Next is Stage Fright, another enjoyable story in the set, this time featuring Six's travels with Flip as they team up with Jago & Litefoot. I'll admit having recently revisited this one a week ago, I found myself kind of sad listening to this, Jago & Litefoot of course being played by two wonderful actors who are now long gone, and Lisa Greenwood still hasn't returned properly as Flip since her long covid bout in 2020, I know she came back last year in The Quinn Dilemma, but I can't be the only one who noticed just how limited her role was. It's just a story starring people I dearly miss in one way or another, even the Valeyard himself played by Michael Jayston. Not only stealing the show again but it's probably his best work in the set as he's tricked young actors into partaking in his reenactments of the Doctor's regenerations, it's a very fun premise and this story in particular really shows just how personal a villain the Valeyard is to the Doctor. Colin Baker's performance in this and how much he hates the Valeyard is a great listen. Again I don't love it like most people do, but it's a great penultimate story.

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

Previous Story: The Red House

It's always great to see Jago and Litefoot again and this is no exception. Flip is also a very inspired choice to be the companion that meets them. She's very "modern-day" moreso than probably any other companion so she contrasts well against the old-fashioned Victorians. I like that the Valeyard is in this story from the get-go. Acting out all the Doctor's regenerations was quite strange and foreboding, it almost felt as though the Valeyard was teasing the Doctor. I'm really curious to see how the Valeyard's plans pan out.

Another excellent installment in The Last Adventure.

Next Story: The Brink of Death

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With one still to go this is the highlight of the box set. Having not yet heard the Jago & Litefoot/ 6th Doctor adventures, I still got a palpable thrill from hearing these two worlds collide.

Jago has come into money, a mysterious man has booked his theatre out for the month! This turns out to be the Valeyard who are dressing budding actors up as the doctor's former companions, making them play out their last moments with the Doctor before his various regeneration, he then kills them - a genius premise.

I slowly warmed to Flip (this was my first time with her) but am now looking forward to hearing more of her stuff. The Valeyard continues to be my favourite of the 6th Doctor's enemies.

I really loved this one. Excellent performances by a pretty big cast, a fun and creative plot, and some great moments that look into not just the Sixth Doctor but his entire character history. It was a lot of fun seeing the Valeyard staging all the Doctor's deaths in a play and I though that was so different from a usual story leading up to a Doctor's regeneration.

Chronologically, this is one of the Sixth Doctor's final stories, and it isn't some big action piece or adventure, but relatively low-key, dialogue heavy, and entirely about the Doctor and his emotional state. Jago and Litefoot are delightful but it is Flip who really gets to shine here.

Not at all accessible to new viewers, this is still great fun for seasoned fans and highly recommended for them. I was little surprised to learn this one is a bit polarizing, but I personally adore it.