Beware the City of Illusions

"You're such an icon."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: March 2026

Series: First Doctor Adventures 5.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Polly, Dodo

Synopsis

The British Government has a plan to drastically improve environmental conditions, thanks to the Gynt Foundation and its mysterious benefactor, 'Mr Hammond'. But the plan is bold and crucially requires the endorsement of a prominent green campaigner to allay any public fears. 

When the Doctor's former companion Polly sets off to investigate a fantastic, new, net zero city, nothing goes quite according to plan. For one thing, the Doctor himself unexpectedly appears. And for another, the city contains a terrible secret. 

With an older Dodo working for the government, the Doctor and Polly must fight a threat that endangers the whole of humanity.

Verdict

Beware the City of Illusions was a pretty average story to continue my way through the new First Doctor Adventures. My feelings could potentially have been swayed slightly negatively by the fact that I was listening to this on very little sleep after a redeye flight from Bucharest to London Luton on the six hour train home, but I was hoping that this would capture my imagination and inject some energy into me! Unfortunately, it was more likely to do the opposite. One of the first issues was the length of this one. It was just far too long at six parts. I don't understand why when you have three hours to fill in a release that a single story is even considered. Three stories of an hour long is a much better option in my opinion, and at the very least it should be a four-parter and a two-parter! A second issue I think is just the direction of this series now as we get closer to the end of the First Doctor era when it comes to the companions he is meeting out of time and out of sync. It's a fun concept but I don't really think much was achieved here in having the Doctor encounter Polly in his timeline before the events of The War Machines. Of course for her she's a long time after The Faceless Ones when she departed on the same day that she left so it was fun for her to see the first incarnation again, but with the Doctor not knowing her it's never really satisfying when they're conversing. There's no time to talk about Ben or her life since leaving the TARDIS which is a shame and it just feels like unnecessary restrictions. I also thought it was a bit rubbish to have Dodo in the future as well instead of as a current companion. Why not just have her and the Doctor from when he's travelling displaced? It was good to think that Polly and Dodo had a relationship based on their shared experiences in the TARDIS but it just felt off with the dynamic here. I also think the plot was a bit farfetched with the net zero city. That just didn't feel viable or even possible in the way it was presented here in basically modern day. It felt too futuristic and alien which wasn't the vibe I got and therefore seemed to hinder the political position of J-J. Polly being something of a celebrity when it comes to the environment as a green campaigner of significant prominence was a nice touch, but I never got that vibe from her on screen and felt like a role more suited for Jo. The Acquisitors also just felt like they were in the way really and couldn't be taken too seriously which was a shame as there was potential there. I also can't understand the involvement of Time Lords at the start when it comes to the First Doctor as if they're monitoring and tracking him with the ability to remove him from his current time stream, doesn't that contradict everything that came in The War Games? And then there was no resolution from them about him being out of time purely on an emotional connection. It all just felt a bit disconnected. The Tresherrik never felt like the threat that it was intended to be presented as which was a shame and I just never felt like I could buy into the stakes of things. I did though think Stephen Noonan gave a good performance and impression of the First Doctor which is always welcomed but I do think this range has perhaps run its course now. I note that there are no plans for a First Doctor boxset in 2027 as of this moment and that might be for the best. Overall, some good stuff in there but a bit of a mess to be honest. 

Rating: 5/10