The Queen of Time

"She was without doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and the most deadly."

Writer: Brian Hayles (Adapted by Catherine Harvey)

Format: Audio

Released: October 2013

Series: Lost Stories 4.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

Somewhere outside our universe, she is waiting.

A god-like immortal, living in a realm of clocks. The hours tick slowly by as she plots and plans. She is readying her trap. A trap for a very special man in a very special police box.

Hecuba has all the time in the world. But for the Doctor, time is running out.

Verdict

The Queen of Time was an outstanding Lost Stories adventure! Whilst I can't really see this story having worked on television during the Second Doctor era, I thought this was a tremendous tale. I absolutely adored this from start to finish and it started interestingly with the woman infiltrating the TARDIS through the scanner and she was described as being beautiful and red nailed which painted quite an image. I liked how the Doctor thought she was familiar and the invitation was terrific. I loved the theme of time throughout and having clocks all around in the domain was excellent. The constant tick tock background noise was also brilliant and really made for an enigmatic feel. We even had cuckoos being threatening which was amusing. The clocks within Hecuba's domain being previous guests who didn't play well was intriguing and I loved the concept of the Grand Chronometer. It had the power to move time forwards or backwards, or to even freeze or loop it. Zoe's knowledge of one of these was great and I liked how Hecuba knew all about the Doctor. She was flirting with him which felt a little weird for the Second Doctor, but how uncomfortable that was for him made it magnificent. The pair embarked on a lengthy dinner whilst Jamie, entranced by the beautiful woman, and Zoe were kept captive. I liked the idea of becoming captive to Hecuba and time itself if one failed in the series of games that would follow, and in my note-making throughout listening I actually jotted down that it had a vibe of the Toymaker which came around nicely at the end! The Doctor not enjoying dinner didn't go down well with his host so she was quick to threaten his companions if he didn't undertake the challenge. The cliffhanger at the end of part one was sublime as the Doctor's metabolism was stopped and Jamie and Zoe had five minutes to find the clock governing his life or he'd never breath again! Zoe's intelligence shone in the resolution though as all they needed to do was find the clock that wasn't moving. Marvellous stuff. The TARDIS being in a time loop made a good explanation for how it was trapped in the domain and it was good that only by setting challenges did Hecuba have power to keep the Doctor captive. The dinner date music was excellent and I loved how out of his depth the Doctor seemed with a beautiful woman, especially in this incarnation. The Doctor being forced to watch on as Jamie and Zoe were jumped through time from 1066 to 1769 and then 2012 strapped in a rocket was brilliant, especially when that was set to explode on take off! Another fantastic cliffhanger. I thought Hecuba's challenge to the Doctor regarding his feeling of love towards his companions was powerful and she threw away the fact that they were merely frozen in time. The Doctor being forced to play soldier was superb and having him pick weapons was fun, and Hecuba's reaction to him picking peace was great. I loved the image of Jamie and Zoe being in an hour glass and the threat of sand was palpable, although I wasn't convinced by the Doctor's fake farewell message. Time was moving forward rapidly as we headed for another excellent cliffhanger with Zoe ageing uncontrollably! The control keys being the resolution was good and Jamie using shards to throw at the necessary letter was good, as we went backwards but that saw Zoe as a child. It was all going on. The outrage that ensued from Hecuba's dress having custard spilled on it was great and I liked how angry she was in chucking the Doctor into her time booth for the final challenge. The booth could summon any great event from human history which was a fun concept, as was the idea of the Doctor being kept as a grandfather clock if he was defeated. The Doctor trying to trick Hecuba by saying the hand of the Grand Chronometer was the only thing that could destroy the TARDIS was terrific, and they so nearly gave it away with Zoe blundering her thoughts that it was indestructible! I loved the picture of the TARDIS being lodged between the hands of the Chronometer to stop time, and the world will crumble with Hecuba trapped in the time booth following dematerialisation. The Doctor revealing at the end that Hecuba was the Toymaker's sibling was just tremendous, and as a whole this was an outstanding Lost Story!  

Rating: 10/10