M027 - The One Doctor

Who is Colin Baker's agent? Because he is a far better negotiator than any of the others. His scripts from Big Finish have been a constant surprise to the point that I'd say he is second only to the 8th Doctor for enjoyability. How's that for a switch? One of the least-liked TV Doctors, and the one who only appeared for two hours on American television have found a second life as the best Doctors on radio.

The One Doctor begins with a world in celebration. The Doctor has just stopped a massive invasion with the help of his beautiful sidekick. But when the Doctor steps out to speak, he's no one we've heard before.

It turns out that the Doctor's reputation has given a con man a brilliant idea, and faking an alien invasion to con a planet out of a massive reward seems like a profitable idea. That is, until the real Doctor and companion arrive in the real TARDIS (and not the STARDIS, which resembles a port-a-potty) just before a real alien threat arrives in the solar system.

This episode includes some more Douglas Adams-esqe comedy, which makes sense as it was co-written by Gareth Roberts, a regular writer of the television series and the man who novelized Adam's unproduced Doctor Who script, Shada. The zipping adventure never gets bogged down and it even manages to be a bit surprising along with its comedy. Top notch.