| THE ROOF OF THE WORLD by Adrian Rigelsford |
| Story 59 Synopsis: The Doctor lands the TARDIS aboard a train, en route to a cricket match in Tibet, 1917. An encounter with a strange man leads to trouble for Erimem, who begins to hear a voice. During the fateful match, a huge stormcloud descends, and the Doctor recognises it must be sentient. To his horror, he sees Erimem at its mercy. She appears to die, but instead is taken on a journey by a stranger she doesn't know. He tells her that his father was aware of her power in connection to ancient powerful gods, and tried to kill her. He also tries to use Peri and the Doctor to break her faith, and make her amenable to helping them. Eventually, she gives in and agrees. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Peri try to trace where she could have gone. They use photographs of the mountains to spot the movement of the cloud, finally tracing a likely hiding place. Using the TARDIS, they find a possessed Erimem in an ice pyramid. The Doctor tries to isolate Erimem, but is transported to the lair of her captors, two ancient and evil beings. Peri deduces a way to thwart the cloud with liquid nitrogen canisters, and in the confusion, the Doctor is able to rescue Erimem. A controlled explosion of the pyramid leads to an avalanche, keeping the evil locked away for a long time. |
| Review:- A rather odder pseudo-historical than some, as a mountain expedition leads to disaster, and it's just not cricket... The unusual setting and time period gives a different sense of wonder to things, and this is helped by General Bruce, ably played by Sylvester Morand. Sounding every inch an amiable military buffer, but one whose public bluster hides a private understanding of his own ability. In lesser hands, he would have been a horrid, boorish bore, but instead he comes across as charming and the best of British. It soon turns out that Erimem is to be the centre of the story, thanks to some dreary backstory that her father recognised mystic tales of ancient powers, and although the 2nd episode is long and at times repetitive, it does at least allow Edward da Souza, as the main bad god, to excel at playing icy creepiness. Thereafter, it's a matter of finding Erimem again, and rescuing her from the clutches of da Souza, and William Franklyn as his fellow prisoner. Their ice pyramid gaol is never really presented as convincingly as anything else, which doesn't do them any favours. Nor are their characters given much to do, since their omnipotence has already been proven. Sadly, as with Nekromanteia, a lead character dies, only to be helpfully restored by a convenient deity. Familiarity breeds contempt, and it's a ropey idea in the first place. Fortunately for the listeners, the Doctor has a 2nd companion, and Peri it is who saves the day, with help from Bruce, who is tested and not found wanting. His heroism and unwitting over-explosiveness helps the play to a more satisfying conclusion than it might otherwise have achieved. Erimem is able to join the Doctor and Peri again, but for once, they have been overshadowed by a simple hero, just doing his duty. Whilst its attempts at trying something different should be applauded, the success of this play is not down to its rather weak sci-fi trappings - it is Bruce who saves the day. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |