Roots: The Flying Dutchman. Omega knows of Don Quixote. A Christmas Carol (Marley's Ghost). Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy (Something bad would happen if everything was known.)

Intertextuality: The first humanoid TARDISes were introduced in 'Alien Bodies'. Caroline Munro was considered as a companion for the Doctor, but here is the companion to another Time Lord (as the Doctor says "I could use someone like you on a regular basis.").

Thinking about little plastic men is sad... - Hello figurine collectors (and a certain Big Finish Director in particular)!

Goofs: Omega and his ship are 10,000 years old - however in 'The Trial of a Time Lord' it is stated clearly that the Time Lords have been around for over ten million years! [Perhaps this is intended to be a reference to localised time caused by the temporal dilation of the black hole...?]

Omega's body was destroyed, so where did the extra Doctor come from?

Fluffs: Praxiteles is pronounced differently than it is in 'Planet of Fire'.

Technobabble: "There's many a good interstitial vortex field maintained on an old relative continuum stabiliser."

Dialogue Disasters: "Your other hand also took a hand in your sabotage."

Dialogue Triumphs: "You, my metal friend, are an electronic mugging machine." "Would you like to consider other related titles, sir?" "No, I think 'electronic mugging machine' will quite suffice."

"I don't think a glorified kitchen appliance is capable of doing what I do." "I dunno. A fridge might. You can get a lot of ham in a fridge."

"Your strangulation of my patient is impairing his recovery."

"I always thought about giving you a piece of my mind..."

"I've won awards for prattling."

Double Entendres: "The public can't cope with history unless it's on the telly with lots of actors dressed in silly costumes. Philistines."

"Seat 6E is empty." [6E being the code for Arc of Infinity.]

"Oh, surely, Ertikus, you haven't got anything I haven't seen before."

"Nothing annoyed me more when fans of Omega concocted those convoluted theories to explain away discrepancies in the legends."

"Can I come out yet?"

Continuity: Jolly Chronolidays operates tours of historical places and put on re-enactments of history for the tourists.

There is a high level of psionic radiation in the Sector of Forgotten Souls (where, supposedly, time is oldest), which occasionally dives people mad. Waving celery around is a good way for testing for dimensional instability (for example, it might change into a pineapple).

At this point in time, Time Lords are well known figures of history. The Celestial Preservation Agency makes sure history is preserved, and that the perception of history is also preserved. TARDISes tend to grieve when their owner dies, sometimes hurling themselves into the vortex, never to be seen again. Omega's starship is an Omegan [!] sun skimmer.

On the planet Eula the primitive tribes believe that flashing lights in the sky (caused by flash photography aboard the Jolly Chronolidays' shuttle) are angry gods breaking off bits of their sun.. The indigo moon of Kalveron is known for its beauty.

The Time Lords regarded Omega as a great hero up until the Doctor's encounter with him. He was originally known as Palix, and failed at the academy, gaining the lowest grade possible - "omega" grade. There's a story on Gallifrey about Palix the Annoyingly Curious, who wanted to know everything about everything. After 'Arc of Infinity', Sentia found him on Alkonol in a state of confusion, having stumbled into Ertikus' TARDIS in Amsterdam. Two books on Omega are Professor Markal Suhzeun 'Omega, the prodigal son' (price 44 drokners 99 screeples) and Professor Whedol Ertikus' 'Omega, the blackest star of them all'.

Rassilon was a Prydonian and stole all of Omega's glory for himself. According to Omega's flashbacks, Rassilon instigated a coup on Gallifrey.

The Doctor is "pushing 900". He claims to have won awards for prattling. He considers talking himself to be the first sign of sanity (figures!). He can tell when people are unconscious. He is a legendry figure in Time Lord history.

Links: 'Arc of Infinity', 'The Three Doctors', 'The Deadly Assassin' (Shabogans), 'Neverland' (Zagreus), The Eye of Orion, 'Remembrance of the Daleks' (Stellar Manipulator), 'Carnival of Monsters' (Lurmans), 'The Hand of Fear' (zeus plug), 'The Invasion of Time' (Vinkelgruber probe, Gallifrey invaded), 'Destiny of the Daleks' (Jane's Book of Spaceships), 'Planet of Fire' (Praxiteles).

Location: The Sector of Forgotten Souls. Flashbacks to Omega's detonation of the Star of Jartus.

Untelevised Adventures: The Doctor met Praxiteles who sculpted the Venus de Milo. He visited a Lurman colony outside the Stigoran asteroid belt and inadvertently destroyed the Scintillan race.

The Bottom Line: "I want to go home, Doctor"

An execllent story, though it feels at time like everyone seems to have been infected by a dry wit virus, it's a sheer delight to listen to. There is some confusion as to what is going on (how much was real, how much fantasy in Omega's mind?) and just what was the point of some scenes, but this doesn't stop enjoyment. Excellent cast all around, and we get a small taste of what Caroline Munro would have been like as a companion (phwoar!).