FRIDAY 27 AUGUST

Doubtless it was pure coincidence that Culture Beat’s hymn to Mr Vain – “the debonair one”, the “male epitome” like “style has never seen” – was at the top of the UK charts in the week that Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor finally returned to the BBC.

The five-part Radio 5 adventure The Paradise of Death, in which the Doctor investigated bizarre events at Space World, a theme park on Hampstead Heath, began airing at 6.30pm on Friday 27 August. “I wanted to bring Doctor Who over to radio years ago after television started dithering around about whether they wanted to make a new series and it’s going very well,” Pertwee told journalist Philip Williams for a piece syndicated across many local newspapers.

Celebrating its third year on air that day, Radio 5 was originally, in part, a youth channel, which was why the Doctor found himself investigating Space World’s oh-so-1993 virtual reality section. Or rather, ‘Experienced Reality’ – which enabled Nicholas Courtney’s Brigadier to take his place on a couch, and find himself on a beach, looking down to discover he was wearing someone else’s legs. “Good heavens above!” he exclaimed. “Since when have I ever painted my toenails pink?!” Nonetheless, he fancied another go, until the Doctor warned him he’d only want another, and another – “until you’re as hooked on ER as a junkie is on heroin!” Meanwhile, Elisabeth Sladen’s Sarah tried to interest her editor at Metropolitan magazine – revealed to be one Clorinda (Jillie Meers) – in a story with a possible alien dimension. She ended up saddled with a daft posho named Jeremy (Richard Pearce), and had to photograph a crabclawed Kamelius in the alien zoo herself, because, as Jeremy explained: “Clorinda sent her own camera, and if a monster eats it we’re both sacked.”