Start to Finish: 6.07 - The Anachronauts

Image (c) Big Finish Productions Ltd

It's a two-disc, two companion extravaganza this time out, with Jean Marsh and Peter Purves in Simon Guerrier's The Anachronauts.

It isn't possible for one time ship to crash into another in the vortex, so when it happens you can bet that it will be serious. With the TARDIS malfunctioning, Steven and Sara are thrown through time, from a desert island to Berlin in the 1960s. The Doctor knew what was going on, but the Doctor isn't with them any more, and there may be no way back.

The Anachronauts lacks a framing narrative, per se. Marsh and Purves alternate narrating duties in the four episodes, but there is no additional layer of text, just the two characters telling their story. The story itself falls broadly into two sections, the desert island and Cold War Berlin, with the transition at the end of part 2.

The story once more plays on the idea of a romance between two Companions, although in the end it comes down on the side of friendship, at least where Steven and Sara are concerned and primarily uses the romance element as a hint to the story's main twist. Overall, as with much of the Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom material, it's a bit of a downer, set shortly after the death of Bret Vyon, so don't expect wacky hijinks.

The Anachronauts has a lot to like, but it's not one of my personal favourites. Ultimately, I think I find it too bleak, especially coming on top of The First Wave.

Next up, squamous heist shenanigans in The Selachian Gambit.