Thursday, December 08, 2011
Survivors in Space is the concluding part of the adventure that began in The Hexford Invasion, as well as the closing chapter of the Serpent Crest series. The Doctor has retained custody of the dangerous Skishtari gene egg for far too long and its owners intend to reclaim it.Picking up the story three months on, we find Mike Yates presiding over a society on the brink. After the climatic tussle, which saw the quiet Sussex village of Hexford uprooted by a giant alien spaceship and sucked through a time space wormhole, we find it unceremoniously dumped on a lonely moon in outer space. Despite Mike’s best efforts, morale and supplies are running low and the outlook is grim.
Yates is not alone though, as he is aided by the Second Doctor whose bio-mesh trees have provided a breathable atmosphere and encased the village in a protective shield. But this Doctor seems to have an agenda of his own and is looking to break through the barrier.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey, who have the Skishtari egg in their possession, are nowhere to be seen...
Paul Magrs' imagination gives us a wonderful slice of British spirit. Faced with the impossibility of the situation, village life goes on regardless with a pub quiz and talk of the Christmas production of Aladdin. The fussy Reverend Tonge (Cornelius Garrett) comes into his own here, endeavouring to carry on though he appears to have become decidedly erratic. Joanna Tope is on hand too as the ever enthusiastic Tish Madoc making a great comic double-act with her cousin, the wonderfully worrisome Deirdre 'whatsit' (Nerys Hughes).
Mike Yates (Richard Franklin) gets to play a central role, assuming narrative duties and ruminating on the loneliness of command. There are plenty of moments for series references too; I enjoyed mentions of both the Brigadier and Sgt. Benton. It’s been great to see the character of Mike have a second lease of life within these tales and even a hint of romance too.
“Your thinking is as woolly as your ludicrous neck-wear!”
After holding off in the first part, our patience is finally rewarded by a meeting between Doctors Two and Four. It is fair to say that it’s a meeting like no other, as traditional series conventions go out of the window in favour of an argument that descends into a scuffle! Whereas some multi-Doctor tales have been less than successful over the years this particular encounter manages to set one against the other for solid story reasons, rather than Time Lord machinery or machinations, and is all the more enjoyable for it.
David Troughton’s Second Doctor and Tom Baker play beautifully against each other and there are some very amusing scenes, such as an uncomfortable meal at Nest Cottage where the Fourth brandishes his old 500 year diary and demands answers!
Mrs Wibbsey (Susan Jameson) delivers some great lines here also, clipping the wings of the Doctor’s ego with pithy asides. Her dismay at the state of her kitchen, left in the care of Mike Yates, was excellent. Wibbs seems to have developed a taste for adventure now and is far from the unwilling companion of earlier series.
Certain things that have seemed predestined since Tsar Wars do indeed come to pass. The conclusion to the tale is stirring stuff, playing out like a disaster movie as the Shishtari and the Robotovs face off with Hexford as the chosen battle ground. Serpent Crest has taken us through space adventure, historical drama and fictional worlds within worlds, but it all boils down to a fight for custody of that egg and its contents in this hugely enjoyable adventure.
Both The Hexford Invasion and Survivors in Space are available either on CD from all the usual places, or on download from AudioGO.
Posted in: Doctor Who,Ian McArdell,PastTimesBBCBaker
