This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: Serpent in the Silver Mask

In just two parts this manages to be an incredibly entertaining story, much more so than some four and six parters. It also manages to balance the often difficult to balance TARDIS team perfectly, when other stories have double the length and still need to write a character out (I'm looking at you, Kinda)

I love a good murder mystery, and the fact that it's a pure historical is so refreshing. I'm tired of the men in latex suits with silly voices being the real villain in historicals. Shame this is the last one on TV though.

This is very much a short story, low stakes. It's a story that purely focuses on the characters, something I appreciate very much. It's not that it necessarily gives us some rich insight into their thoughts and feelings and moreso that it shows this team just being happy, especially bittersweet when you know what's coming. This is the first time the characters get a chance to take a break.

There is no real villain here, just the end of someone else's tragic story, and tragic it is. I think that's rather refreshing for Doctor Who and is one of the best showcases, in my opinion, of how this show can adapt and change and suit every format, style and genre.

Next Story: Dark Contract

This is another one of those dr who stories that I find myself loving more than most people. It seems I have a particular liking towards murder mystery plots. This is the first story I can remember which is completely grounded with no extraterrestrial threat and it’s great.

this is one of those stories that just wins me over with the vibe, which is hard to explain, but sometimes the vibe or theme of an episode is what makes it great.

i really enjoy the plot of this Story. I think if it was 4 parts it would definitely drag on too much but two parts is perfect and for me this feels a lot like a modern episode. I love the idea that the doctor’s outfit has got him involved with the plot here and it’s not something we have really seen before.

I also really like all three of the companions in this story and I find it entertaining that Tegan is the only one who knows what is going on while Adric is completely lost eating food. It is a small thing but I also really like the interactions between Nyssa and the party guests and the look-alike part of the plot is completely unique and done very well in my opinion.

The villain of this story is fairly tragic which is uncommon in Classic and I like the idea of his family merely wanting to look after him. Although I will say that his fall of the roof at the end was a bit pathetic.

Overall I love this story. In general I’m not a huge fan of a lot of two parters but this I think works really well as one.It has all the hallmarks of a classic 1920s murder mystery. It is probably my classic comfort story and because it is two parts it is an easy watch whenever I want to.

They got me. I’m a sucker for a murder mystery. I have an awful lot of time for it. The guest actors in this story are superb and inhabit the 1920s stately home world perfectly. As does The Doctor and his companions of course who’s acting suddenly feels a lot more naturalistic once they’ve stepped out of the TARDIS.

The hidden passages and lurking, disguised murderer makes for very enticing drama. The Doppelgänger trope has been done a million times in Doctor Who, but it fits very nicely here too

For the first time The Doctor’s cricket outfit makes sense. The pacing is good enough that I wasn’t bothered in the slightest bit by them taking a good 4 minutes out of the action to play a game of cricket - of course he’s a master!

I wish the mystery had been a little stronger and had been less contrived. I don’t see the need to have had a Native American wandering around the house, or a disturbed family member. I think it would have been more fun to have one of the guests in and around the party turn out to be the murderer.

All the same it was wonderful to have a strong genre story, proving once again that Doctor Who can go anywhere and do anything. It being a two parter also means it does not outstay its welcome! I am glad they have more of these going forward.

This is in all likelihood my favourite among the Fifth Doctor television stories.  There's so much I like about this one, but what really stands out to me is the brief time we get to spend with our TARDIS crew enjoying Cranleigh.  The Doctor actually gets to play some cricket, while Nyssa and Adric get fun little dance numbers.  After Adric's character basically descended into little more than whining while travelling with the Fifth Doctor, while Nyssa largely felt wasted entirely, having a story that actually shows both of these characters in a more positive and active role in a story was incredibly refreshing.

The story itself beyond the fun and memorable setting was also pretty good.  Cranleigh just had this look to it that really helped it stick out from your average Doctor Who story.  And costumes behind this one I found very impressive and stuck with me in a positive way.  I liked the whole angle of Nyssa and a potential doppleganger, and also enjoyed the whole thing with the harlequin.  The story behind this mysterious figure really worked for me overall.

I guess the cast didn't care much for this script at the time of filming - that's a bit of a shame because I really liked this story and its premise.  It reminded me a bit of a classic stage performance like the Phantom of the Opera - both that musical and Black Orchid rely on a relatively simple premise, and both productions in my opinion pull it all off with a lot of style and energy.  Overall I think these episodes are a bit of an underrated gem among the Fifth Doctor's original TV run.

"Why do I always let my curiosity get the better of me?"

Always enjoyed this one. A well laced two part story, focussing solely on the historical side, with a murder mystery at a fancy dress party. Clearly inspired by Agatha Christie's works, and works rather well. It's a shame that despite Sarah Sutton playing two characters here, she still doesn't get much to do.

Peter Davison is once again really strong, while this story doesn't quite utilise the companions to their fullest, it does at least give them some strong moments. Their enjoyment of the party, Adric eating at the buffet, Tegan and Nyssa dancing and chatting together, it all works well to create a nice atmosphere between the characters, something that the show has struggled with so far, having them always bickering before this.

There's plenty of fun holiday spirit in the first half, and while the second part is slightly weaker, there's some brilliant moments. I've always enjoyed how this Doctor just lets people wander into the TARDIS. Plus, the sets, costumes, and feel of the 1920s is captured presently.

Fun!