The Old Rogue

Short Trips #4.4

Released: 10 August 2011

Listened: 6/15/22

This is one of those early, short Short Trips where not much happens. It’s told from the point of view of the villain, an alien conqueror stuck in the body of a London cafe owner, for reasons that become apparent later in the story. The Doctor drops in to check on him once a decade, and this time it’s the Fourth Doctor’s turn, along with Romana. It’s kind of fun to see the alien’s impressions of the various Doctors; he calls this one “the lunatic,” which seems on-the-nose. He’s also very dismissive of Romana, but Romana is being unusually snotty on this story. Which is pretty much all there is to it, but the ancillary action is fun: K-9 is forced to wait outside, and gets up to various antics with the passersby (that would be fun to see on TV, action going on through the windows while the main characters chat in the cafe). There’s also a tiny twist at the end, more of a mint than a real plot development. The story is read by Louise Jameson, although Leela doesn’t appear in the story. Her acting gift comes through clearly, as she captures the tone of the various characters quite well.