Historical adventures without any scientific trappings were a staple of 60's Doctor Who. Now it's the turn of the audio's to step back in time.

Tracking a time anomaly, the Doctor arrives at the rooms of history lecturer Evelyn Smythe, who can trace her family tree back to an advisor to Queen Mary. Or she could, until the names on the tree started disappearing!

Joining the Doctor in his TARDIS, Evelyn finds herself living through history rather than teaching it. But when she stumbles onto a plot on the Queen's life, she realises that time travel has its down side too.

Imprisoned in the Tower of London, can the time travellers escape in time to save Queen Mary, or will history be changed forever?

The Marian Conspiracy features the Sixth Doctor and new Big Finish companion Doctor Evelyn Smythe, a sixty something history lecturer. Colin Baker and Maggie Stables bring this new TARDIS team to life with their easy banter, it appears they have settled into each other's company very quickly. This bodes well for their future adventures together.

The one member of the guest cast who stands out from the rest is Anah Ruddin as Queen Mary, taking her part with regal efficiency. And listen out for Big Finish bigwig Gary Russell in the first episode!

The story itself is good, having enough plot twists and turns to keep the audience listening. The history lesson is interesting but the ending is a bit of a historical cop out. Such a shame, this could have been an excellent story otherwise.

However, there is enough to recommend this play, even to those who don't like the historicals that much. Just listen to the interplay between the Doctor and Evelyn, it is worth buying for that alone.