Transit of Venus

Ian remembers how the TARDIS made a landing on the deck of a sailing ship in the south Pacific in 1770; fresh from their adventure on the Sense Sphere the Doctor was furious with Barbara and Ian and ordered them out of the time machine, but the TARDIS was tossed overboard with Susan and Barbara still inside. Ian and the Doctor realized they were on board the Endeavour in the company of Captain James Cook and became unwilling passengers, taken to be celestial visitors from Venus, but Ian grew suspicious of chief scientist Robert Banks who seemed to know more than he should about future events.

William Russell returns as Ian in this Companion Chronicle adventure, told from the perspective of Ian after leaving the TARDIS with Barbara. Many years have passed since his time travel days ended, and he reflects on this adventure very much like the specially recorded introduction made for the VHS release of The Crusades. The Companion Chronicles following this one are all told in the same vein as the ones with Susan were, with Ian telling his tale from his perspective and the lines of the other characters told in the narration, except for Robert Banks who is played by Ian Hallard.

As stories go it's very simple and to the point, with no major sci fi angles to it aside from the presence of the TARDIS. Had it been submitted in the early years of the show it would have made for a potential script, although the full cast would no doubt have been included and the scope of the adventure widened beyond the confines of the decks of the Endeavour. But it's all there as far as formula for a historical goes; adventures in the past, separation from the TARDIS (although the resolution to that one was a bit of a "yeah, right," moment), and a lack of aliens to complicate things (aside from the Doctor).

I remember thinking when the Companion Chronicles started that they would not be very entertaining at all, really no better than books on tape, but again they prove to be full of fun and everything that makes a Doctor Who tale great. This was the first one William Russell did, released back in 2009, and he sounds a bit younger than in the more recent releases, but he's still playing Ian well; in the interviews at the end of the adventure he states that the character comes back to him easily because Ian Chesterton is part of him, which is the same sentiment expressed by another great companion: Elisabeth Sladen on her time as Sarah Jane Smith and her return to the series years later. While William Russell may not have been given chance to bring Ian back to the screen, this is just as good.

And Ian still has a lot of stories to tell...

NEXT EPISODE: THE ROCKET MEN