Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time

A special 20th-anniversary release for the Big Finish audios, this is a set of six hour-long stories in which various incarnations of the Doctor encounter the repercussions of a temporal anomaly. Apart from the last one, they are effectively standalone and could be listened to in any order. It's worth noting that it's the BF anniversary that's being recognised here, so it features a lot of characters and references incidents that are exclusive to the audios, and often without much background explanation. So, unlike some similar collections, it's not a good place to start – it's a celebration of what has gone before.

And if you can't do that, and be a bit self-indulgent along the way, in an anniversary special, then when can you?

• Lies in Ruins – Even before the title music starts playing, this story is off to a great start with a concept sufficiently neat that you wonder why Big Finish haven't done it before now (availability, probably) – what if River Song met Benny Summerfield? The two characters are just similar enough that they're going to clash and both have enough snark that the chemistry between them is bound to be fun to listen to – and it is. While the Eighth Doctor soon turns up with a mysterious new companion in tow, it's the two female stars who steal the show, even as it slips from its original comedy into darker territory. A good story about why the Doctor needs companions – and the right sort of companions. Although they're being very vague these days about why the Doctor doesn't remember River when he meets her in Silence in the Library. 4 stars.

• The Split Infinitive – Split infinitives are not something you're supposed to wantonly use. Fortunately, this story doesn't have anything to do with that, although it is about something being split. In large part, that's the story itself, which switches between the 1960s and 1970s versions of the Countermeasures team encountering the Seventh Doctor and Ace. The result is very timey-wimey, jumping back and forth between the same set of characters at different points in their lives and involved in similar yet distinct events. This inevitably makes it hard to follow at times, although it is well worth it, a good action-filled story with time-bending complexity and links to more Big Finish audios than is at first apparent. 4.5 stars.

• The Sacrifice of Jo Grant – This episode features another inspired combination, with the Third Doctor teaming up with the modern-day version of UNIT to investigate time anomalies in Dorset. Arguably, there isn't terribly much happening here, with the odd monster popping up to be dealt with, but no villain or especially detailed plot. But that's all saved by the characterisation, giving time for a proper conversation between the Doctor and Jo, and providing some good moments for Kate and Osgood as well. It's by no means entirely a nostalgia-fest and there's the threat of the episode title hanging over it as well, but it's effective as an anniversary story with some strong emotional beats and a chance for characters to interact in a way they wouldn't normally. 5 stars.

• Relative Time – Now it's the turn of the Fifth Doctor to meet Jenny – more significant because of the real-life connection between the actors than for anything in-universe. As with the first episode, it also brings in a major element from another Big Finish story and, on this occasion, it's one that would likely be a bit more baffling without the context of having listened to at least one of them. This is a base-under-siege storyline, set on an interstellar cruise ship threatened by another temporal anomaly and in many ways, it's quite traditional, with plenty of running about and technological jiggery-pokery. But it's another fun story, enlivened by the interaction between the leads even if the guest stars (other than the villains, who work well) are a little redundant. 4 stars.

• The Avenues of Possibility – Here, the Sixth Doctor and Charlie encounter the anomalies in 18th century London, in what's the most historical episode of this collection. This is largely because it features a couple of historical figures since the story is much larger than the 18th-century elements. In fact, there's quite a lot thrown in here, including a welcome return for DI Menzies and plenty of references to other audio stories - some more significant than others. It's a fun romp that manages to do a lot with time travel without being as timey-wimey as some of the others in this arc. 4.5 stars.

• Collision Course – The final episode ties everything together. To begin with, it's a Fourth Doctor story, jumping back and forth between two different visits to the same planet. Part of the strength of this is contrasting Leela and Romana as companions, but there are some good ideas in here, too. But then it moves into the finale proper, which absolutely throws the kitchen sink at it in true multi-Doctor style. Yes, you couldn't do this sort of thing often, but for an anniversary, it's spot on. 5 stars.