Wicked!: The Ingenious Gentlemen

"There will be no battle here."

Writer: Alan Ronald

Format: Audio

Released: October 2025

Series: Seventh Doctor Adventures 8.03

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis

Fiction and reality collide when a mad man with a box and a mad man with a horse encounter an ancient evil in 15th century Spain. 

But the adventurer-and-companion setup is a little too familiar to Ace, and she begins to question if she is anything more than a Sancho to the Doctor's Quixote.

Verdict

The Ingenious Gentlemen was a decent episode to conclude the Wicked! series of Seventh Doctor Adventures! This felt like it got things right on track in terms of the chronology of this series between Seasons 24 an 25, with Ace slowly realising the pressure and the potential casualties that come with travelling with the Doctor. I thought that was good and this felt like a good milestone in a relationship that we know will become widespread and full of emotion. Ace questioning how many previous companions there had been and more importantly if they were all safe was powerful stuff as we know with the likes of Katarina, Sara and Adric that the answer is very much no. Even the way the likes of Jamie, Zoe and Tegan departed, they weren't exactly not suffering! Travelling in the TARDIS is no easy ride and I like that Ace starts to realise that here, and then very much in line with her character she's still concocting her own batch of nitro-9 inside the TARDIS! The Doctor's reaction to that was hilarious. I thought the setting of historic Spain was good and I appreciated the unique nature of it, although I must say it felt a little repetitive to Robot of Sherwood in many ways. It was almost like a mirror image in parts and whilst I don't know or have heard about the fictional figure of Don Quixote prior to listening to this adventure, he seemed very similar to Robin Hood! I like the idea of the fiction being based on a historical record that was not well known or widespread amongst academia, and Ace was rightly questioning just who wrote it in the first place. Where were they amongst the ensuing action? That was a fun thought. I thought Quixote was a quirky man and the way he pronounced his name endlessly started off quite fun but then it got very tiring. I was surprised that the Doctor was so giddy at encountering him and he was delighted that he was real at all. Surely he knew that fiction couldn't blend with reality? Was he setting himself up for disappointing? I was honestly stunned by how much of an impact Quixote seemed to have on the Doctor as he was described by the Time Lord himself as his hero! That seemed a little farfetched and likening him to a big reason of why he took the name Doctor and his oath that we heard in The Name of the Doctor felt too much. I am not sure I could buy into that for such an obscure fictional character! Still, it presented a calmer and more lighthearted side of the Seventh Doctor which was nice. Sophie Aldred once again was magnificent in recapturing the youthful early days of Ace as companion and I wonder if this kind of chronology will continue moving forward? Surely there's plenty of room between Season 25 stories? I'd be all for it. The threat of the Antiquity was pretty good and whilst I loved the idea of him being on his way to Shada and in a Gallifreyan prison ship, I don't feel like we had enough time to really sell just what he was after. I liked the toll he clearly had on Ace in draining her and it was powerful stuff for her to hold on, but I think more clarity should have come earlier in the episode. Sancho was a magnificent character and I really liked his relationship with Quixote and Ace alike. The former understanding the science behind the TARDIS and its internal dimensions was also a delight. I thought that worked well and gave some semblance of heroism that the Doctor could admire. Overall, some really interesting stuff and a strong setting. A good listen for sure to round out a consistent and enjoyable series! 

Rating: 7/10