 and learned about the body-swapping technique that his old friend has been seeking. Paul McGann gets a good share of the scenes here, while Derek Jacobi does his best Baron van Frankenstein impression in the ruined castle, complete with dimwit assistant and people taken from the nearest village.

Llewellyn and director Scott Handcock lean into the Gothic elements and play with a few familiar Doctor Who tropes. I’m not totally convinced by Narvin’s naming logic at the end (although it’s dramatically necessary to give us the pre-credits sequence at the start of the whole set) but that’s a minor quibble in a story that adds yet another rebellious Time Lord scientist to the mix!

Verdict: A Gothic treat. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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