I really enjoyed getting to know more of the Fugitive Doctor.

Here's what I loved:

• How the Doctor says she’s not going to get involved but does so anyway
• Cosmogon is a great villain, can’t wait to learn more about her
• Since they're so linked, it's weird having the Doctor not knowing who the Daleks are
• The chase through time ending with Oppenheimer was awesome
• The Fugitive Doctor's origin being shrouded in mystery is great, she could be from the past or even the future. Can you imagine if she became a future Doctor? Maybe she’s from a restored Gallifrey? Where the Daleks are erased from time, meaning the Time War never happened.

Paranoid that the Doctor knows secrets that could compromise them, Division elect to betray the Doctor and try to bring her in. Suddenly branded a fugitive, the Doctor finds herself taken prisoner pn Punishment - a hulk ship - and roped into a prison break.

Robert Valentine kicks off the series with this story and out the gate it presents a vulnerability we never saw in this incarnation of the Doctor on screen. For the first 10 minutes, gone is the confidence and suffer-no-fools attitude she's usually depicted with. It feels like a bit of an unusual choice. Though as characterisation goes, the Doctor here is much less keen to get involved and connect with Fade - a character who is essentially the companion for this story - but begrudgingly finds her compassion get the better of her, even when in a turbulent situation herself.

Fade is not a lot to write home about as a character but she does introduce the Doctor to the villains of the piece. Yes, it's the Daleks. Having the Daleks in the Fugitive Doctor's very first story feels like a questionable decision when, ideally, this series should be presenting something fresh. This does however come with the acknowledgement that this perspective may be skewed by an overall feeling of being burnt out on the pepperpots with their prevelancy, and they don't particularly outlive their welcome in this episode.

The Daleks also give Fade a bit of backstory as a resistence fighter, and make for a quick and easy setup for the Doctor to be tempted to join a resistance, a very classic setup for the character in their earliest incarnations and a strong way to bring her sense of morality out.

There are breadcrumbs throughout pointing to a mystery of why Division turned itself against the Doctor, with the Doctor herself not having any idea what she's supposed to know that could be considered so dangerous to them. The presence of the Daleks adds to her confusion - although the audience is in on the secret this time - as their grudge against her is as strong as ever while she finds herself on the back foot with no idea who they are. Another potential breadcrumb is a possible disconnect between events depicted in the TV series' Once, Upon Time, and what's depicted at the beginning of this story, though it can be taken in good faith that the events of Atropos are something the series may yet circle back to.

There's plenty of action and variety in the story, from the prison break to a crashing spaceship and a trip through history while facing off against the Daleks. Even if not the strongest of openers,  Fast Times certainly won't leave you bored and provides some solid set-up for the Fugitive Doctor's adventures on the run.

this was a great reintroduction to the fugitive doctor, setting up some new mysteries and getting the worldbuilding off to a great start. we haven't heard much of cosmo but i have a feeling i'm going to like her. very interested in if things are going to go anywhere with the daleks, and her memory issues. it could of course be she is pre-1 or it could be a hint she's 2.5.... who knows! overall though, i really enjoyed the characterisation of the fugitive doctor in this, it felt very similar to her tv appearances.

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

“FAST TIMES – A THRILLING FUGITIVE RUN WITH A FEW BUMPS ALONG THE WAY”

Most Wanted marks Big Finish’s first dedicated box set for Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor, a character shrouded in mystery ever since her brief appearances in Flux and The Power of the Doctor. With her past still largely unexplored, Fast Times kicks things off with an action-packed, high-energy chase, firmly establishing the core of this incarnation—constantly on the run from the Division, the organisation she once served.

The setup is simple but effective: the Doctor is captured and thrown onto a prison spaceship, where she quickly finds herself standing up for a bullied inmate while clashing with a brutish warden. It’s a perfect showcase for Jo Martin’s Doctor—tough, no-nonsense, but still possessing that classic sense of compassion and responsibility. She doesn’t pick fights needlessly, but when forced into action, she’s commanding and unyielding. This version of the Doctor thrives in tense, high-stakes environments, and the prison break scenario allows her to shine.

FADE, THE DALEKS, AND A MYSTERY IN THE TIMELINE

One of the most intriguing aspects of Fast Times is its introduction of Leah Harvey as Fade, an inmate who starts off as a frightened prisoner and gradually evolves into something of a companion figure. Her backstory is compelling—she’s on the run from the Daleks, who wiped out her family, making her wary of trusting anyone.

The most fascinating twist? The Fugitive Doctor has never encountered the Daleks before. This raises immediate questions: is this Doctor truly pre-Hartnell, experiencing her first brush with the Doctor’s greatest foes? Or is something else at play, such as memory loss? This uncertainty adds a fresh dynamic to the Doctor’s interactions with the Daleks, who, for once, are more terrifying to the companion than to the Doctor herself. Instead of engaging them immediately, the Doctor initially chooses to escape and leave Fade to fend for herself—an unexpected moment that underscores how this incarnation is still developing her moral compass.

While the chase format works well for the most part, the inclusion of the Daleks feels somewhat unnecessary. The second half of the story essentially turns into a The Chase-style pursuit, with the Doctor and Fade hopping through time—from the late Cretaceous period to the Manhattan Project—to evade the Daleks. While these settings add variety, they don’t contribute much beyond spectacle. That said, the Doctor using a nuclear bomb test to eliminate the Daleks is a strikingly bold move, excessive yet oddly satisfying.

COSMOGON—A NEW DIVISION THREAT

Adding another layer of tension is Cosmogon, a Time Lord agent tasked with capturing the Doctor. Her pursuit of the Fugitive Doctor adds to the sense of urgency, and their interactions suggest a long history yet to be uncovered. The fact that the Doctor’s new friends actively work to hold off Cosmogon so the Doctor can escape is a satisfying moment, reinforcing how quickly she inspires loyalty even when she tries to keep others at arm’s length.

VERDICT: A SOLID START WITH ROOM FOR MORE

Fast Times is essentially one long chase sequence, but it does a great job of establishing Jo Martin’s Doctor and setting up intriguing mysteries for future stories. While the Daleks’ inclusion feels somewhat unnecessary, the dynamic between the Doctor and Fade, as well as the looming threat of Cosmogon, keeps things engaging. This Doctor is still figuring herself out, and that makes her journey all the more exciting to follow.

📝81/100

Going into this, I was a little disappointed that they'd chosen to focus on Fugitive as, well, a fugitive, rather than giving us more of her time in Division...

Those disappointments were easily put to bed however when I listened to this, especially with the interviews afterwards. It makes sense for them to focus on Fugitive as a fugitive, as it's the part of her life that we've actually already seen her in, plus would be a weird title for a set if it were called 'The Fugitive Doctor Adventures' and she wasn't one.

Anyway, onto the actual story.

I love the way the story starts, the glimpse at Division, her partner betraying her, her getting away and then getting caught. Her doing the thing of going up to the biggest guy in prison and humiliating him is fun to see, and I absolutely love just how reluctant she is through all of this. You do get the sense that she's not quite The Doctor(tm) yet, but she's absolutely getting there.

I'm also surprised by how much I enjoyed the Daleks here. I'd somehow managed to forget they were in this, or assumed it was a later story, so their appearance did surprise me. I love Fugitive's interactions with them as well, them knowing her but her not knowing them yet, her trying to get more information. I love that they chose to use The Chase Daleks over the Time War Daleks, and the way they're eventually defeated by blowing them up with Oppenheimer's bomb is fun, and shows us that Fugitive still has a decent knowledge of Earth, even in this incarnation, wherever it is.

Also I really like her interactions with Fade here. The Doctor is often characterised like a teacher, and I think the way she's characterised here feels almost like a 'strict headteacher', the core of it is still there, but she's not quite the person she becomes yet.