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“THE LONG WAY ROUND – INTERROGATIONS, TWISTS, AND A TRIP THROUGH TIME”

John Dorney’s The Long Way Round is easily the most structurally inventive instalment in Stranded so far, unfolding entirely through a sequence of interrogations that slowly piece together a fragmented narrative. It’s a high-concept chamber piece that leans heavily on dialogue and character work, trusting the listener to join the dots as the mystery unfolds. The result is a slow-burn story that rewards patience, with a finale that delivers a jaw-dropping twist and throws open the doors for the next set of adventures.

QUESTIONING EVERYTHING

The episode is built around a central conceit: each of the regulars – the Doctor, Liv, Helen, Andy – is being interrogated in the future about their actions, choices, and motivations. As each interrogation progresses, layers are peeled back, truths are questioned, and suspicions start to mount. This narrative framing device cleverly allows the plot to develop through conflicting testimonies and shifting perspectives, all while maintaining a taut atmosphere of quiet dread.

Annabelle Dowler delivers a standout performance as Houlbrooke, the coldly efficient interrogator who maintains an unsettling air of polite menace. Her conversations with each character are laced with ambiguity, revealing just enough to move the story forward while deepening the enigma. She knows far more than she should—particularly about the Doctor—and that knowledge hangs like a shadow over the whole piece.

THE FRIENDLY VILLAIN AND THE UNKNOWABLE DOCTOR

One of the most compelling elements of The Long Way Round is the gradual shift in how Houlbrooke is presented. She begins as a relatively reasonable authority figure, but the more she presses, the more adversarial she becomes. Her growing hostility and attempts to undermine the Doctor’s identity and authority create a rising tension that questions the nature of truth and perception.

In true Dorney fashion, this culminates in a twist that reframes much of what we’ve heard. When the true nature of the interrogations becomes clear, it’s a gut-punch moment that not only makes you want to re-listen to the story but immediately increases anticipation for what’s to come in Stranded 3. It’s a classic Big Finish twist – audacious, clever, and character-driven.

THE CURATOR RETURNS

Tom Baker’s return as the enigmatic Curator is a treat. Though his scenes with Gemma (Clare Louise Connolly) initially feel like distractions from the main narrative, their eventual significance becomes clearer by the end. The Curator’s peculiar charisma and poetic dialogue once again blur the line between insight and riddle, and Baker delivers each line with the gravitas and warmth we’ve come to expect from this mysterious figure.

CHARACTER IN FOCUS

One of the story’s biggest strengths is how it gives every character their moment. The interrogation format means each companion is allowed a spotlight episode within the larger story. Andy’s bumbling, affable honesty is used to great effect, while Liv’s deeper understanding of the Doctor positions her as the most perceptive of the group. Helen’s quieter, more measured voice brings emotional insight. Each scene builds on the last, giving the listener a fuller picture of events without ever resorting to direct exposition.

Even with its timey-wimey framework, the story remains surprisingly coherent, never losing its grip on narrative clarity despite the fragmented structure. This is a testament to both Dorney’s script and Ken Bentley’s direction, which maintains a strong sense of pacing across what is essentially an hour of dialogue-driven drama.

SLIGHTLY OFF THE RAILS

That said, this is a slower-paced story by design, and those expecting immediate thrills may find the first half hard to engage with. Some of the longer conversations risk feeling repetitive if you’re not locked into the story’s mood. Additionally, the scenes between the Curator and Gemma, while important in retrospect, slightly interrupt the rhythm of the interrogations when they first appear.

Still, these minor dips in pacing are more than made up for by the story’s overall ambition and its rewarding structure. Dorney has crafted a genuinely unusual Doctor Who story—something increasingly rare in a range as expansive as Big Finish’s.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE: 9/10

The Long Way Round is a bold, cerebral episode that plays with narrative form to great effect. Its slow-burn tension and layered dialogue build towards a superb twist, while offering sharp character moments and the welcome return of the Curator. A thoughtful and thrilling detour for the Stranded team.

This story reminds me a bit of the Redacted story Interrogation, both stories composed primarily of two-person scenes, a member of our core cast and a member of a shadowy organisation who's interrogating them.

I think the mystery of who this organisation is, is done quite well here, slowly as the story goes on the core cast are figuring out more details of who they are, what they want, why they want it, what's happened to the world in the thirty years it's been since the the present day of Stranded.

Unfortunately, the part of Stranded I like the most, the character stuff, doesn't really get as much focus here. Don't get me wrong there definitely is character exploration, but with our core cast putting up a good fight against the interrogation, it's more an exploration of this newly introduced interrogator. It's fine that it is, but it does feel a bit of a shame.

The scenes in the present day with the interrogator as a child and The Curator are done really nicely, but they do feel a little pointless until the end, and even then it's not a 'oh that makes complete sense why they're here', more just a 'oh, right, that makes sense'.

I do like though how you have to wait to see Eight in this story, and I love what you get of him when you do. A lot of stranded seems to be focusing on these paradoxes, so a bootstrap paradox being what gets them out of this mess is great, especially one that's done as cleverly as this. The reveal as to what the paper says and what it really means is just very fun, and very Doctor Who.

The ending is also... Interesting, I'm wondering where things are going to go from here. Intrigued as to what's going on with Divine Intervention, but the specific twist that Robin is their leader at least for now feels more confusing than intriguing.

After quite a dryspell in Ravenous (except for maybe the Salzburg two-parter) John Dorney is back with an instant classic in my opinion. 55 minutes of pure dialogue that just fly by. I've been liking the slow build up that Stranded is going for, introducing the Baker Street characters and their background first. But now it seems we are getting into the meat of the arc, I hope the slow burn pays off.

Like The Jigsaw War and Daybreak, these interrogation stories always hit hard. Incredible stuff. Also, the Curator in Stranded has me really coming around on Tom Baker, where his first few TV serials haven't convinced me.

A+.