The Renaissance Man

[Theta Sigma]

The Renaissance Man is the second story of the first season of Big Finish’s Fourth Doctor Adventures starring Tom as the Fourth Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela.
Written by Justin Richards and released in February 2012.
Although the episode title does not refer to the Fourth Doctor, Justin Richards in the interviews has said he always thought of the Fourth Doctor as Renaissance Man.
The Renaissance Man has Tom reunited with his Masque of Mandragora co-star Gareth Armstrong. In The Masque of Mandragora, Armstrong played Giuliano, here in The Renaissance Man he played Jephson.
Also in the guest cast was Ian McNeice who had appeared in the TV series in some Matt Smith episodes as real-life British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In The Renaissance Man he played Reginald Harcourt. The Doctor in The Renaissance Man does mention Churchill in passing. An in-joke perhaps.
The Renaissance Man has the Doctor promising to take Leela to the famous Morovanian Museum but ends in a quiet English village instead. However not everything is as it seems.
Justin Richards has provided a good mystery with The Renaissance Man and the lesson of the difference between knowledge and understanding.
Among the interesting things said in the aforementioned interviews is McNeice revealing why his character was called Harcourt and that is because it was also the name of his character in the original Edge of Darkness mini-series.

[ThetaSigma]

I have it and have enjoyed listing to it. Who could have thought the Tomness would return to the role for which he is so beloved and produced such high quality work?