Adventures Go Fourth

Data Breach

The fifth episode of Series 4 was originally produced as the finale of Series 3, but was moved for reasons described extensively in the previous issue.

The episode sees the Doctor, Erin and Kyle land in 2011 at UNIT HQ. The TARDIS has been knocked off course and they hadn’t intended to go there. However, they are quickly distracted when they are met by Jo Jones, who gives them a warm hug and says how nice it is to see them again. She remarks that she hasn’t seen Erin and Kyle since 1978, to which they say that it only feels like a few weeks ago, before they all laugh.

The Doctor asks if anything is wrong… as the TARDIS has diverted them there and Jo explains that yes… there is something wrong. They go inside and Jo explains that every piece of data that UNIT has gathered on its hard drives has been mysteriously stolen, and not just UNIT but every single intelligence service in the EU. The Doctor says that they should be able to reverse engineer the signal that gained access to the UNIT servers, but Jo explains that without UNIT’s data, they wouldn’t be able to locate a match. The Doctor says that the TARDIS will be able to do it for them but they go to the TARDIS and the Doctor finds its data banks entirely empty too.

The Doctor, Erin, and Kyle are baffled by the disappearance of the data from both UNIT and the TARDIS. Jo suggests they continue consulting with UNIT’s best scientists to see if they can work something out. The scientists, led by Dr Ball, explain that the signal that compromised the UNIT servers was highly advanced and not of human origin, but that’s all they have.

The Doctor and her companions then travel to different locations across Europe, investigating leads and trying to find any information that might lead them to the aliens responsible. Finally, they discover a clue that leads them to a hidden underground bunker in Germany.

Inside the bunker, they find an undercover alien spy team that has been collecting data from all the intelligence services and from the TARDIS. The aliens reveal that they are trying to find a way to stop a great evil from destroying the universe. They explain that they believe the data they have collected might hold the key to stopping this evil. The Doctor realises that the aliens are telling the truth and decides to help them. She and her companions work with the aliens to analyse the data and try to find a solution, on the condition that all the data is returned. They piece together the data and then leave, thanking the Doctor for her help. The data is returned to UNIT but Erin and Kyle seem confused, with lots of unanswered questions. The Doctor remains silent and secretive, however. Later, as they leave, Jo thanks the Doctor for her help and the companions say goodbye, promising to stay in touch. The TARDIS takes off and disappears into the time vortex, leaving UNIT HQ behind.

Kyle's Schooldays

Theepisode commences with Kyle donning the guise of a teacher and infiltrating a classroom in the 1960s. Coincidentally, we discover that both his younger self and Erin are among his pupils before the opening credits roll.

During the course of the episode, Kyle's perception of reality is impaired, and he intermittently becomes aware of the incongruities surrounding him. However, for the most part, he remains oblivious to the fact that his younger self is enrolled in his class. During one of his rare moments of lucidity, he tries to reach out to the Doctor, expressing his conviction that temporal order has been disrupted.

The Doctor and Erin are aboard the TARDIS, attempting to locate Kyle, who has been kidnapped during an off-screen mission. Despite being clueless about his whereabouts, they utilise the TARDIS scanners to search for temporal distortions that might aid in their quest.

As they journey through time and space, they begin to notice peculiar readings emanating from a particular point in time. After conducting a thorough investigation, they conclude that the source of the readings is a school from the 1960s, where Kyle is presently instructing. Upon their arrival, they observe that the school appears to be abandoned, with no trace of Kyle or any students. Suddenly, they hear a clamour emanating from one of the classrooms, prompting them to investigate. Upon entering the room, they find themselves face-to-face with a group of extraterrestrial beings who are holding Kyle hostage.

The Doctor recognizes that these entities are Temporal Shapers, a species that can manipulate time and shape it as they see fit. They have been utilising Kyle to instruct their own class, thereby extending their reach throughout time and space.

The Doctor confronts the Shapers, demanding Kyle's immediate release. Nevertheless, the Shapers remain unyielding, believing that they have a new, valuable pupil. As a result, a stalemate ensues, with the Doctor and Erin trying to free Kyle while the Shapers attempt to obstruct them.

Just as the situation appears hopeless, the younger Kyle enters the classroom, alerted by the noise. The older Kyle is astounded by the sight of his younger self, and the Doctor realises that this is the key to defeating the Shapers. She instructs the younger Kyle to impart a lesson that he had once taught to his peers, one that emphasised the power of individuality and how each person has a unique role to play in the world.

As the younger Kyle conveys the lesson, his words resonate with his fellow students, including the older Kyle, who is still under the Shapers' influence. The students begin to resist the Shapers' control, causing the creatures to weaken.

With the Shapers weakened, the Doctor and Erin are able to liberate Kyle and vanquish the creatures. The Doctor explains to Kyle that he was abducted because he is an extraordinary individual with a distinctive perspective and the power to resist the Shapers' influence.

She thanks him for his courage and his lesson, which ultimately saved the day.

As the episode concludes, the Doctor, Erin, and Kyle return to the TARDIS, with Kyle now more cognizant of the perils and responsibilities of time travel. The Doctor reminds him that he is a vital compo- nent of a larger universe and has an essential role to play in it. As the TARDIS fades into the vortex, Kyle gazes back at the school one last time, feeling a sense of pride and purpose.

Victory of the Sontarans

TheTARDIS lands in the middle of a battlefield in the future… and soon it becomes obvious which two armies are fighting. The Sontarans and the Daleks! As the battle rages on, the Doctor, Erin, and Kyle find themselves in the thick of the action. They dodge blasts and explosions, narrowly avoiding death at every turn. The Doctor is concerned for her companions' safety, but they insist on staying and helping in any way they can.

Making contact with the Sontaran Commander, he leads them towards a group of troops who are under heavy fire from the Daleks. The Doctor begins disabling some of the Dalek weapons, giving the Sontarans a much-needed advantage.

Erin and Kyle follow the Doctor's lead, using their quick thinking and resourcefulness to help turn the tide of the battle. Erin grabs a discarded weapon and starts firing at the Daleks, while Kyle uses his wits to distract them and lead them into Sontaran traps.

Despite their best efforts, the Daleks continue to advance. The Doctor knows they need to do something drastic if they want to turn the tide of the battle. She turns to the Sontaran Commander and asks if there is anything they can do to gain an advantage.

The Commander nods and leads the trio towards a nearby cliff. He explains that there is a hidden tunnel system beneath it that leads to the Daleks' base. If they can get inside and take out the Daleks' central command, the battle will be won.

The Doctor, Erin, and Kyle make their way through the tunnels, dodging traps and fighting off Dalek patrols. They finally reach the central command and find themselves face to face with the Dalek leader.

The Doctor engages the Dalek leader in a fierce battle of wits, trying to find a way to defeat him without resorting to violence. The Dalek leader, however, is ruthless and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Quietly, as things look bad, the Dalek leader taunts the Doctor, subtly, mentioning some “deal” that she’s made.

Just as it seems that all is lost, the Sontarans launch a surprise attack on the Daleks' base, catching them off guard and turning the tide of the battle once again. The Daleks are quickly defeated, and the Sontarans claim victory.

The Sontaran Commander thanks the Doctor, Erin, and Kyle for their help and declares them honorary Sontarans. The Doctor smiles and accepts the honour, but she can't help but feel a sense of sadness at the violence and destruction she has witnessed, and reflects on this as she takes off in the TARDIS.

Opening Night

Theepisode begins with a wide shot of BBC Television Centre with the caption “20 April 1964”, just as the TARDIS lands outside in the car park. The trio quickly enter the building as Erin and Kyle talk about their childhood memories of watching the BBC. The Doctor explains that they’ve come there because she picked up a strange signal emanating from the building.

They pass through reception easily, as the receptionist thinks that they’re performers for the “opening night”, but as they get into the lift, they look over and see a live kangaroo in the lift with them. There’s a moment of pause before complete uncontrollable laughter from the trio. But then… the lift stops moving and they become stuck in there with a kangaroo. The trio then work together to get the lift moving again and eventually get to their floor, as the kangaroo leaps out in front of them and down the corridor.

As they follow the kangaroo down the corridor, the Doctor detects the signal getting stronger. They turn a corner and come face to face with a group of people dressed in strange costumes, clearly rehearsing for something. One of them, a tall man in a top hat, approaches them. They explain that they are performers for BBC Two’s big launch night variety extravaganza! All three of them get very excited when they hear that it’s BBC Two’s launch night before Erin says that she remembers it all went wrong. Kyle says that he remembers too. The Doctor says that surely it’s relevant and it has something to do with this signal.

As the story continues, the programme is about to go on air and BBC Two is about to launch, before, just at the last moment, the lights go out. The power is lost. The signal gets stronger as chaos ensues around them. They find out that there’s been a power outage at Battersea Power Station and the entirety of West London has lost power. Everyone is told to calm down as the BBC has power generators, and they’ll soon come into action, but the Doctor and Erin follow the signal to the power room and see an abstract electric-looking alien creature feeding off the generator.

Meanwhile, Kyle helps out the BBC Two team as they attempt to get in contact with Alexandra Palace and transfer the broadcast over to them.

The Doctor and Erin try to communicate with the creature, but it seems hostile and starts to attack them. The Doctor remembers seeing something similar before and realises that the creature is from a parallel universe where electricity is sentient. She quickly comes up with a plan and tells Erin to gather as much metal as she can find. They manage to find some cables, metal rods, and other bits of scrap metal. The Doctor then creates a makeshift Faraday cage around the creature, trapping it inside.

As the creature struggles to break free, the Doctor manages to reverse the polarity of the generator, causing a surge of electricity to flow through the metal cage and into the creature. The alien is weakened and starts to shrink until it disappears completely.

Back in the studio, the power is still off, and the Doctor says the generator won’t be able to recover until the morning. The broadcast is, however, successfully up and running (thanks to Kyle’s help) at Alexander Palace. The trio then depart in the TARDIS as we cut to the Stevenson’s house in 1964 and see a young Erin and her parents watching the broadcast.

How it Happened

This episode was written especially in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the BBC, but somewhat bizarrely, the episode is actually about the launch night of BBC Two in 1964, just 58 years earlier. This was due to the fact that Simon Guerrier just thought that there was a more interesting and Doctor Who-y story in BBC Two’s launch night.

The First Adventure

The episode begins with the Doctor, Erin and Kyle sitting in the TARDIS between adventures. The conversation moves to how the Doctor started out her adventures and she begins to tell the story of her first ever adventure.

We cut to the TARDIS as it lands on the surface of an alien planet and the First Doctor and Susan step out, eager to explore. The air is thick with a strange mist, and the ground beneath their feet is soft and spongy.

The Doctor exclaims with excitement that they are on a new planet, a new world, and their adventures can begin together. Susan beams at him and asks what they should do first. The Doctor says that they need to get their bearings and suggests climbing to the top of a nearby hill. They begin to make their way up the hill, but soon find themselves struggling in the thick mist. The mist on the planet has a strange quality to it, almost as if it were alive. They struggle to keep their footing, sliding on the spongy ground as they make their way upwards.

When they reach the top, the mist begins to clear, revealing a sprawling landscape of strange, alien trees and colourful vegetation. But in the distance, they can see movement, something big and menacing.

Susan quickly pulls out a small, silver contraption, from her pocket, that looks like it was made from bits and pieces he had scavenged from the TARDIS. As they approach, what seems to be, a creature, Susan holds out the device, as it emits a strange, blue light. The creature stops in its tracks, its eyes fixed on the device.

"We mean you no harm. We are travellers, explorers from another world," says the Doctor.

The Doctor and Susan spend several hours communicating with the creature, learning about its way of life and customs. They discovered that it is from a peaceful species. It is also intelligent and curious, eager to learn about the Doctor and Susan and their home world.

As they make their way back to the TARDIS, the Doctor and Susan discuss the device she had made. "I think it worked quite well," said the Doctor. "I'll need to make some adjustments, of course, but I think it has potential." Susan nods, her mind already racing with ideas for other devices she could make. The Doctor smiled back at her, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "The universe is full of wonders, and we're just getting started."

We then cut back to the Fourteenth Doctor, Erin and Kyle as they remark how much they love their adventures with the Doctor.