Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Box Set

A ”special collection” of two 2-hour stories, this marks the first appearance of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric in a BF production. Given that Adric is often listed as the single least popular companion in Doctor Who history, and that that was at least partially down to Waterhouse's lacklustre performance in the role, I confess to approaching this with some trepidation. Fortunately, however, not only is Adric written better here, but Waterhouse's many years on the stage since what was, after all, his first acting role, has clearly paid off. On the other hand, he's obviously no longer a teenager, and his voice has unavoidably changed rather a lot since he was one, which I initially found a little distracting.

* Psychodrome

Set immediately after the events of the TV story Castrovalva, this story involves the Doctor and companions landing on a mysterious world where they are not the only strangers. It's initially slow, and a little confusing, with an unusually large number of guest characters divided up into the four rival groups on the planet. We're into the second 30-minute episode before it becomes clear what's really going on, but, once it does, the story greatly improves as everything that's already happened falls into place.

The story has two particular strengths. Firstly, it fits beautifully into its slot within the TV series. It's not just the presence of Adric, and the fact that the Fifth Doctor (for, I believe, the first time in a BF story) still has his sonic screwdriver. It's the references to recent past adventures – Castrovalva and Logopolis play heavily into it, but there are plenty of direct connections to events of the Fourth Doctor's final season, from Full Circle onwards. In fact, if you're a new series fan, and haven't seen those, this story will probably make less sense, and certainly have less impact.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it builds on those stories to really explore the budding relationship between the recently regenerated Doctor, Adric, and their two new companions. We get to see many of the things that the series at the time never bothered with (and that the new series generally does much better), with characters reflecting on their past experiences, and what they want for the future. It's these relationships that are the real core of the story, showing the formation of a dynamic among the TARDIS crew that's glossed over in the original, essentially popping into existence between Castrovalva and Four to Doomsday.

So this story not only obviously belongs where it's set within the original running order, but actually expands and improves upon the character-based elements of the TV show, with some great insights into the minds of those involved, the Doctor included. I'll deduct half a star for the early segments, but that's all. (4.5 stars)

* Iterations of i

This begins as a ghost story set on a rain-swept islet off the coast of Ireland in 1981. These elements alone are very good, setting the scene and revealing the basic mystery of the house and its former occupants. With most of the characters in this particular TARDIS crew being inclined to science and reason, they search for an explanation that can be couched in scientific terms (something that not all writers of tie-in works set in this era have necessarily followed). When they find it, it's a particularly interesting explanation, and one that's quite high concept by DW standards.

The monster, the i of the title, does bear a superficial resemblance to others that have been used in previous audios, although the specifics are different. However, it is very well handled here, a mysterious presence that's never quite seen - indeed, that can't normally be seen at all - and whose motives are as much a puzzle as its nature. Once the details do finally become clear, we have an exciting climax in a race against time.

Once again, Adric is well used here, in a story that's particularly suited to his talents. Nyssa is somewhat more peripheral, although far from ignored, but Tegan's personality, and the Doctor's occasional exasperation with her, do shine through. There are also quite a lot of puns to break the tension in what's mainly a dark and atmospheric story, and some nice reminders of the '80s setting.

Of course, this isn't hard science fiction, and, looked at in that way, the story is not rigorously scientific, instead using the language of science (specifically, mathematics) to describe something that is, from a narrative point of view, purely supernatural. But doing it in this way does fit with the era (one thinks, in particular, of Castrovalva), and does not in any way detract from the story. Perhaps more importantly, given the theme of the box set, it's good to see Adric written well, shorn of the sexism and sulkiness that he was often written with on TV, yet without wholly making him a different character. (5 stars).