M025 - Colditz

One of the recurring joys of these radio plays is the curious connections that exist back (or forward) to the TV series. This episode from 2001 includes David Tennant voicing a ruthless Nazi commander stationed at Colditz Castle, the famous POW prison for the most escape-eager Allied officers, four years before he was cast as the 10th Doctor.

Time travel is a tricky business, and paradoxes are even trickier. Unlike some episodes, this one manages to pull together the more complex sides of time travel without losing coherance. The Doctor and Ace are captured at Colditz and meet another time traveller, a Nazi from a future where the Allies lost, who needs the Doctor to help her make her future permanent.

The episode also blends a bit of classic Hollywood with POW officers and escape attempts. It never goes full Great Escape, but the more straightforward prison genre is a nice balance to the timey-wimey science fiction.