Continuing the Classic Doctors New Monsters series, and the second story in the boxset means it’s time for Ol’ Sixie to come face-to-face with one of NuWho’s recognisable villains. His instalment sees him back in the familiar surroundings of a courtroom, although fortunately for him, not a Gallifreyan one. He’s come to 19^th-century Reigate as defence counsel on a most unusual case.

His client: Captain Kybo of the 19^th Judoon Interplanetary Force.  

The Sixth Doctor is no stranger to courtroom drama, but faces a very different challenge when he prepares to defend a most unusual Judoon.

After an environmental clearance mission goes wrong, Captain Kybo of the Nineteenth Judoon Interplantary Force is stranded in Victorian England, bound in chains, an exhibit in a circus show. But he has allies: Eliza Jenkins – known to audiences as ‘Thomasina Thumb’ – and the larger-than-life ‘clown’ in the colourful coat.

Uncovering a trail of injustice and corruption, the Doctor and Kybo soon find themselves on trial for their lives…

Big Finish Synopsis

If Fallen Angels was the perfect opening gambit for Classic Doctors New Monsters, then Judoon in Chains presents a stellar development for the series concept. Barnard and Morris make their case with a story that is part courtroom drama but, more importantly, part study of the Judoon species, originally created by then showrunner Russel T. Davies.

Thick-headed, trigger-happy and sticklers for procedure, these rhino men of intergalactic law have never been known for their flights of whimsey. However, Captain Kybo is different. After an encounter with a sentient, psychic force, he’s come under radical change. He becomes articulate with the propensity to learn beyond the confines of the Judoonese rulebook. For his differences, Kybo is essentially made an outcast by his fellow Judoon.

Barnard and Morris effectively explore these motifs throughout the story by paralleling his experiences with those who played a role in 19^th-century freak shows. Filled with their own number of outcasts and misfits, their shared experiences become a type of adopted community for Kybo as he ends up stuck on Earth. These moments reveal a newfound depth to the Judoon as a species. Their capabilities (or lack thereof), uniformity to procedure, and the consequences of straying from them are all new dimensions that could never be touched upon within the confines of the TV series.

Elsewhere, these themes also echo The Doctor’s own origin story as a Time Lord outcast. Although these themes apply to any incarnation of The Doctor, there’s method in the madness for choosing Ol’ Sixie. His garish attire (which I’ve always liked) and often prickly demeanour set him adrift more than most. As a result, his inclusion adds more levity to the already weighty themes of the story. 

The story’s themes of community, exclusion and sentience aren’t the only ones found throughout the adventure. Towards the conclusion, the courtroom drama picks up at an immense pace as it dispenses justice on a corporation causing universal woes. Whilst anti-capitalist and anti-corporation themes are a staple of the show, they are not used to their greatest effect during this story. Though it gives the story a solid ending, little time is spared developing these themes beyond surface-level observations, undercutting the stronger themes of the episode.