I didn't twig that this was the same person as A Good Man Goes to War until the mention of the Gamma Forest near the end.

A fun little bit of backstory for that character, but it's too short to really make much of an impact, tied for the shortest in this collection. That said, seeing the impact The Doctor has on people through their eyes is always nice, so fun to have some of it here.

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

“LORNA’S ESCAPE – A GOOD WOMAN RUNS TO WAR”

Lorna’s Escape drops us straight into the chaos, wasting no time on setup or explanation. Lorna Bucket and her friend Stefan witness a spaceship crash and quickly find themselves pursued by monstrous, bloodthirsty bat-like creatures. The tone is frantic and breathless, with the pair running for their lives—until, in classic Doctor Who fashion, the Doctor arrives.

But this isn’t a story about the Doctor. He remains at the edges, a fleeting, enigmatic figure seen through Lorna’s eyes—her saviour, her mystery, her hero. The Doctor helps them escape, distracts the beasts, and disappears as quickly as he came. It's a brief encounter, but it leaves a mark on Lorna, just as it was always meant to.

A WARRIOR IN THE SHADOWS

This is an unusual Doctor-lite narrative—he’s present, but only ever glimpsed. He’s framed like a myth or a ghost, told from the perspective of someone whose life he changes in a flash. And it’s all the stronger for it. This is Doctor Who as urban legend, and it’s refreshing to see a character view the Doctor not as a travelling companion or enemy, but as a one-time miracle.

It’s supposed to be Eleven here, but the story describes a tall man in a green coat—so much so that you’d be forgiven for picturing Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor instead. It’s a curious detail that muddies the waters a little.

THE GIRL WHO REMEMBERED

What really elevates the story—after the fact—is realising who Lorna Bucket is. Yes, this is that Lorna, the brave cleric who dies in A Good Man Goes to War, telling the Doctor they once met, long ago, for just a moment. This is that moment. And that realisation recontextualises the whole tale, imbuing it with unexpected poignancy. Lorna's admiration, her desire to understand the Doctor, her fateful devotion—it all begins here, in a story that otherwise seems like a fun but throwaway action piece.

Unfortunately, Lorna’s Escape never really expands beyond its frantic chase sequence. We never learn much about the creatures, or about Lorna’s village, or Stefan. As a piece of world-building, it’s skeletal. As character drama, it’s fleeting. But as a footnote to one of Series 6’s most emotional stories? It’s golden.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE: 6/10

A slight story elevated by its connection to a deeper character arc. Lorna’s Escape might read like a standard action vignette, but in retrospect, it becomes a touching prologue to one of Eleven’s most affecting episodes.