This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Hunting Ground

And with this, I've finally made it to the 6th Doctor and Evelyn. I've heard nothing but good things about this TARDIS team making this one of my most anticipated parts of my timeline watchthrough. While I've only listened to this first story, I can safely say that I understand the hype. For starters, Maggie Stables is fantastic as this new companion Dr Evelyn Smythe. She has excellent chemistry with Colin Baker from the moment they meet and she's the perfect counter to his obnoxious and arrogant Doctor. I love that we finally have a companion who's willing to call the Doctor out on what he does. Her being a history professor is also very unique, we haven't really had a companion knowledgable about history since Barbara.

As far as historicals go, this one is very reminiscent of the early ones in the 60s. It really takes time at the beginning to immerse you in the past, with lengthy scenes of the Doctor in the Queen's court and Evelyn at an old-fashioned English tavern. I really enjoy how modern things interact with the past in this story, Evelyn's painkillers being mistaken for poison or the historical characters being fascinated by a zip to name a few examples. It's stuff like this that really brings a story to life. I like the perspective this story has on historical figures like Queen Mary, it doesn't portray her in a black and white way like so many other historicals do when it comes to controversial figures. When you take a step back, the plot is actually quite simple. The things that really make this story so good are the character interactions and relationships. I really wish more stories were like this because it's honestly fantastic.

Let's just say I haven't been this eager to continue my timeline watchthrough since I broke out of the black and white era and began colour.

Next Story: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor