City of Death

City of Death is the most well handled comedic Doctor Who story since the show began, with perhaps only Carnival of Monsters as close competition. It is a welcome antidote to the studio and quarry bound productions which preceded it. The high proportion of shots on film give it an expensive Spearhead from Space vibe (a good thing) and there is a freeform, loose quality to the direction. At points it feels as if as if Tom and Lalla are improvising within the bounds of Adam’s excellent script.

The cliffhangers are consistently surprising and spine tingling. The guard character and the lead baddie / Jagaroth are particularly inspiringly and humorously portrayed. I love the idea that the explosion at the beginning of the story has splintered this man through time - spine tingling! We then get to see that pivotal scene again at the end - when the Doctor, Romana and Duggen stop the nemesis of the week from subverting the proper order of time.

The major plot point around a time travelling art dealer who buys prestigious pieces from the past and makes huge profits in the future gave me echoes of The Evil of the Daleks - though I must say it was carried off a lot better here.

It’s a crying shame that this is Adam's final broadcast effort for the show as it’s by far the most inspiring thing I’ve seen from Doctor Who since season 14. I am looking forward to the animated/ live action Shada though!