Doctor Who: The Ravelli Conspiracy

The Early Adventures series returns to series three of the TV show, with Peter Purves (Steven) now joining Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) as co-narrator, and also voicing the Doctor.

This is a straight historical, of a form often seen in the TV show at the time, where the Doctor and companions become separated from the TARDIS and then become involved in various other events on their way to regaining access to it. This takes place over a shorter period of time than most of those did, lacking a lengthly sojourn, but in other respects, is quite true to the formula.

Here, the TARDIS arrives in early 16th century Florence, and the main characters soon become separated from one other, giving each of them their own story. As the title indicates, the story is about a conspiracy, the sort of complex plotting that the Italian nobles of the time were notorious for. It's also a celebrity historical, of sorts, featuring three real-life figures (one of whom, admittedly, is fairly obscure). Of these, Pope Leo X is particularly well-written, benevolent in comparison with his contemporaries, but clearly not a ‘good guy', either.

And Machiavelli, of course, is suitably... machiavellian.

The story is mostly serious, but there are some light-hearted moments here and there, and, while there are also some darker elements involving threats of torture and the like, it's more an exciting adventure than a grim and gritty tale. The plot is reasonably complex, with plenty of twists and turns - largely courtesy of Machiavelli - although the two-hour length means that it isn't rushed, and they aren't difficult to follow. Vicki also gets some good writing here, being more assertive and independent than she generally was on screen.