Doctor Who: Slipback (BBC Radio Drama)

The TARDIS materialises next to a huge census-taking spaceship. All evidence points to someone conducting illegal experiments with time travel on board, and naturally the Doctor starts to investigate, only to encounter a computer with a "ditzy dame" personality and a huge carnivorous monster that takes an unfortunate interest in him and Peri.

This radio-exclusive episode, made to fill the 18-month gap between seasons 22 and 23, is far from Saward's finest hour; the story is desperately trying to be as funny as Douglas Adams, but doesn't come anywhere close. It is not a complete failure: the banter between a hungover Doctor and Peri is a hoot, and the two cops have a few lines that nearly made me laugh out loud, but most aspects are too show more derivative to be fun. The computer voice (inspired by Eddie the Shipboard Computer?) is amusing in the beginning but soon gets annoying, what plot there is is very thin, and the ending is a deus ex machina if I ever heard one. show less

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