The World Traders

Fourth Doctor Adventures #10.1

Released: 20 January 2021

Listened: 3/17/22

The next block is a bunch of full-length stories, making a contrast to the previous series. This one takes place in London, in the early 21st century, probably around 2021, given the release date. There’s a corporation that's acquired an extraordinary amount of wealth in a short time, which is slightly suspicious, but they’re also very secretive and have tech that’s too advanced for the time. That results in a bunch of interesting alien races, some time travel, and some very creative real estate investment strategies, some of which border on the silly. There’s a bonus companion in journalist Emma Fremantle, mostly so that the Doctor has someone to bounce off of while separated from Leela. Unfortunately, she’s not a patch on Sarah Jane, but she also spends a good chunk of the story brainwashed. Leela gets to be in her element, hunting an alien in the late Cretaceous. She’s also quite a bit more primal, even violent, in this story. She’s not even attempting to adapt to the culture she’s in; instead, she’s using her skills to take advantage of people who don’t have them, and being frankly disdainful of the trappings of a high-tech society. It’s a bit of a change for her, and I don’t know if it’ll serve her well long-term, but she’s definitely more confident.