Doctor Who: Moonflesh

With the action restricted to a stately home in southern England in the year 1911, comparisons with the TV story Black Orchid (set only a decade or so later) are perhaps inevitable, and, especially in the early stages of this tale, they're probably justifiable. As it progresses, though, the stronger parallel seems to be with Kinda, both in terms of the supporting characters and the abilities (if not the nature) of the monster.

In many respects, this is a base-under-siege, where the defenders are mainly stock characters from adventure tales - the blustering explorer, the glamorous daughter, the evil industrialist, and so on. Some might well regard that as too simplistic for their tastes, but I found that they were all acted well, without descending into overblown caricature, and that, in any event, they suit the sort of Edwardian adventure story that we have here. Indeed, there's a bit more complexity to most of the characters than at first appears - the industrialist is an exception, as is his son, who's really only there as a love interest for the explorer's daughter.

Yes, the story is something of a romp, and not particularly deep, but it's a good romp that fits the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa well, and that's supported by some quality soundscaping. It perhaps veers more towards fantasy than outright SF, especially in the sequence set in the Spirit World, but does so in a way that doesn't feel out of place in the DW universe.