fourth in the second batch of doctor who companion chronicles audios. these involve an actor who played a companion to one of the first four doctors on screen reading out a talking book story detailing an untold adventure for the doctor and their character. each also has one other speaking role in the story filled by a guest actor.
It's the turn of leela for this one, louise jameson returning to the role she played opposite tom baker's doctor in the 1970's.
This story runs for sixty minutes, of two episodes. the first is forty minutes long and the second twenty. there's a five minute long chat with louise jameson on the final track of the disc which is well worth listening to as she's a good and lively interviewee.
In the story leela is imprisoned by a nasty alien, and this causes her to remember a time when, whilst travelling with the doctor, he took her to visit a friend of his in edwardian britain. left together with the young daughter of the house, the two find the doctor has left something in the cellar. and what's in there presents all the characters involved with a moral dilemma..
one of the best scripts for this series, this is very detailed and has lots of twists and turns and makes the listener think about things. it may require a few listenings to take it all in, but that's no bad thing. Louise jameson does her best to impersonate tom baker's voice [listen to the final track for her thoughts on this] but does very well with the other characters she has to voice, bringing each to life superbly.
The one flaw with this is the length of the first episode. it never quite feels stretched but there is a natural cliffhanger in the middle, so this might have been better as a three or four parter which would have made it pacier.
This is a very good release. it's not quite got the superb style of mother russia, the first in the batch, but it's well worth a listen