"Helicon Prime"
by Jake Elliott

The first series of The Companion Chronicles featured female readers only, and the respective portrayals of the Doctor suffered accordingly. However, the companions are the focus for these particular stories, and the quality of writing and acting was so high that such things didn't seem to matter. However, the appearance of Frazer Hines in Helicon Prime demonstrates that a spot-on imitation of the Doctor can add a new dimension to these stories, and in terms of performance this adventure is one of the best so far.

Written by Jake Elliott, this story is told by Jamie McCrimmon, who's struggling to recall his adventures in the TARDIS, but manages to relate an adventure in which he and the Second Doctor visited the eponymous resort of Helicon Prime, and become embroiled in a murder mystery.

Aside from the aforementioned impersonation of Patrick Troughton which is almost frightening in its accuracy, complete with nervous cough and long pauses, Frazer Hines is generally fantastic. His portrayal of Jamie is brilliant, sounding remarkably similar to his television performance in the sixties, and his reading is engaging and exciting. Occasionally, the language doesn't feel quite right - it's like a written story rather than a remembered event - but that's more the fault of the writer than of Hines.

On the whole, though, the script is fantastic. In particular, the two main characters are nailed perfectly, with some spot-on dialogue for both the Doctor and Jamie. This makes up for the fact that all the other characters involved are slightly sketchy, and adds some authenticity to the adventure. Where the sound design or acting have 'sold' other Companion Chronicles as a part of their era, it's the writing and characterisation of the leads in Helicon Prime which give it a flavour of the Second Doctor's reign.

As with other stories in the series, there's a significant link between the story Jamie is retelling, and the person he's telling it to, but here the revelation is a complete surprise, in contrast to the tediously predictable connection in Mother Russia. The true identity of Nurse Muir was a nice twist, which instantly made me want to listen to the story again to look for clues I'd missed.

The guest actress here is Suzanne Procter, playing the legendary songstress Mindy Voir, who counts a starstruck Doctor amongst her fans. Her peformance is good, and she shows a lot of range, although her character isn't treated to a lot of development which seems a shame.

The extras on the CD release are similar to those on the previous episode - a brief interview with the narrator, followed by some music from the story. Hines is enthusiastic and eager to discuss his work on Doctor Who over the years, showing a great deal of affection for Patrick Troughton and fondness for their shared time on the series. Where the special features on the recent Eighth Doctor stories were formulaic and unimaginative, it's genuinely a joy to listen to these bonus interviews.

Helicon Prime is another top-notch release which comes highly recommended.