| THE PLOTTERS by Gareth Roberts |
| Story ? Synopsis: England, 1605. The Doctor is apologetic that he hasn't got Ian and Barbara home, but they decide to watch a Shakespearean performance whilst in town. The Doctor takes Vicki to have a look at the work on the King James Bible. Whilst in a tavern, Ian and Barbara find a coded message, and become part of a fight between Catholics and Protestants. Barbara is knocked unconscious, and Ian is separated from her. The Doctor cons his way into the palace, claiming he and Vicki are pilgrims. Barbara finds herself a prisoner of Catesby and Guy Fawkes, the Gunpowder plotters. After finding the TARDIS stolen, Ian has to try and get help from some cobblers. King James takes a fancy to Vicki, who has been told by the Doctor to pretend to be "Victor". The Doctor is attacked by a mysterious Spaniard, and makes an enemy of Sir Robert Cecil, and the King's favourite, Bob Hay. Barbara wins Fawkes over, though Catesby is sceptical. Vicki finds herself in an underground cavern, and finds the Spaniard is Hay in disguise. The Doctor pals up with Cecil, realising he is masterminding the plot, but certain that someone is also manipulating him. They start looking for the missing Vicki, and find the underground cavern. Barbara is freed by Fawkes. Soon after, Ian arrives, as Catesby kills Fawkes in a rage. He is then kept prisoner, to be killed when the Gunpowder Plot catches fire. The Doctor and Cecil find evidence that they are in the lair of the mastermind, and find it is Hay. Hay believes the Doctor to be a Grand Behemoth, and lets him and Vicki go. However, in disguise, Hay leads Barbara to his underground lair. The Doctor sends Vicki back to find the TARDIS key, which is missing, and to free Cecil. Though Vicki blurts out the truth about the Doctor, she and Barbara are able to thwart Hay temporarily. Cecil, restored to his position, leads a raid on the room where the plotters will set off the gunpowder explosion. Ian is rescued, and Hay, desperate to complete his plot, is used by Cecil to take Fawkes' place. The Doctor is asked to exorcise a mysterious blue box, by King James, and he takes long enough to allow Ian to be freed, and the plot uncovered. In the ensuing confusion, Ian, Barbara, Susan and the Doctor get into the TARDIS, and take off. The coded message turns out to be a message from Hay to the plotters, written phonetically. |
| Review:- So, back to the past, and one of the most famous dates in English history - November the 5th, 1605, as the "truth" about the Gunpowder Plot is "revealed". This was the only Missing Adventure that Gareth Roberts wrote which didn't use the team of the 4th Doctor, Romana and K-9, and its success shows that he was more versatile than might be assumed. The travellers soon pair off, each thinking they have no hidden agenda, and yet all four are soon embroiled in the subterfuge, as various parties conspire to unleash religious disharmony, or social uproar onto the world. Their travails make for compelling page-turning excitement. The keystone is the figure of Bob Hay. He is first seen merely as someone in the King's favour, but he is soon seen more clearly as a conniving rogue, with high ambitions, manipulating all and sundry to achieve his ends. Whilst his background is only briefly sketched, he breathes as a believeable character, and makes a compelling enemy for the Doctor to face. The historical figures all seem credible. The manipulative Cecil, and the fickle King James seem to be properly represented, which helps make for a thrilling book. Fawkes and Catesby are infamous now, so it's easy to imagine that they have motivations as appreciable as anyone we know. The interactions and subplots all work to good effect. The Doctor's investigation of the King James Bible is a clever and funny touch that many writers wouldn't have thought of. The cobblers are good plebeian stock types, who provide good support for Ian and Barbara when they find history tougher than they expect. On the whole, this is a clever and witty book that entrances the reader with a strong plot and good characters. What more can one ask for? It also makes the historical arrangement seem as relevant and exciting nowadays as it was at the time. A recommendable book. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |