Doctor Who: The Justice of Jalxar

After five seasons of their own series, and two specials co-starring with Six, Jago and Litefoot are at last re-united with the Fourth Doctor in this standalone story. It is undeniably a Doctor Who episode, rather than part of Jago & Litefoot, and includes no features unique to the latter series, such as the Red Tavern or Ellie the barmaid. Nor is it obvious where it fits in J & L continuity, although it's implied to be after the end of the fifth season. This, however, is something I'd take as a plus, allowing DW fans with no specific knowledge of the spin-off to dive straight in.

The story is a fairly straightforward one about a masked vigilante stalking the streets of Victorian London and dealing out punishment to criminals - the cover picture makes him look a bit like Rorschach, and there is a passing resemblance in the characters. Unidentified corpses are also turning up at Litefoot's morgue, as the Doctor is on the trail of a crashed spaceship, and naturally, all of these events are connected. It's hardly the most convoluted of plots, but it's perfectly suited to the 60-minute format.

All four of the main characters are given something to do, and part of the joy is how well they are all characterised. In particular, on this occasion, the Doctor is accompanied by Romana, whose attitude to Victorian London is, as one might expect, almost the polar opposite of Leela's. The dialogue and acting are both top notch, with Tom Baker, in particular, seeming rather more at home with the material than he has in some other audios - it really seems to capture Four's personality. Dorney also, it should be noted, has fun with Jago's alliterative alacrity, with both the Doctor and Litefoot joining in.

The story does not have the depth of Talons of Weng-Chiang, but, at around a quarter the length, it was never going to. But it's well written, well performed, and full of Victorian atmosphere, and that's enough to make it a worthy successor. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.