Anyway as I was saying (ahem!), aside from that, not fond memories. Paul Cornell comparing the story beforehand to "The Chase" didn't help, and that's essentially what this is, or that's what we passed it off as at the time anyway. But you could DO that then. "Seasons" came hot on the heels of what looks increasingly likely to turn out to be Big Finish's finest release ever, and was part of a 'season' where "Embrace the Darkness" was considered the clunker. That's a compliment for "Embrace the Darkness" there, by the way. Now, and without wishing to launch into a discussion about the current state of the range, one can't help but appreciate it a bit more.

Yes, it's like "The Chase" in that it's a romp through various favourite time travellers tourist spots; the journey is the story and let's not fool ourselves any of it is THAT important to where we're going. But where-as at the time I was disappointed by the cornerstone of that journey, namely wannabe immortal Sebastian Grayle, considering that a more powerful actor vocally would have been preferable, now I can appreciate the nuances in Grayle's character that subtle change every time we meet him, another 750 years having passed at each juncture. The Doctor even points it out (a pity that he also voices an odd opinion that Grayle "never changes inside" earlier on, contradicting this, but we won't dwell on that). In the earliest time period he still believes in some form of God, a force greater than him, and is "able to love" - basically the youngest Grayle treats his totty better and thinks he's only the second greatest thing since sliced bread. Better still, the various adventures en route are far more satisfying than a silly gad round a haunted house and a tussle with some giant testicles. I'm sure a lot of it went over my head in a barrage of historical detail and stuff tying "Seasons" into the rest of the season that was probably best appreciated at the time (the appearance of a Dalek and that ruddy Zagreus rhyme rearing its head for possibly the first time). But this is no wafer-thin disposable hokum.

"Seasons" is an adventure story written by a sophisticated writer in a less than sophisticated way. When the story ends, in dodgy fashion, with the Doctor persuading "young Grayle" not to embark on his quest in the first place, the continual flouting of logic being sketchily attributed to Grayle having somehow "changed the rules" of time throughout, you should cry charlatan. But that seems to matter less here, because the success of "Seasons" rests on the fun of the ride, rather than a water-tight plot. If McGann had returned for just one Doctor Who adventure on Audio, rather than the millions he's done to date, then it should have been this one, the journey of a lifetime squeezed onto two discs.