Somewhere far back in the early days of the universe the TARDIS lands on a world lit by a dying sun. Missing from the Doctor’s star maps and dotted with strange crystalline statues, it is a world ripe for exploration. But it is also a world of destruction.
Venturing out onto its surface, the time travellers find themselves drawn into an age-old conflict between the two species residing on the planet – people of Light and Shadow. Proving a catalyst for the escalation of the conflict, the Doctor and his friends need either to create a peace or to pick a side.
Because in times of war, nothing is ever black and white.
THE LOST STORIES: THE DARK PLANET
In addition to the multiple anniversary-themed releases from Big Finish, 2013 also saw the fourth and final series of Lost Stories reach the shelves at the same time. The first of these, Brian Hayles’ “The Dark Planet,” adapted by Matt Fitton, also serves as the final William Hartnell Lost Story, and it tries to hit many of the same notes as its predecessors. And while the production values are generally excellent, the story itself is unfortunately too underwhelming to make the play truly worthwhile.
It’s been said about many 1960s Doctor Who stories, and it certainly applies here: there is no good reason for “The Dark Planet” to be six episodes long. At its heart it follows the traditional capture-recapture mechanics that underpin so many Doctor Who stories, but the pace is so slow that it can take an entire episode simply to relocate from one location to another. It’s undeniable that the production attempts to turn the atmosphere up to 11, and while this is especially effective in the first episode, it loses its appeal as the story continues. The problem is that the conflict isn’t particularly interesting – you’ve got two opposing factions, one literally made from darkness and the other from light – and the Doctor desperately trying to mediate between them. The result of the mediation is interesting – it goes for the unexpected result like many other stories of the period – but it takes such a long time to get there that it’s hard to appreciate. Perhaps listening to one episode a week would help?
I greatly enjoyed the characterization, something that was often on display and quite underrated in the Hartnell era. I’m assuming Fitton worked in the details about the Doctor’s people understanding stellar engineering, but it’s written in such a way that it fits perfectly with the period. The Doctor interferes because he feels honor-bound to do so, somewhat prefiguring “The Silurians” and his third incarnation’s attempts to intervene there. You can tell from his strong moral streak that we’re into season 2; this characterization wouldn’t have been there with the original cast. Vicki gets her usual moments of whimpering and screaming, but she’s also written as an intelligent, proactive young woman who drives a significant portion of the plot by herself. It’s probably better writing than most of her TV appearances, to be honest. And while there’s not much to say about Ian and Barbara that hasn’t already been said, their wonderful blending of intellect and empathy is again at the fore throughout this story.
I should also praise the acting. We all know about William Russell’s greatness by this point, but the ease with which he switches between narrator, Ian, and the Doctor is still remarkable given how recognizable each voice is. Maureen O’Brien makes her Lost Stories debut, and while her impression of Jacqueline Hill isn’t spectacular, she recaptures the youthful tones of Vicki so easily it’s hard to believe it’s been almost 50 years. John Banks and Charlie Norfolk contribute as well, but the old companions are the stars, and rightfully so.
And then there’s the production, which is uniformly excellent. There’s only so much Ken Bentley can do with the pace, but the performances are fantastic and the atmosphere often intimidating. Toby Hrycek-Robinson’s sound design is quite effective, underpinning the narration with a broader soundscape than we’ve heard in other Lost Stories of this era. And the music is instantly memorable with its xylophone-themed cues. Overall, “The Dark Planet” is both an enjoyable and a frustrating listen. Everything about the production is great except for the script, and even then its only serious flaws are the incredibly slow pace and the straightforward conflict. It’s well worth hearing, and it’s a fine start to the final series of Lost Stories, but it’s just not as good as some of its predecessors.
Recommended.
6/10