Doctor Who: Situation Vacant

With the departure of long-term audio companion Lucie Miller in the previous episode, the Doctor is looking for a replacement. So here we get a pastiche of The Apprentice, with four candidates vying for a spot on the TARDIS. (And, no, not really The X-Factor, despite the cover image).

The story, which concerns disappearing scientists and world-conquering robots, is a light bit of fluff that does no more than serve to fill a gap. But the real focus is on the contestants, each of whom turns out to be hiding a secret of some kind. Considering that we know that (at most) only one of them will win, they're all fleshed out rather well, and get about equal air-time - if you don't already know which character is also in the next episode, there's a good chance you'll be kept guessing until the end.

On the other hand, having to share time with the others means that we know rather less of the new companion than we would expect to after a more typical starting story. There's also the problem that the concept itself is a bit daft. Sure, not all is as it seems, and there's a mystery being set up for later in the season, but the nature of the contest means that the story lacks real depth, and there isn't much in the way of comedy to distract from that.

It's actually pretty well done for what it is, and it's an amusing conceit, but in the end I can't give it more than 3 stars.