Operation: Hellfire

"Very soon the Nazis shall be crowned the kings of all creation."

Writer: Jonathan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: May 2020

Series: Third Doctor Adventures 6.02

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

When the Doctor accepts an invitation to an audience with a popular horror writer, he's expecting a rather dull evening. But he quickly senses the presence of another Gallifreyan nearby. The Time Lords have a mission for him.

Soon the Doctor and Jo find themselves at the height of the Second World War in 1943. Caught up in a struggle involving the occultist Nazis, the Prime Minster, top secret agencies and a mysteriously powerful amulet, they must distinguish friend from foe and avoid sacrifice upon the altar of evil.

Verdict 

Operation: Hellfire was an excellent story to conclude the sixth series of Third Doctor Adventures! I really liked this one and it was pretty rare to get a historical with the third incarnation. We didn’t see that very much on television at all and it was pretty close to being a pure historical which I liked even more. It started in an intriguing way with the demonic cult around Hellfire and when we moved to our familiar characters, I was a little surprised to hear that Jo was bored! She wanted some excitement, but all the Doctor was providing was commentary on the faults of the British postal system. They ought to invent hypercubes as to him they were a much more efficient form of contact. The Doctor getting an invite from Douglas Quilter was interesting after how annoyed he was getting about Jo thinking out loud when going through the post. He was a Wing Commander turned literate author and had personally invited the Doctor which interested him as they’d never met as far as he was concerned. Hearing how the demon wanted to change the course of the Second World War in Hitler’s favour was excellent and I liked how it was said this would happen when the great wizard was sent, obviously inferring the Doctor. The Doctor falling asleep at Quilter’s chapter read was hilarious but he soon shifted into gear when sensing the presence of a Time Lord. In fact it was a Time Lady who was very enigmatic and I quite liked the mystery behind her in not knowing her name. She cane to give the Doctor a mission to find the missing Amulet of the Wastelands with a sighting in 1943 giving the Doctor and Jo a trip to the past. The significance of the amulet was sold well with it being able to warp and change reality, and the prospect of that turning the War in Hitler’s favour really would have a huge impact! The Doctor declining the mission was very amusing stuff but it seems his hands were tied by the fact Quilter had already met he and Jo, although pointing a gun at them to take the mission seemed a bit far! Of course, 1943 would beckon as Jo knew the Doctor would accept sooner or later. The arrival at a black magic club was very good and I loved the cliffhanger with Jo triggering the alarm protecting the amulet and gas consuming them. It would turn out to be a fake and just knockout gas which was a slightly weak resolution, but Quilter greeting them and Jo boasting her knowledge on him was fun stuff. The Doctor asking him to call the Prime Minister for old Winnie to vouch for him was brilliant and that’s precisely what happened! Chapel was a fantastic character as Quilter’s assistant and their forming part of the London Controlling Section was terrific. I loved the disinformation focus and that would prove incredibly important to the story! Jo’s reaction to seeing a war-torn London was outstanding as well and really made use of the time setting. It was a familiar place for her in ruins. The role of Litmann in the story was tremendous as a feared German occultist who was now at large in England following his apparent defection. Sally’s fate was an interesting element of the story and that really sold the threat of Finch who had the amulet. The black magic club had laid the trap of the replica for Litmann to no current success. I was a little surprise with how little Churchill actually featured but it was fun to have him show his admiration of the Third Doctor’s cape. The Doctor planning to pose as Litmann and go undercover to Finch’s estate and steal the amulet was fun, but he’d have trouble getting there with Chapel brilliantly revealing her true colours in a fantastic cliffhanger! I must say though I’m getting a little tired of the use of Houdini tricks from multiple incarnations of the Doctor to escape from the likes of handcuffs. It’s a bit lazy. Jo feigning as an acolyte of Litmann was tremendous and I loved that Finch demanded she sacrificed the Doctor! The revelation that Litmann didn’t actually exist was superb and with the theme of disinformation I was annoyed I didn’t see it coming! The tension in the conclusion was really well done as Chapel was essentially being warped by the amulet and having the heights of the blimp added to the threat. She wanted to change the course of the War but with all lost, she sacrificed herself in the name of the Reich instead. That was pretty grim. The Doctor defying the Time Lords at the end was tremendous though in denying them the amulet, but ensuring that it was safely stowed away. Overall, an excellent adventure!

Rating: 9/10