Start to Finish: 6.04 - The Many Deaths of Jo Grant

Image (c) Big Finish Productions Ltd

It's time for the Third Doctor, and we're back with Jo Grant, in a title that does not bode well for the pluckiest UNIT agent; Cavan Scott and Mark Wright's The Many Deaths of Jo Grant.

The Doctor is desperately striving to save the life of a wounded alien and UNIT HQ is under attack. As the attackers close in, time is running out. This is the day that Jo Grant dies... and dies, and dies.

Scott and Wright's slightly trippy entry in the series doesn't ever convince you that Jo is doomed, of course, but it presents its puzzle well, with the common elements which drift through the different scenarios. Nicholas Asbury provides one of those elements as the recurring Rowe, but presents a range of characters within that umbrella, and between just the two of them Katy Manning and Asbury provide a staggering number of characters.

The old melancholy is back a little, but overall this story is one of defiance and celebration of the third principle of sentient life. The saarlac-esque scene is a little grim, but overall it's a solid entry and a lot of fun.

Next time, we'll wrap up the Oliver Harper trilogy with The First Wave.