We reach the Fifth Doctor in our look at the Lost Stories range (not including the story I’ve already covered when it was released, obviously…) and we kick off with a bang! The Elite is one of the better Lost Stories, most importantly if you go into it without spoilers. This was my second time listening to it, and while it was still good nothing beats the memory of that first time reveal… Want to know more? Well, listen to it first, you’ll thank me! … Want to get spoiled anyway, or just want my thoughts? Read on!

The second of the two Fourth Doctor Lost Stories (for now!) is not lost in the same way as a lot of the other ones. “The Valley of Death” by all accounts is based on an idea Philip Hinchcliffe had during his time as a producer on the show where he wanted to do a story set in the Amazon, but sadly for him none of the writers were all that interested, so he dropped it. So it was an idea rather than anything already scripted or even pitched on paper, so although Mr. Hinchcliffe did give all his ideas to Jonathan Morris to adapt here, this feels more like a “Phillip Hinchcliffe Presents” release rather than a truly lost story. Still! The main thing is… well, is it any good? Let’s find out!

When Tom Baker finally joined up with Big Finish most fans flocked to “Destination: Nerva”, the first Fourth Doctor Adventure, but I was one of the few who headed straight for the Fourth Doctor Lost Stories box set (which to be fair, was rather expensive at launch…) and so this was the first Fourth Doctor audio drama I heard, and boy… it’s a damn good one! Admittedly, looking back on it you can tell Tom is still just getting into the groove but hasn’t found the same older Fourth voice he eventually settled on yet. Still, is it a match for the six parter that eventually replaced it? Let’s find out!