Rat Trap

"Everywhere I go I seem to be looking at plague."

Writer: Tony Lee

Format: Audio

Released: May 2011

Series: Monthly Adventures 148

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis

1983: as the country goes to the polls, two 'Urban Explorers', together with a freelance journalist, break into the long-defunct Cadogan Tunnels, once a secret wartime facility... and later, so rumour has it, the site of an experimental laboratory with a nasty sideline in vivisection.

What they find, in its twisting underground corridors, is something the most cynical conspiracy theorist could never have imagined: a highly-evolved society of questing, intelligent creatures, living right under humanity's nose for decades.

But there's no way out of the tunnels – as the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough are about to discover when the TARDIS brings them, too, into the complex. It's a rat trap – and they've all been caught! 

Verdict

Rat Trap was another brilliant story to conclude this trilogy of Monthly Adventures for the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough! I was a little sceptical going into this one because I am really not a fan of rats in the slightest, a shiver is sent through me whenever I see one on the walking trail I embark on every morning, so the cover of this one didn't appeal if I'm honest! But thankfully, we got a quite excellent story. I was intrigued at the start with Nyssa wanting to get back home with the virus cure and Turlough was still a little despondent after events of Kiss of Death which was understandable. That presented an intriguing dynamic in the TARDIS, but the Doctor couldn't deliver them to the age of chivalry and ended up in the tunnels where Operation Daylight was concocted which was fun. The dead body with wounds seemingly by a dog was an early illustration of what the titular rats would be like, and going underneath Cadogan Castle was fantastic. It was a tremendous setting. Nyssa wanting to experiment on the big rat found was good and it seemed that it had already been physically experimented with and had a bigger brain than your average rat. The tunnels being sold to English Heritage was amusing and that had led Harris and his men to investigate to ensure all was in order, but three of his men were missing within twenty-four hours which suggested not. The ability of the rats to read thoughts was scary but I enjoyed that the Doctor had a block on his mind keeping them out. The tunnel going into lockdown was really well done and I liked that it was supposed to be a bunker for the Prime Minister and other top ranking politicians. That was good and coupled well with it being Election Day. Harris getting attacked by a man that was also part-rat was a disturbing image and his letting off the grenade in a tunnel made for a strong cliffhanger. I thought the guest cast in this one were very strong with the likes of Andrews, Sally and Matthew really strong characters. Caitlin believing the TARDIS to be an unmapped part of the tunnels was very amusing. The presence of a rat king was good and I was horrified by the image of rat tails joining to link consciousness and communicate. The tunnel lockdown providing the threat of air running out was excellent and I was a big fan of Nyssa communicating with scientist 27 in rat form. He wanted to save the humans despite a history of experimentation on his species which was admirable, but he was arguing that it was okay for them to have also returned the favour and augmented the scientists. His questioning to Nyssa about wondering if the Master deserved the same treatment for all he put on her family was tremendous. The rats using the Mara in Tegan's mind against her was great but I loved that she used it against them later on to scare them in a strong way. Having rat visitors in the TARDIS was decent and I liked how the tunnel was the basis of the a plague pit from the sixteenth century. That plague was now mutated and it seemed that it could be used in germ warfare which was a frightening thought. The emergence of Wallace as the creator of these intelligent rats was interesting and he made for a strong and emotional character. Caitlin turning out to be his daughter was a lovely moment and it was sad that she had to contemplate losing him so soon after getting him back. The rat attack cliffhanger was amusing given the resolution of the Doctor's dog whistle bluff. I thought the reveal of the experiment purpose being to create rats as spies in the Cold War was superb and something I could definitely see happening. Andrews and Sally being on the side of the rats was a brilliant revelation and it was fun that her ankle was never sprained, she just wanted to slow Turlough down and keep the rats close. She was the one who let them in the TARDIS, and the small charge cliffhanger was great along with Turlough not revealing that it wouldn't work amidst the TARDIS temporal grace. The Doctor calling all the rats to their location was good stuff and the regression of the hive mind with the P punishment from Nyssa worked very well indeed. Wallace set off to take out the king and the tunnel was gone as the TARDIS escaped for a very neat ending! Overall, a brilliant audio! 

Rating: 9/10