Starting out a new era, The Executor is the first story of the Fixers boxset, which features the 7th Doctor and new(ish) companion Ray. A two-part serial, it finds the two on a mission of great importance – to execute a Time Lord’s last will and testament and solve the mystery surrounding their death.

Random Junk and Gilly Cooper

Chris Chapman’s first foray into the 7th Doctor era is a very reflective and melancholic style of story. Focusing on the death of the Doctor’s friend, Pegroninagall (Peg for short), it sees him and Ray travel to a TARDIS disguised as a dovecote to execute their last will and testament. Once inside, their job is to clear out and arrange every item, keepsake and memento, which is a herculean task in a time ship filled with a near-infinite amount of rooms.

Within its first part, The Executor spends a substantial amount of time with both The Doctor and Ray rummaging and rooting around Peg’s Type 50 TARDIS. With every item and room explored revealing bits and pieces of Peg’s life to the listener, this slower pacing comes with wonderful intentions as we are immersed in the life of a Time Lord the Doctor once considered a dear friend. Once Peg herself appears later on in the opening part as a lifelike hologram, you can tell how these tidbits came to create her character. From the moment she appears, it’s easy to picture how her ecclectic and friendly disposition translates to her love of Gilly Cooper, Victoriana and calming seaside docks.

Besides building a character, this first part of the story has some great new additions to Time Lord and Gallifreyian lore. Chapman’s reimagining of a last will and testament is highly detailed and well thought out. As an executor to a Time Lord’s will, your job is to place any item in one of three places using a special transmat ring. The items can either be placed in the Panopticon if they are considered worthwhile enough for safekeeping, or they can be given back to their original owners, or finally, if they have no value or are considered too dangerous, they can be thrown in the void for immediate eradication. It’s a simple yet effective system and one which sells the concept to any listener.

A Ray of Sunshine

Alongside entries into Time Lord lore and The Doctor’s past, The Executor also happens to be Ray’s first story within her own solo boxset with The Doctor. She doesn’t get the largest role or the most focus in this first story, but what she gets and does is still a great way to introduce her to any prospective new listener. 

Older than she was when The Doctor first met her in Delta and the Bannermen, she’s developed a new sense of calmness to coincide with her usual ray of sunshine. This aged maturity is exactly what this incarnation of The Doctor needs as he nears the end of his cycle. He’s here to right wrongs, and Ray is someone who can keep him on the straight and narrow enough to do that. Moreover, her easy-going and talkative demeanour gets others to open up to her, and it doesn’t take long for her to crack someone like Peg. Within the space of a couple of minutes, they become like old friends reminiscing about their mutual acquaintance. It’s a nice dynamic to see, and not one often featured between other humans and Time Lords. 

Attack of the South African Insects

Had this story been all about discovering the life of Peg and the melancholic atmosphere surrounding The Doctor, this adventure would’ve been an all-timer. However, this, like many other stories before it, has opted to tag some unnecessary killer aliens to proceedings. Known as the Gyrok, they are insect-like creatures that are all about war, murder and not much else besides regaining their neurotic superweapon.

Ultimately, given the strengths and maturity of what had come before, these one-note alien killers come across as single-note and more than a little naff; not to mention they have these weird South African-like accents that are simply odd.