The Last Adventure - Stage Fright

Stage Fright sees the Doctor and Flip meet up with Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot sometime after he last met the pair. In London a Mr. Timothy Yardvale has rented out Jago's theatre to put on a play called Death of a Prydonian as for Jago not to suspect where he is reenacting the Doctor's deaths as seen in The Tenth Planet, The War Games, Planet of the Spiders, Logopolis and The Caves of Androzani but each time this happens the actors playing the various companions are aged several centuries. The Doctor catches on immediately and is able to stop the grisly murders Yardvale, aka The Valeyard, is committing. This is another great one as unlike the preceding two stories this one takes a comedy approach, allowing us a brief dramatic respite before the final dramatic ending of the story. While not perfect with some of the jokes being a bit hit or miss the story makes a great introduction to Jago, Litefoot and Ellie Higson for those who haven't heard them before. The same happens with Lisa Greenwood's Flip Jackson who I haven't listened to before this.

The Doctor and Flip arrive in Victorian London where Jago is taking it easy after a Mr. Yardvale (guess who) has rented Henry's theater at a very high rate so that he can stage auditions for his own play behind closed doors. However, all the scenes played are those of the Doctor's past regenerations. The Doctor is set on their trail when Litefoot asks his help on examining bodies that appear to be aged to death-the actors who played in the Valeyard's sick little drama.

Stage Fight has a great sense of terror as well as suspense. It features the first direct confrontation between the Valeyard and the Doctor in the box set and it's a memorable one. The supporting cast is superb with Jago, Litefoot, and Inspector Quick are top notch, and Colin Baker really has some strong moments. Flip is a fun character, but her best moment was towards the end of the story when she faced her stagefright in a very powerful way.

Overall, this atmospheric entry was the best story in this stunning box set.