If I have my Whovian factoids straight, this is the show’s first pure historical since the Two era (“The Highlanders,” if I’m not mistaken,) and the only one since then. No aliens, no time shenanigans beyond arriving and leaving in the TARDIS—just a romp and a mystery in the 1920s!
The Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan arrive in rural England in 1925, where they find that the Doctor (or rather, a doctor) has already been invited to a cricket match at the nearby Cranleigh Hall. There’s more than one case of mistaken identity afoot, as they discover that Ann, the fiancée of Lord and Lady Cranleigh’s son, is almost identical to Nyssa. Our heroes settle in to enjoy cricket, good food, and a costume party, but the festivities are interrupted by a series of attacks committed by a mysterious figure looming in the shadows.
Before we get into it, there some pretty unsavory tropes on display here. I’m not sure if these sorts of things would’ve still been commonplace in 1982 or if they’re some misguided “homage” to the period setting, but we get references to a “savage” indigenous tribe, and there’s some potent “ugly law”-style ableism that’s critical to the story.
It’s a frustrating serial, because it has these really reductive elements baked into what’s otherwise a frothy, entertaining historical. At just two episodes, it keeps things fairly contained while still taking time for a lot of fun. I love the Doctor’s Edwardian cricket outfit becoming suddenly plot relevant, Adric goes hog-wild on the finger food, and both Nyssa and Tegan are adorable—I’m especially fond of the fabulous matching costumes Ann rustles up for her and Nyssa at the party, and Tegan teaching Nyssa how to Charleston is too cute.
The mystery is a bit bog-standard, and again, it leans into the less desirable parts of the story, but there are some things about it that I really like. There’s the slippery motives of one of Team TARDIS’s hosts, secret passageways are always welcome, and a mask at the costume party is used as a cover for murder.
So much here that makes for a good time, but I fully understand why some fans might not get behind it due to its problematic tropes.
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