Audio CD review
Starring Peter Purves, Tony Millan
Release date Out now

Russia, 1812. The first Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive just before Napoleon’s sacking of Moscow. As they begin to integrate into the community, a crashed spaceship is discovered, leading the travellers into seemingly inescapable danger…

With William Hartnell no longer with us, having stories from his era narrated by companions of the time is clearly the nearest we are ever going to get to first Doctor audios. Thankfully this engaging tale captures the style and feel of those early stories perfectly.

Peter Purves might not provide the strongest narration (years as a presenter rather than an actor have clearly taken their toll) but Marc Platt’s script is genuinely gripping. The confident sound design is restrained to the point where you forget it’s even there in places, making the dramatic moments that much more powerful.

Part of the pleasure of ‘The Companion Chronicles’ range is the fact that it gives the actors involved the chance to flesh out what, to be perfectly truthful, were thinly sketched characters at best. When Steven left the TARDIS in The Savages we knew little more about his character than when he joined. Mother Russia gives him some highly emotive scenes as his new friend’s wedding seemingly heads towards disaster, giving depth to a character that always had potential (even if he was never that highly regarded). Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 8/10
Old School Doctor Who at its best. So good, you’d swear you saw this one on TV...