A short story originally published in Virgin’s first Short Trips anthology, Old Flames was recorded for the audio release by Nicholas Courtney.  It sees a return to this marathon of the marvellous Iris Wildthyme in a slight tale of shape shifting tigers playing at Pride and Prejudice.


The 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane arrive in 18th century England (the story is no more specific than that) to find Iris inveigled in the social set of Lady Huntingdon to marry off her companion, Captain Turner, to the lady’s granddaughter, Bella.  Iris hopes to inherit the estate due to her desire, the Doctor so claims, to own property in every century.

Nicholas Courtney’s reading of the story is enjoyable but without Katy Manning’s tour de force as Iris, it lacks the manic insanity of the usual Wildthyme exploits.  Dramatised with a full cast, this story would probably be quite a lot of fun, but as it is, it simply passes the time but is fairly forgettable.

The Doctor and Iris’ relationship is different to that usually portrayed in Big Finish audios (and the novels I have read featuring Iris).  In most of those, the Doctor barely tolerates her presence (particularly the 5th Doctor in Excelis Dawns) but here, the 4th Doctor is reminded of how much he likes her.  I think it’s fitting that, of all the Doctor’s incarnations, it is the 4th that likes Iris the most.  Their bohemian personalities match and this is the Doctor you can believe might actually do all those things Iris claims to have done with the Doctor (if you’ve heard The Plague Herds of Excelis, you’ll know what I mean).

Sarah Jane does very little in the story and Iris’ companion, Captain Turner, is a complete mystery.  Iris seems quite happy to marry him off to an 18th century maiden all for the sake of a big house and then abandons him there at the end of the story.  The poor man isn’t even from this time period! 


Lady Huntingdon and Bella bring to mind the sort of characters present in Pride and Prejudice – old women with large estates to inherit; young nubile maidens being courted left, right and centre by eligible bachelors.

The story, such as it is, reveals that Lady Huntingdon and Bella are alien shape-shifting tigers and that Lady Huntingdon is fully aware of who Iris is and plans to steal her TARDIS to travel in time and prevent her race from dying out (she and Bella are the last of her kind).  As readers of this thread will know, I’m not a huge fan of short stories because often the story is rushed due to the necessary brevity.  Old Flames feels like it could have a lot more included to make a proper full length story – mysterious deaths eventually revealed to be the work of Lady Huntingdon or Bella; Iris’ plans to inherit the estate; the truth of who Captain Turner is; Lady Huntingdon’s attempt to steal Iris’ TARDIS.  It all feels like it should have more space to breath.  I do like the gag that an alien tiger has taken the pseudonym of ‘Huntingdon’.

Historically, there is practically nothing on display except references to uncomfortable gowns and shoes, a rector and, as mentioned the Austen-influenced characters and setting.