The Poison of Peladon is a step up from The Ordeal of Peladon. Maybe it’s the fact it’s basically The Curse of Peladon but with River Song and Alpha Centauri as the Doctor and Jo, but it was huge fun. It was great having a new delegate from Arcturus and he was perfectly recreated both in voice and sound effects. Jane Goddard is a worthy successor to Ysanne Churchman and embues Alpha with some real chutzpah which is a welcome development from the ineffectual character that emerged in Monster. It’s a shame Nina Thomas isn’t back as Thalira, but Deborah Findlay is a good replacement and is a believable older Thalira.

The plot is a simple ‘who is plotting a political coup’ but there are some lovely twists and turns and the atmosphere is spot on.

The theme tune for this box set is absolutely perfect - and just right for this time of year. Indeed, there is a cosy, fireside atmosphere to this box set which lends itself to Christmas time.