Oh, this is EXCELLENT. The 9DAs have a first season that felt rockier to go through than it ultimately was, almost entirely down to them sticking Ravagers first. If Ravagers were the third box set, after Respond To All Calls and Lost Warriors, I think I would’ve had a much smoother time (and rated Ravagers much more highly). In the end, there are several big highlights from these first 12 eps, and this season finale 2-parter is way up there.

After attending the funeral in the previous story, The Doctor decides to look up The Brig and say hello, tell him what their friendship has meant to him. But of course there’s no such thing as a casual drop-in with The Doctor, and they’re soon dealing with ghosts baked into the Forth bridge as psychic impressions, an experimental submarine being developed by UNIT, and the lost partner of a creature The Doctor met on the set of Metropolis.

Culshaw was the main thing for me to adjust to here. It’s a very, very good impression, and I have heard several of the 3DAs he’s in. He maybe works better as young blustery Alistair than he does as older Battlefield/Lanyon Moor Alistair, but the writing nails the friendship between the two, and Eccleston really sells it. I am gleaning that it’s an Eccleston directive not to get into the traumatized ex-warrior side of 9’s psyche, which does seem like a particular shame here when confronted with one of his best friends, who is a lifelong soldier. But 9 also believably doesn’t want to get into it.

The quality of the writing is really spectacular here, especially all the atmosphere and history and love of Scotland that forms the most lovely lines in Part 1. Fiona is such a great character, she is set up to have Big Companion Energy, like a Lynda with a Y, and while she does not meet quite the same fate, it is still heartbreaking and painful. Sam Bishop I do not know as well, I’ve only listened to one or two UNIT boxes, but I like the trajectory they set up for him here, I’ll get back into UNIT at some point.

Sound design fantastic, like exceptionally good. The steel Cybermen stalking across the sea bed is so perfect. And the descriptions of this new generation of Cybermen and their appearance and how they were built, excellent.

A lovely, thoughtful but increasingly action-packed script with a great use of a classic monster that follows on from their previous great use and finally sells the feel that this was a Season of episodes. I’ll absolutely listen to this one again, I loved it. 4.5/5