Companion Chronicle: The Darkening Eye

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Writer: Stewart Sheargold

Director: Ken Bentley

Producer: David Richardson

Narrator: Nyssa

Series: 3.6

Summary: Nyssa tells one of her patients on the Plague Ship from “Terminus” of how she, Tegan, Turlough, and the Doctor encountered the Dar Traders, who made her immune to all diseases, including the one that has infected the ship.

Review: I’ll admit when I recently watched “Terminus”, I did wonder why Nyssa wasn’t contracting the disease, but I’m not sure this was a plothole worth fixing, especially when it also doesn’t answer why the Doctor or the other companions didn’t get sick. The story doesn’t really seem to add more to the story that inspired it. I thought the story was fine, but I’ve heard better.

Grade: C

Companion Chronicles: The Great Space Elevator

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Director: Nigel Fairs

Producer: David Richardson

Narrator: Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling)

Series: 3.2

Summary: The Doctor and his companions land in futuristic Sumatra, where a “space elevator” (a transit tube that can transport its passengers to a space station in geosynchronous orbit with Earth) is stationed. And the space station is losing power.

Review: This was a great way to spend an hour-and-a-half. Deborah was a good narrator, and did good impressions of Jamie and the Second Doctor. It followed the basic “base under siege” formula, but not in a boring way. The idea of a space elevator did seem a bit like “zeerust”, but I could roll with it.

Grade: B+

Companion Chronicles: The Doll of Death

Writer: Marc Platt

Director: Lisa Bowerman

Producer: David Richardson

Narrator: Jo Grant (Katy Manning)

Series: 3.3

Summary: The Doctor and Jo are investigating a supernatural anomaly when they meet Professor Harold Saunders, who has a strange artifact and is haunted by ghosts inhabiting dolls.

Review: This was a pretty spooky story. The music set the stage well.

Katy Manning did a great job as Jo. She carries the story well, and captures the mannerisms of Pertwee and the Brig pretty well. Jane Goddard was rather creepy as Mrs. Killebrew.

My only problem with it was the addition of the time loop at one point. It felt like it was tacked on so we could have a sci-fi story, and not a horror story. Other than that, a perfect story for this season.

Rating: A-

Companion Chronicles: Here There Be Monsters

Writer: Andy Lane

Director: Lisa Bowerman

Narrator: Susan (Carole Ann Ford)

Other Companions: Ian and Barbara

Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Series: 3.1

Summary: The First Doctor and companions meet the Captain Rostrum, who is navigating space by punching holes into the very fabric of space itself. The Doctor is fearful this will unleash monsters from other dimensions.

Companion Chronicles: The Magician’s Oath

Writer: Scott Hancock

Director: Nigel Fairs

Running Time: 1 hr, 30 minutes

Narrator: Sgt. Mike Yates (Richard Franklin)

Series: 3.10

Summary: Sgt. Yates, Jo, and the Doctor meet a mysterious magician named Diamond Jack.  While he seems harmless, events unfold that reveal he may wield powers he can neither control nor understand.

Companion Chronicles: Old Soldiers

Writer: James Swallow

Director: Nigel Fairs

Producer: Mark J. Thompson

Narrator: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney)

Series: 2.3

Summary: The Brig reminisces about a time when he and the Third Doctor investigated strange happenings involving a fracture in time that has unearthed Roman Soldiers.

Companion Chronicles: The Mahogany Murders

Writer: Andy Lane

Director: Lisa Bowerman

Producer: David Richardson

Companions: Henry Jago (main narrator)(Christopher Benjamin), Professor George Litefoot (Trevor Baxter)

Series: 3.11

Running Time: 1 hour, excluding interviews

Summary: The renowned actor Henry Jago recounts to his old friend George Litefoot a recent encounter with a mystery he recently investigated. A dead body has been discovered on the banks of the Thames river, but in reality it’s a mannequin made out of wood. The mannequin is actually alive, and working for a scientist named Dr. Tulp.

Frostfire

Writer: Marc Platt

Director/Producer: Mark J. Thompson

Companion/Narrator: Vicki (Maureen O’Brien)

Series/Number: 1.1

Running Time: 1 hour

Summary: Vicki has become the Lady Cressida, and is now living in ancient Troy with the prince Trolius, continuing from the missing episode, “The Mythmakers”. She recollects when she, the Doctor, and Steven went to the Frost Fair in 1814. An egg has been discovered and a dragon has hatched from it, and is named The Cinder. Jane Austen may become its first victim!

Companion Chronicles: Mother Russia (1st Doctor, Steven Taylor, and Dodo)

Writer: Marc Platt

Director: Nigel Fairs

Companions: Steven Taylor (Peter Purves, Narrator), Dodo

Running Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Summary: A shapeshifting alien is interrogating Steven Taylor. Taylor tells him about when he, the Doctor, and Dodo travelled to Moscow in the 1800’s and met Napoleon as he was invading.