Doctor Who: Entanglement

Here, the TARDIS crew become embroiled in a mystery set at Cambridge University in the mid 1930s (supposedly 1937, although certain elements of the story place it earlier, perhaps in 1934). It's a very different story from anything that we had on TV during the black-and-white era and, in that respect, might have fitted better with one of the later Doctors such as Five or Seven. On the other hand, the First Doctor fits right in with the atmosphere, pretending to be a visiting professor.

The reason for this is that it's essentially a mystery story, and one that involves alien technology yet lacking much in the way of a monster. (Not that there aren't any at all, but they only attack directly once and are a minor, if necessary, element of the story). It takes quite a time to come together, with the Doctor, Vicki, and Steven all investigating different elements that clearly must have a connection yet appear quite disparate. The mystery and political elements of the story, however, are supplemented by action scenes and moments of peril that help to move things along.

In fact, the story has a number of twists along the way and takes a surprising turn for one of the characters at the halfway point. Some of the twists are telegraphed in advance, but others are less so and one at least I was kicking myself for not having spotted earlier. (Although, of course, that may just be me). There are ties to the era it's set in as well, although some listeners will doubtless be pleased to note that, while the title does indeed refer to quantum mechanics, there isn't much detailed discussion on the subject and you don't need to know what (say) the EPR paradox is to follow the plot.

Some listeners might, on the other hand, be disappointed to discover that Vicki is the only female character in the story. This, however, is difficult to avoid in a story that's set in an exclusively male environment - the fictional setting is loosely based on Trinity College, which didn't admit women until the 1970s. Indeed, one suspects that, in the real setting, Vicki's presence would likely have caused more scandal than it does here. On the other hand, at least three of the characters turn out to be gay... certainly not something we would have seen in the B&W era of Doctor Who.

The story ends on a particular dramatic cliffhanger.