Thomas Brewster, Dickensian scamp, is the kind of foil the Doctor has needed for a long time. The boy is very much of his time, uneducated but not thick, a survivor who sees his chance to escape a life of dreary, dangerous crime-to-survive and takes it, even if he doesn't really understand all the ghosts and gaseous aliens and time paradox mumbo jumbo the Doctor and Nyssa keep spouting. I'm so glad there are more stories with him! ( )

The Haunting of Thomas Brewster introduces the eponymous Brewster, played by John Pickard who I understand is a soap star, as a new companion to the Fifth Doctor. The story ambitiously portrays a mid-Victorian milieu, and the script conveys the setting very well. Unfortunately there are several killer flaws in the play. The first is the incidental music, which starts out really good but becomes tired through over-use. The second is guest star Pickard as Brewster, who seems unable to tell the difference between commas and full stops in his lines. The third is the rather gratuitous way the Doctor allows other characters to be killed off. So plenty of marks for trying, but it didn't work for me. ( )