LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE TALENTED TRIO OF BAKER, BENJAMIN AND BAXTER!

40 years... 40 years of absolute greatness. Sorry, what am I talking about? Well, as I write this, it is currently the 40th anniversary weeks of one of the best and most beloved Doctor Who stories of all time. And I happen to see that as a serendipitous coincidence that I do this review at this time. Why? Well..... CORKS! LOOK WHICH DYNAMIC DUO HAVE MADE THEIR REPUTABLE RETURN TO THESE SPLENDOROUS STORIES!!!

DOCTOR WHO FOURTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES REVIEW

6.01: THE BEAST OF KRAVENOS

By Jack Ryan

BEWARE: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

There are some unwritten rules for being a Doctor Who fan. Far too many to get into and make a whole debate about it, but one of them is that, if you are a classic series fanboy (otherwise known as a Doctor Who fan), then it is impossible to feel nothing other than pure joy at the brilliance of Jago and Litefoot. I mean, it is near impossible for Benjamin and Baxter to do any wrong as the characters, with their combination of intelligence and comedy, and the two actors knowing their characters inside out. So when you give them a chance to work with Tom Baker again, it can be safely assured that we are gonna be in for something amazing!

There's a lot of funny goings on in Victorian London. For starters, Inspector Quick has reached a road block in his investigations, concerning a fantastically well-skilled thief known as The Knave, who can appear and disappear in and out of locked rooms. If that wasn't enough, Professor George Litefoot has to deal with the results of a mad wild animal loose on the streets, going after the city's populus. Henry Gordon Jago seems fine though; he's booked a new act for the New Regency; the mechanically marvellous K-9. All these instances can mean only one thing... The Doctor's back in town. And trouble has followed him once again...

The Fourth Doctor with Jago and Litefoot once more; writer Justin Richards already has us hooked with that simple premise. And the rest of it is a pure cavalcade of the talents and skills Richards is known for. Sure, he's the creator and showrunner of the Jago and Litefoot spin-off series. In my mind, the man can do no wrong with the dynamic duo, nor the formidable TARDIS team of 1980. And on top of that, the story is accompanied perfectly by the directorial talents of Nicholas Briggs, whose talents are also showcased to a tee here.

And then the cast..... What else can I say about the cast other than Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, John Leeson, Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, Conrad Asquith and Dan Dare's Ed Stoppard ALL IN THE SAME PLAY!!!!!! Not only are all the actors perfect and perform their roles exceptionally well, but the way that each of them can bounce off all the rest of them with both airs of comedy and drama. That, combined with Jamie Robertson's stupendous and atmospheric sound design and music, and not only do we have a fantastic return for Jago and Litefoot to the Fourth Doctor Adventures, but a brilliant beginning to a new series of tantalising tales and maniacal machinations.

VERDICT: 5/5 A stupendous and superlative start to series six! ;D