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

Previous Story: The Wrong Doctors

Now I might be a bit biased as I absolutely love Season 23, so I'd naturally enjoy this. It feels like an epilogue to Season 23, in some ways I even think it's better. Michael Jayston is just as incredible here as he was in the 80s, his back and forth with the Doctor and the Inquisitor absolutely makes this story. I love how he slowly manipulates the Doctor into being on his side, using the Doctor's urge to battle corruption and injustice. I'm actually fairly surprised by how much Time Lord lore this touched on, especially the implications of some of it. I especially like how it explored the character of the Doctor and his reaction to the Valeyard more than we were able to see on TV, very interesting stuff.

The second part of this story, after they leave the courtroom, did get a bit messy admittedly, but I think the reveal that the Valeyard had been orchestrating it all along and even faked his own death tied it up nicely. I did enjoy the inclusion of the mud planet which was definitely a direct reference to the weird muddy/quarry landscape that they ended up in in The Ultimate Foe. Overall, really great story but if you didn't care for the trial elements of Season 23 you probably won't like it as it leans into that aspect heavily.

Next Story: Judoon in Chains

I'm not sure why this audio is rated as highly as it is. I felt like I was listening to a deleted scene or a spec script of Trial of a Time Lord. All this audio was was the Doctor shouting, the Inquisitor being confused, and the Valeyard being slick. I like an angry/irritated Six as much as the next Six fan, but the beginning of this audio was *way* too much, as if the author didn't know when to reel it in. Thinking of the audios I've heard where Six ranted at someone he didn't like, I doubt any rant's length (and volume) could compare to the one that was presented in this story. And, of course, the Inquisitor, with her ridiculously calm demeanor, just stood there letting it happen. Gallifrey needs a bailiff.

As someone who doesn't care to listen (or watch) episodes that are heavy on Gallifreyan lore and politics, I'm not mad that the audio didn't delve too deep into this topic, and I'm not inherently mad at its short length (thank goodness it wasn't a two-hour Main Range story like The Apocalypse Element). That being said, I understand why this audio was made. Having the Valeyard go on trial is the obvious "turn on its head" story that Doctor Who authors like to play with, but if they had to write a story about this idea, I think it could have been better executed. By the end, I felt like something was missing, and I didn't understand the "point". It either should have been longer (to my chagrin!), or the plot should have changed to accommodate for the abridged time allotment. Granted, I was multi-tasking when I was listening to this audio, but just when I thought they were getting into the thick of things, suddenly everything wrapped up and the ending theme rolled. It was a veritable blink-and-you'll-miss-it denouement.

I did like the second act when Six walked into the house of "the quirky guy". It was entertaining to listen to, and a pleasant diversion from the obnoxious bore that was the initial court scene. Fans of Professor Chronotis from Shada may find themselves loving this character.