| THE SILURIANS by Malcolm Hulke |
| Story 52 AKA: Doctor Who And The Silurians Synopsis: The Wenley Moor Atomic Research Facility is having trouble with unexplained power losses. Not to mention the potholers who explored the nearby cave system, and seem to have gone quite mad. UNIT are called in, and the Doctor finds that the potholer is having flashbacks of race memory. Dr Lawrence is quiet adamant that UNIT must find the saboteurs, but the Doctor sees a dinosaur, whilst on a jaunt in the caves. He then discovers that Dr Quinn, also working at Wenley Moor, has made contact with a new species living in the caves. The Doctor meets their leader, and finds that these creatures pre-date humanity. The Brigadier thinks these creatures are a threat, and tries to invade the caves. The plan doesn't work. One of the younger, more dissident creatures, who objects to its leader negotiating with the creatures who were once mere pets, releases a plague which will kill all mankind, through contact. The Doctor is given a sample of the plague to test and find an antidote, but is then kidnapped by the creatures, leaving Liz to try and fathom out the answer. The dissident kills the leader, and with help from one of their scientists, plans to destroy the Van Allen Belt, to start remaking the world as it was for the creatures during the time they ruled the Earth. The Doctor persuades the creatures to return to their cave, whilst one of the minor staff from Wenley Moor defuses the destruction device. Keen to make full negotiations with the creatures, the Doctor is aghast when the Brigadier blows up the entrance to the caves, sealing the creatures away forever. |
| Review:- Continuing the storyline of the Doctor trapped on Earth, we find a story where the threat comes from strange green men, but the invasion theme is given a good twist - humanity are the invaders, and we are no more than parasites who got above our station. The creatures are named as Silurians here, and this alone has fuelled debates for 30 years. They were swifty renamed as Eocenes, although that got discounted too. The most "popular" name for them nowadays seems to be Earth Reptiles, although that begs a few questions in itself. For the purposes of any further mentions I make (and I did my damnedest not to in the synopsis), I shall refer to them as Silurians. Another sticking point is the title. Owing to a production mix-up, it was transmitted as Doctor Who And The Silurians, instead of just The Silurians, a la The Sensorites. Since this page is unofficial, I picked the title I think is best, as you can see. The story also concerns the relations between the Doctor and the human race with whom he is a reluctant lodger. As a neutral observer, the Doctor shows no favouritism to either side, only getting angry at those who wish to be supreme. His rebuttal of the Man from the Ministry, Masters, is soft compared to the contempt he shows after the Brigadier pulls his final card. Though this difference of opinion never really gets as bad again, it is memorable for happening at all. Also, would the Doctor really have expected the Silurians to rejoin society? Wouldn't this have rather put the kybosh on history as we know it, or was he trying to get the attention of the Time Lords? Perhaps the Brigadier DID the right thing. Malcolm Hulke's story is as nothing compared to the novelisation he wrote. This was one of the first novelisations I bought, and I cherish it for being so damn readable. Whether Jock Tangye the taxi driver, to Major Barker, he makes every character 3-dimensional, and even manages to use the viewpoints of the Silurians themselves, in possibly one of the most startlingly original chapters I think I've ever read. All in all, a strong story, and a good advert for 7-parters. |
| Disclaimer: I've read the book, and seen some of the TV version. |