The Third Doctor and Sarah Jane head into space in this year’s first Third Doctor Adventures boxset. Daniel Mansfield takes a closer look…

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While much of the Third Doctor’s era on television was earthbound, he sometimes ventured off-world in stories that might be described as political thrillers in space. Revolution in Space by Jonathan Morris is a love letter to this kind of story, taking the Doctor and Sarah to an asteroid which has been colonised by humanity… and which is about to face major political upheaval.

The first part of this six-part epic is a masterclass in worldbuilding, setting up not only the story’s setting, but the political situation there and the various characters involved. There are quite a lot of characters introduced here, and, while it’s hard to keep track of some of the more minor players, the cast all put in great performances. Juliet Aubrey‘s villainous Zyla Kalstein is the standout, brought to life with a chilling, almost seductive performance, while Tom Alexander‘s erratic, troubled Mullins and Charlie Norfolk‘s resourceful Dr Gottfried also impress. Despite some good acting, though, the characters in this story often play second fiddle to the plot, serving only to fulfil their basic functions.

After a strong first couple of parts, Revolution in Space ebbs and flows in quality. The middle parts are notably sluggish, though with some good moments, while parts five and six pick up a bit, with some particularly exciting scenes in the finale. Central to the success of these scenes is Sadie Miller as Sarah Jane, who gets some nice emotional material as she becomes directly involved in solving the core problem of the piece.

This is probably the most traditional Third Doctor Adventures story we’ve had since the range was relaunched with The Annihilators (review here), but whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing will depend entirely on your personal taste. For those, like me, who prefer their Third Doctor stories with a little modernity injected into them, this faithful recreation of 70s Who will likely fall a little flat. For those who fancy a big dose of nostalgia, though, Revolution in Space delivers that in spades.

Revolution in Space is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com