The Dark Planet

The TARDIS travels millions of years into the past and lands on a planet which is lit only by a dying sun. There is no immediate sign of life, just a few crystalline forms like statues on the barren plains. Upon exploring, though, the TARDIS crew realize that the planet is very much inhabited, but by a species which can convert its very being into either light or dark, and both factions have been at war for supremacy. As the planet's final days draw closer, the Doctor, Barbara, Ian and Vicki are drawn into the conflict, and if they are to survive they are either going to have to pick a side, or make peace.

The Dark Planet is another of the Big Finish Lost Stories range originally written by Brian Hayles. It's easy to understand why it might not have been selected for broadcast as it would have been far too ambitious for the series at the time (they would require effects levels similar to those in the 2005 episode The Unquiet Dead to make it work). The people of light are capable of freezing into solid statue like shapes of crystal and then transforming into intangible light waves which are transmitted through other crystals as their means of transport. The dark forces are able to merge together into a huge mass which smothers out the light, moving in the spaces between molecules to travel. It is through such levels of molecular movement that the darkness is able to invade the TARDIS in what would have been a frightening scene for young viewers back in the day.

The story is six episodes in length, which was common for the epic tales of its time, but it did not feel like six episodes when I listened to it. Granted I split it up over three days, taking in two at a time while I did other things around the house (sitting and just listening I find I nod off, no matter how good the story is). It has a similar feel to The Web Planet with its described vast open spaces and featureless plains, which could be another reason why it was shelved. Now that is has been resurrected, though, we get the "hurrah" factor that comes with finally getting to hear the story, but the letdown that is the fact that neither William Hartnell nor Jacqueline Hill are with us to act their old roles as the Doctor and Barbara respectively. Surviving cast members William Russell and Maureen O'Brien do return as Ian and Vicki, as well as performing other roles in the story with some added voice modulation; in Russel's case, though, he needs very little mechanical assistance in delivering his take on Hartnell's Doctor. Incidentally, William Russell is 91 years old this November (2016) so he manages to sound both like his younger self and the aged Doctor in this and other Big Finish tales - truly remarkable.

I did not find any direct continuity links between The Dark Planet and any other episodes from the era in which is it set, so sticking it in between The Web Planet (and subsequently The Eleventh Tiger as a buffer) and The Crusade is my best option. No-one on the regular cast says or does anything that would contradict any other stories around it, and unlike the BBC Books there is no further delving into the growing bond between Ian and Barbara. Originally I had planned to follow this with another audio, The Doctor's Tale, but have since discovered it contains references to stories to come, so I have placed it further off now, and we will return to the televised episodes next...

NEXT EPISODE: THE CRUSADE