Doctor Who The Auntie Matter

Tom Baker thrilled a generation of children during his time playing the Doctor in the 1970s and early 1980s, and for those of us of a certain age there will always be an affection for the eccentric bohemian fourth Doctor.

Like many working actors associated with a successful part, he was anxious not to become typecast, and somewhat understandably chose to distance himself from the very programme that had made him a household name.

Mary Tamm as Romana

After many years of gentle coaxing, the team from Big Finish Productions persuaded him to come back to the role in 2010. After a very successful first series of adventures alongside Louise Jameson reprising the part of Leela, a second series was recorded during the summer of 2011.

The Auntie Matter, penned by longstanding Big Finish contributor Jonathan Morris is the first of this second series to be released.

Listening to this adventure is a bittersweet experience, the joy of hearing my favourite classic series Doctor/companion pairing is offset by the sadness of knowing that the talented and beautiful Mary Tamm passed away the following year.

The Auntie Matter is set during the 1920s, the Doctor and Romana decide to take a holiday to recuperate after the events of The Key To Time. Sending K-9 off in the TARDIS to give the black guardian the runaround, they decide to move in to a London townhouse and live the life of a Lord and Lady.

In traditional classic series style, the pair are separated, and both affect the way the story unfolds without ever crossing each other's paths. The author is clearly a fan of P.G. Wodehouse, and the story is brimming with the humour and farcical fun synonymous with the creator of Jeeves and Wooster.

The Doctor has to outwit a psychotic robot gamekeeper and the eponymous Auntie, and Romana has to contend with the romantic overtures of a lovelorn bachelor!

There is a wonderful ensemble cast including Julia McKenzie as Florence and Alan Cox as Grenville (Wodehouse's middle name) the valet. But the star performances are from Tom and Mary, the chemistry between them is perfect, it feels like it's only been a week since the events of The Armageddon Factor.

This set includes bonus interviews which is usual with such releases plus a very moving tribute to Mary Tamm.

She will be sadly missed, but we are very fortunate to have a body of work, including her time on Who to remember her by.