For me, Liz Shaw was a criminally underused companion. She and the Doctor had a real sparky chemistry, and her not being intimidated by him and displaying an intellect close to his set her apart from most other companions.
So, it’s nice to see the character coming back in this latest Big Finish release. Caroline John plays the character as if she has never been away. That easy confidence and intellectual swagger is still there, and she’s clearly enjoying herself as she throws herself into not only her own part, but the voices of the other characters in the story.
The story is a good one too. It has a real authentic 'of that era' feel to it, and could easily be lifted from the early Pertwee shows with all it’s Avengers/Bond type adventures. We get pretty much all the tropes that the series displayed at the time: There’s the country house setting with a mysterious monster. There’s a car chase and a helicopter and a big action sequence at the end.
But as well as the action, there is some good character work going on too. I was struck in particular by some of Liz Shaw’s insights into the character of the Doctor, which were clever and show not only her understanding of the Doctor, but the writer’s.
There are hints laid in places that Liz’s story has not been fully told yet, and I for one would be delighted if this was so.
I agree, Liz Shaw was a great companion to the Doctor and it's great to see her back in action. And what a return, this was a fine story indeed. I hope to see more of her in upcoming stories!
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