The Time Museum

Ian is awoken in the night by a stranger in his bedroom. But he's not even home anymore - he has been taken in the night and is in a museum where his life is on exhibit. The stranger, a man named Pendolin, insists that they are in danger from beings who consume memories, and as Ian's are so rich and full from his travels with the Doctor they are drawing the entities to him. They have to run. And run. And run. Ian's memories become a jumble as he struggles to hold onto what he knows.

This one's a real fan-wank if you're the kind of fan who loves hearing the sly references to the old episodes, and now that there's a considerable amount of material from Big Finish it all gets a mention here and there as Ian muddles up events, historical figures and companions. His babbles are like that of an old man slipping into senility, and he realizes as his certainty fades that there is something wrong with his memories. This is one of the times when William Russell doesn't have to try and sound younger, nor is it something that requires him to provide the voice for the Doctor as this isn't an actual flashback kind of tale, it's Ian's own future adventure. As far as Ian's own personal future is concerned he is now a very old man, and he may well have survived Barbara as she isn't mentioned as being part of his current life. His moment of clarity does come eventually and when he gets his faculties back he delivers some pretty stunning insight into the Doctor and the effect he had on him while they travelled together.

There's more to Pendolin than just being the curator of the Museum, though; he just sounds a bit too... slippery. He's quick to get Ian on the run and recruit him to help solve whatever is going wrong in the Museum, but it feels like he is deliberately keeping Ian confused and off balance; just as things start to even out he sets them off again, fleeing from the "ghosts" in the Museum.

What I liked best about this is it's a proper adventure for Ian on his own. The ones where he tells someone a story from the past are fun enough but when we get to see the life of a companion once they have left the Doctor and to see that there is still danger in their lives; they may have changed the Doctor a bit by being with him but he has also changed them, and there's going to be a target on their backs depending on how their time with him goes. Not every companion is going to warrant a full set of adventures like future companion Sarah Jane Smith, but it's good to know not everyone's stories just end when they walk out the TARDIS doors.

NEXT EPISODE: THE FLAMES OF CADIZ