Doctor Who: The Secret History

The concluding part of the “Locum Doctors” trilogy and the 200th release in Big Finish's main Doctor Who range, this sees the Fifth Doctor swapping places with the First. As should surprise nobody, given the title, this is set during the reign of Emperor Justinian the Great. With both Belisarius and Procopius featuring as major characters, it initially appears to be a “straight historical” very much in the Hartnell mould, but the science fiction elements become much stronger about a third of the way in.

Even so, a lot of the relevant history is packed in here, and the length of time that the characters spend in Ravenna and Constantinople is also reminiscent of the First Doctor's era. Belisarius comes out of it reasonably well, although Justinian and Theodora are somewhere between the saintly version of Orthodox hagiographies and the (presumably) slanderous one of the play's namesake. To me, at least, the historical era appears well-presented, and it's good to see the inclusion of a chariot race of the sort that might be a little tricky on a BBC TV budget.

The science fiction elements are necessitated by the fact that, this time, the central mystery of the trilogy has to be explained. In fact, it's the solution to the mystery that nudges this into five-star territory for me, in particular, the way that the final 30-minute segment plays out. Needless to say, time travel is a key element here, although I didn't feel it was overly complicated once you accept the central premise of what the villain is up to (which seems no stranger than things many others have tried in the series).

I especially liked the fact that it hinges so closely on the differences between the First and Fifth Doctors, something that really justifies the purpose of doing this story at all. With good use of both Steven and Vicki, and something that really feels like the Fifth Doctor is walking around in a First Doctor story, this is a good conclusion to the trilogy and a commendable 200th release.