| THE SPECTRE OF LANYON MOOR by Nicholas Pegg |
| Story 9 Synopsis: The TARDIS lands on a hillside, where the Doctor and Evelyn meet a woman walking dogs, and realise they're in Cornwall. They come across a burial mound, a fogou, where an archeological dig is underway. They are invited back to its base, where they meet the Doctor's old friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and Sir Archibald Flint, financial backer. The Doctor finds a relic that suggests alien involvement, and the Brigadier says there are strange reports about the fogou on Lanyon Moor. Evelyn visits Sir Archibald to use his library for research. She walks back across the moor, where she meets a young hiker. But they are attacked, and the hiker is killed. Evelyn is soon rescued, and the Doctor forbids any further digging on the Moor. When he goes to get equipment from the TARDIS, he finds it gone. Evelyn sneaks back out to Sir Archibald's manor, but finds he is in league with some mysterious power, and plans to usurp the world. He tortures her. The Doctor tries to contact the entity that killed the hiker. He breaks Sir Archibald's connection with the creature, saving Evelyn. She escapes, but returns with help. The Doctor and the Brigadier go to Goonhilly to try tracking the creature, having established the creature is a Tregannon. They are unable to prevent its recreation as a physical form, Sancreeda. They rush back to the archeological base. Sancreeda is still missing one component of its craft, which Evelyn took. He kills Sir Archibald, rescuing Evelyn. The Doctor and the Brigadier are pleased to see Evelyn return, but less pleased with Sancreeda. The Tregannon summons its ship, having been trapped for 18,000 years, having been abandoned by his brother, Screefan. But the ship arrives empty, the Doctor realising that Screefan didn't abandon Sancreeda at all - rather he was shot by accident and has been dead all the time. Sancreeda decides to destroy Earth as he leaves, but the Brigadier seizes a vital piece of equipment, and Sancreeda's ship explodes in the air, killing the Tregannon. |
| Review:- Evelyn Smythe's 1st full adventure sees a trip to Cornwall, and a chance to meet one of the Doctor's oldest friends... but there's a seriously deadly danger down in the fogou... The idea of fiendish imps is hardly new, but there is a bit of zest to this story that covers for such twee ideas. The archaeological backdrop and the lineage of Sir Archibald add a colour and depth that might otherwise be sorely lacking. The best thing about this story is its guest cast. James Bolam and Susan Jameson are one of the many husband & wife teams that Big Finish has used over the years, and its not obvious that they're both tied by their worship of Sancreeda and desires for power. Sir Archibald seems just a pleasant gentry type, whilst Mrs Moynihan is just a dotty countryfied housekeeper. But when their moment comes, they are revealed as profoundly nasty pieces of work, who are gullibly manipulated into giving Sancreeda what he needs, and are repaid justifiably in return. The other main guest turn is Nicholas Courtney, here Brigadiering on the sly, allowing UNIT's investigative remit to take precedence over its usual alien-bashing qualities. His firm and friendly history with the Doctor enables some warmth to come across, defusing the popular cant about this incarnation of the Doctor being prickly. Sancreeda makes a decent villain, manipulating his pawns for much of the story, before being released in all his dread evil towards the end. The bitter irony of his brother's fate is rather sad, though if the boot had been on the other foot, would Screefan have been just as maniacal? It's amusing to see the story spread its wings a bit to encompass a quick whizz down to Goonhilly, as well as a fateful encounter in an Athens museum. Less engaging is the double-dealing, which seems silly with a cast this small. Mr Ludgate's duplicity explains why he doesn't rescue Evelyn from Sir Archibald, but with no hints beforehand, it seems like a twist for the heck of it. Ditto Sancreeda's disguise as the Professor in the last part, which similarly comes out of nowhere, except perhaps plot convenience. The other black mark in the story is Nikki the hitch-hiker, whose sole purpose is to get killed during the 1st cliffhanger. Other than that though, it's an engaging and dramatic little story that sets out to scare and generally does so. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |