The Switching

Subscriber Short Trips #2010-2

Released: June 2010

Listened: 6/9/21

This particular Short Trip, read by Duncan Wisbey, mostly features the Master, and the “switching” of the title is pretty much what you’d expect, as the Master swaps bodies with the Doctor. That’s not exactly a spoiler, as it happens within the first couple of minutes of the story. Oddly, the Master seems to realize that he won’t accomplish anything with this scheme, and settles for doing some mischief, primarily changing the console room to the “washing-up bowls” configuration seen only in “The Time Monster,” and locking it that way. He also spurs forward the relationship between Jo and Mike, leading to the most affectionate scene between them that we’ve seen. Really, it’s just a lighthearted joke of a story, and an exercise in continuity references.