N039 Utopia

The episode that introduces The Master we deserved, desired and in the end were denied (oops, spoilers) * * * The Tenth Doctor, companion Martha Jones and stowaway Captain Jack Harkness go to the planet Malcassairo and *ahem* "the end of the universe" in this, the first instalment of the three-parter comprising Utopia, The Sound of Drums and The Last of the Time Lords (or possibly this prequel to the two-parter comprising the latter duo). There, they encounter rubbish Mad-Max-type cannibals bereft of intellect or any discernable skills, yet oddly capable of elaborately tattooing and piercing each other's faces. These are the Futurekind. Also on Malcassairo are regular, straight-up, no-nonsense human beings, lead by Professor Yana (masterfully portrayed by legendary thespian Derek Jacobi). Yana is constructing a rocket ship (or ark, if you will – I can't believe we didn't make that reference on the show) to ferry mankind to "Utopia", allegedly a safe haven beyond the universe. Will Doc & Co be able to help Professor Yana send off mankind in time? And is Yana all he purports or indeed believes himself to be? Listen to our review now! * * * Check out WHOBACKWHEN.COM for more information, Doctor Who TV Serial and Audiobook reviews, ratings and ramblings, and loads more podcast episodes. WEB: WhoBackWhen.com FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/WhoBackWhen GOOGLE+: plus.google.com/+Whobackwhen YOUTUBE: WhoBackWhen.com/YouTube SOUNDCLOUD: soundcloud.com/WhoBackWhen TWITTER: @whobackwhen Toodle-Pip!