Derek Jacobi plays a flamboyant newcomer calling himself Christopher Columbus. He dresses wildly, acts mad, does magic tricks and charms the children like a veritable Pied Piper. And he's pretty pied. But does he have an ulterior motive? Nahhh.
Jacobi's performance highlights this late entry in the series. He grips one's attention with his first line of narration. He charms the viewer as much as the children.
Clive Swift has a fairly thankless role any competent actor could play. And he has little camera time.
The resolution takes a long time but there is a nice, switch ending. The acting is never overwrought, as some of these episodes can be.
