The Prisoner of Peladon

Five years after joining the Galactic Federation, Peladon has become an active member and is providing support to refugees fleeing the civil war on Mars. King Peladon is eager to help and prove that his people deserve their place in the Federation, but when a killer starts to walk among the refugees he fears that their position could be under threat. The new overlords of Mars threaten to attack all sponsor planets who offer support to the political refugees, adding to the peril. But once again, in Peladon's time of need, the Doctor has arrived to help.

It's a bit of a departure to have a non-companion tell a story in this range, but it works fantastically. King Peladon was tremendously influenced by the Doctor when he was on his planet, and to have him back fills him with hope for the future. Peladon's disappointment at the Doctor's solitary status is palpable: he was hoping to see Jo Grant again. But the Doctor is somewhat reserved about his involvement right now; Jo's departure has left him somewhat withdrawn and in a funk. This is more a ploy that is used in the new series when the tenth and eleventh Doctors are travelling alone - as with many aspects of the new series this one has been tossed in, or retconned if you will - the third Doctor, however, doesn't seem to be the type to sulk and it's not really an effective device.

The old favourites are here for the story: the Ice Warriors and Alpha Centauri; I never expect a miracle when it comes to imitating some voices on audio so the latter comes off less than successful (and really such a high pitch... my nose wants to bleed thinking about it) but the Ice Warriors are realized very well right down to the heavy breathing that would seem at home on any obscene telephone call. David Troughton himself reprises his original role of King Peladon, his distinctive voice still sounding convincing but sometimes wavering on sounding like his father as the second Doctor.

Hearing from King Peladon makes for a new angle in Big Finish storytelling; there will be other characters in future telling their stories of times with the Doctor, although not as frequently as the companions themselves. Jo Grant herself still has more to say...

NEXT EPISODE: THE MANY DEATHS OF JO GRANT