Lionesses in Winter

My baby boy died, but his ghost lives on.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Synopsis

England, 1183 – The court of Henry II. The Doctor and Yaz gatecrash a right royal – if terrifyingly dysfunctional – family Christmas as Henry’s estranged wife Eleanor returns to spend Yuletide with the fam. The Doctor and Yaz uncover an imposter amongst them, but who are they really? And what do they want?

Review

The TARDIS crew land at the court of Henry II in this story, which is the closest we’ll probably get to a Christmas special for the Thirteenth Doctor. Those who have read my blog for a while will know that I love history. In particular, I wrote my dissertation on the relationship between Henry II and Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered in 1170.

What is the point of a crown? What is the point of having a whole kingdom if we can’t keep our babies safe?

Eleanor of Aquitaine

The second aspect of Henry II’s reign that historians tend to focus on is that of his relationship with his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his children, who led uprisings against him. That is where writer Lisa McMullin has chosen to write about in Lionesses in Winter. This story is an exploration of loss and grief at losing a child, or in Henry and Eleanor’s case, multiple children. Historically, they lost one child during infancy, William, and another in adulthood, Henry the Young King, in 1183, six months before the main events of this story. McMullin creates another child, Philip for the events of this story. As Eleanor reflects, there is little difference between royalty and their subjects when this is involved, despite the  perception at that time that a King would be closer to God than the common man. The grief aspect of the plot is really well written by McMullin. When Philip does seemingly come back, his parents accept him without question, with Henry appointing him as heir to the throne. This is despite the evidence of death and ruin that his reappearance brings. The performances of Kevin Mathurin as Henry II and Debra Baker as Eleanor are both superb, and made me feel their conflict and loss intensely. It is felt all the more when Eleanor and Henry reveal that they have both seen the mirror universe version of Philip, ultimately combined with the Doctor telling Yaz the truth: that the King and Queen will never reconcile fully and that this reapprochment had no real effect at all.

Not content with simply telling a story about that grief, McMullin also gives us comedy and science fiction in this story. That does almost leads to a mismatch of tones from dysfunctional family relationships to the potential end of everything by the story’s conclusion. If you perhaps were to lose the thread of this halfway through, then the end may come as a bit of a shock. I quite enjoyed it, but it is a bit of a switch. I always enjoy it when the TARDIS gets involved beyond simply getting the Doctor and their companions to and from the story, and that box is definitely ticked here, with the Doctor and Yaz taking Henry and Eleanor’s ward, Alys, back in time to investigate Philip, her imaginary friend who lives in the nursery mirror. I liked the science fiction element a lot more than the comedy side, but can see why that element was there – the story is otherwise quite grim and dark. There’s a lot of rotting and decay in this story as a result of Philip not being meant for this universe, and the scene where we hear that Henry and Eleanor are surrounded by rotten food did certainly make me feel a little bit queasy.

This story does further the arc of the Tourist, revealing that it is a parasitic being that is jumping between bodies. It possesses the mirror version of Philip, bringing him into the main universe, causing decay and destruction until the Doctor is able to separate them from the mirror Philip, allowing him to return to his own realm. The story of the Tourist does not end here, however, with the villainous entity seeking revenge.

The story sees the Doctor and Yaz both have a lot to do and spend a lot of time together in this story. That being said, the story starts with them separated, with the Doctor sitting in Henry’s throne – an ultimately Doctor-ish move if every there was one – and Yaz lost in the maze in the grounds of the palace, accompanied by Philip. This scene is really well directed, and the effects on Philip’s voice and the howling wind around the pair works really well. In these early stages, we establish that Eleanor recognises the Doctor and knows Yaz, which is resolved within the story as a result of a bootstrap paradox. Despite the celebrity historical, the Doctor and Yaz spend most of their time with King and Queen’s ward, Alys, who is betrothed to their son, Richard. Alys reveals that Philip is her imaginary friend from childhood made manifest, adding to the central mystery. Both Whittaker and Gill are on good form here, with Whittaker showing that she is more than capable of dealing with the different facets the role requires and Gill providing admirable support. Both have shown what Big Finish can do for their characters, and I’m really enjoying spending more time with them as a duo.

Verdict: Lionesses in Winter is a good historical tale, which ties into the wider arc of this series nicely. I enjoyed the Doctor visiting two figures who interest me personally, as well as the story generally, even if it can feel as though there is a mismatch of tones. 8/10

Cast: Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor), Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan), Kevin Mathurin (King Henry II/Prince Richard), Debra Baker (Eleanor of Aquitaine), Dolly Webb (Alys) & Ammar Duffus (Prince Philip/The Tourist/Prince John).

Writer: Lisa McMullin

Director: Steven Kavuma

Music and Sound: Joe Kraemer

Release Date: 13 November 2025

Best Quote

There’s something rotten in the state of England, and I think it might be Philip.

The Thirteenth Doctor

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