Doctor Who: Circular Time

This is an anthology of four 30-minute stories featuring the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa, united by the loose theme of the seasons.

Spring: A fairly straightforward jaunt on an alien world, albeit one that would require more CGI and prosthetics than is likely on TV. Quite a good story, and one well suited to the 5th Doc, but one that would likely have dragged if spread out further. (4/5)

Summer: For my money, the weakest of the four, this is a straight historical featuring an ageing and cantankerous Isaac Newton. The summer theme is really just limited to the fact that it happens to be hot, and the prison guards are rather over-played for laughs. It works, but that's about it. (3/5)

Autumn: Another change of pace, as we get a rare glimpse into what the Doctor and his companions do between adventures. As a result, this is a pure character piece, with no villains or monsters, and the Doctor and Nyssa have essentially separate stories within it. It's probably exactly the right length, but it works beautifully, with pathos and a true warmth for the characters. (5/5)

Winter: An older Nyssa encounters the Doctor again some time after she left him, but to say more would be to give away too much of the plot. As with “Autumn”, both Nyssa and the Doctor have a strong part to play, and the story builds on their emotional bond, as well as expanding on the events of a particular TV story in a way that feels entirely natural. (5/5)

I wanted to give the overall CD a rating of 5/5 because, with the best two stories at the end, that's the way you feel after listening to it. (No offence to Mike Maddox, but you can tell which two stories were written by Paul “Father's Day” Cornell). However, taken as a whole, I've given an average of 4.25, so four stars it is...