"The lunatics have taken over the asylum!"

The Axis. A place outside of normal space/time where redundant timelines get dumped, where dead end realities loop endlessly around their pitiful existences. A place where Time Lord mistakes get buried.

So when the TARDIS finds itself trapped in the Axis, somewhere the Doctor knows only too well, it seems that a quick trip to the Overseer will sort everything out.

But there is a new intelligence controlling the Axis now, one that revels in chaos and misrule. If the Doctor, Peri and Erimem are to escape, they must face the tests of the Jester, or lose the TARDIS and their freedom forever!

I must admit, I wasn't sure quite what to expect from this play. An author new to the Who audio range and a description that doesn't give away many clues could have added up to a recipe for disaster. Instead we are treated to quite a feast.

The addition of Caroline Morris to the existing team of Peter Davison and Nicola Bryant was a remarkable piece of casting. She has brought a new dimension to these stories and her continued presence can only enhance the 5th Doctor segment of Big Finish's output.

Of the guest players, the two who get most action are Garrick Hagon, who puts in a remarkable turn as the Jester, and Marc Danbury, solid and reliable as the alien Tog. Also worthy of note despite a shorter contribution is Liza Ross, as the scientist with a secret Jarra To. And I can't finish without making passing mention of Roy North's role of the Overseer. He will be better remembered by those of my age group as Mister Roy, opposite another Saturday teatime favourite, Basil Brush. It is good to see he is still acting.

The plot, while complex and fast paced, isn't difficult to follow. So often authors can get carried away with their big ideas but Simon Furman has crafted a tale that, while large scale in scope, is easy to keep track of throughout.

With the variable quality of the recent 8th Doctor season set in the Divergent Universe, the 5th Doctor is rapidly becoming the most consistent of the whole Big Finish range. And with material like this he can go from strength to strength.