Criss-Cross review [Matt Fitton]

"Mrs Clarke, you might assume this ship was riveted together in Sunderland but I can assure you the TARDIS and I hail from far further afield." - The Doctor

Constance Clarke is a leading WREN at Bletchley Park, home of the British code-breakers of the Second World War. Dr Smith is a recent arrival at Bletchley, catching the attention of MI5's spycatchers and soon crossing paths with Mrs Clarke. Unbeknownst to her, Dr Smith is a time-traveller. This is the story of how she joins him.

The Good:

• Having the Doctor in a position of authority (with an office of all things) is a nice change, especially to open the story with. And then to find out that he's giving orders in Bletchley Park. Instantly intriguing.
• We're introduced to Mrs Clarke as an efficient, distinctly British, orderly lady, scolding one of "her girls" for crying when others want to use the facilities. Here are the makings of an unsympathetic character - but Miranda Raison shines in her very first scene, with Mrs Clarke appalled at the maltreatment of one of her girls. We're instantly aware that this is a particular woman of efficiency and strictness but with significant heart and a sense of morality and protectiveness for those in her care. Note how Nurse Wimpole becomes Sylvia whilst she's fretting outside of Dr Smith's office. This is how introducing a character should be written and acted. Take a note, Twin Dilemma.
• Colin Baker and Miranda Raison have an instant chemistry and a dynamic we've not seen since Maggie Stables. The two are simply delightful to listen to thanks to great acting and beautifully-written dialogue.
• The silence of the dead TARDIS is almost eerie, lacking the familiar hum of the classic series and making it a far less comfortable place to be.
• The plot-line of Lieutenant Commander Henry Clarke is a good idea that fleshes Mrs Clarke out a little more without overshadowing her character unlike the Impossible Girl mystery which stifled Clara Oswald, whilst also setting up a storyline to be picked up later (in Quicksilver).

The Bad:

• The switches from the Doctor and Mrs Clarke to Robbie Flint (AKA Agent Spark, Criss-Cross) in the first two parts are quite jarring, feeling a lot like an unconnected story. Flint's not the most interesting character until the end and could reasonably have been excised from most of the story.

Stray Facts:

• Constance Clarke: From London. Grew up in Nyasaland (colonial Malawi) until her father died of tuberculosis, after which she returned to London and completed her schooling. She attended Somerville College at Oxford and studied modern languages. Curiosity and capability are noted on her MI5 file. She's married to Lieutenant Commander Henry Clarke who's missing in the field.

A Good Quotation Mrs Clarke's Corner:

• "These gentlemen are not all men of the world. Sometimes they need lessons in how to deal with people."
• "We put up with their eccentricities because they are geniuses but there's no excuse for thoughtlessness. None at all."
• "If we all abide by the proper channels the work will be more efficiently performed."
• "No need to stand and gawp. I'm sure they can get along without an audience."
• "I'll never cease to be amazed at what Britain can achieve with an ounce of gumption and a modicum of application."
• "It takes more than an electric shock to stop a WREN."
• "I don't think overfamiliarity would be very seemly."

A Bad Quotation: "Doctor? Is it wise to pick up boxes of dynamite and shake them?" (Dialogue such as this is sometimes necessary for obvious reasons with audio dramas but this one is a bit clunky and obvious.)

When was this?: Somewhere between The Rani Elite (when the Doctor is travelling with an older Peri) and Planet of the Rani (given that the Doctor recognises the Redmond Rani). This means his order of companions goes; Peri, Mel (very briefly), Evelyn, Charley, a fictional Jamie, Jago and Litefoot, Flip, an older Peri, Constance, Constance and Flip and then Mel until his regeneration. Frobisher's a bit more difficult to place. Don't you just love the Sixth Doctor's timeline?

His Constant Companion: Mrs Clarke's father died of tuberculosis in Africa. Cyril and Effie are killed by the Choudri to gain "understanding". Flint is pulled into one of the beacon eggs by the Waveform. Dr Schwartzmann dies in the submarine.

This Reminds Me...:

• The Doctor established himself at Bletchley by "swanning around like he owns the place". Tenth would later give Martha the same advice in The Shakespeare Code.
• The Doctor compares Bletchley to Logopolis, seen in the Fourth Doctor story of the same name.
• Major Harris says that Winston Churchill would love to have his hands on the TARDIS. In Victory of the Daleks we learn this to be true.
• An antagonist vaguely similar to the Waveform previously appeared in Whispers of Terror, being made of sound waves.
• The Gelth of The Unquiet Dead escaped from a war just as the Waveform did.
• The Eleventh Doctor will later be aboard a submarine with Clara in Cold War.
• The Doctor asks Sylvia Wimpole if she would like to travel with him in the TARDIS but she refuses, as Donna did in The Runaway Bride and Perkins did in Mummy on the Orient Express, among other examples.

Verdict: Mrs Clarke first appeared in End of the Line, one of the stories within The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure box-set, which ended up coming out before her debut story. This had the effect of spoiling the fact that Mrs Clarke would join the Doctor and spoiling the fact that I would fall in love with her. She's a brilliant and refreshing character, so different from any of the Sixth Doctor's companions and being a rare example of a historical one. She's in the vein of Evelyn Smythe or Donna Noble. I can't sing Miranda Raison's praises enough despite not really liking Tallulah of Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks. Colin Baker is excellent as always, being permanently on his A-game during his Big Finish career. This is a well-written story, dragging a tiny bit in parts two and three but generally being a solid piece with an original villain and a terribly good setting in '40s England. This fresh start for the Sixth Doctor gets a B.

The Main Range

Terror of the Sontarans  |  Criss-Cross  |  Planet of the Rani