Exile
Starring Arabella Weir

What if... the Doctor had escaped the justice of the Time Lords at the end of The War Games?

I'm going to be controversial about this. Most people seem to hate this one with a passion - while I really enjoyed it.

Perhaps it was knowing that this isn't, and never will be, a canon adventure, I was able to take it for what it is - a whimsical and comic alternate adventure with a Doctor who never was, and never will be.

As a comedy, the whole thing works. From the old and blundering Time Lords, through to the borderline-alcoholic Doctor who works in Sainsbury's as a cover story. At best, this story is crass and silly. Filled with toilet humour and things you just wouldn't expect (who'd have thought that we would EVER hear a Time Lord utter the words "oh shit!"?)

Likewise, the stereotypes involved are so ridiculous that they're brilliant. You have the War Lord's ridiculous Welsh accent, and then the characters of Cheese and Cherrie - absolute stereotypes of what some see as working-class Brits today. Then, there's the wonderful stereotyping of the Quarks, with lines like "The Quarks were rubbish! They couldn't even go up stairs!" and other comic references to the show's past, like "The Master? He said his name was Bob!"

And then there was the casting. Obviously, Arabella Weir was just dead on with her Doctor. Then, there was David Tennant as the more amusing and bumbling of the two Time Lords, with his character in this play probably being one of my favourite Time Lords of all time - who'd have thought that he'd get to play two of them!? Everyone else was just brilliant, clearly absolutely loving the whole silliness of the play. A special mention must go to Nick Briggs, who wonderfully played the previous Doctor, and his scathing critique of what the new Doctor has become, in comparison to what he had been.

Finally, I must say something about the ending. I didn't see that coming - I honestly saw the Doctor escaping. I was thinking that even if - worst case scenario - the Doctor had been recaptured, then she'd be merely imprisoned or exiled again. Like Full Fathom Five and He Jests at Scars... before this play, this one ends on a wonderfully grim note.

I loved it. Easily gets 8/10 from me, and probably is the second-best Unbound audio in my books.