Earthshock

"Time is memory, and memory is time."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: Webcast

Released: 01 November 2023

Series: Tales of the TARDIS 1.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan

Synopsis

The Doctor and Tegan meet again and remember their terrifying adventure against the Cybyerman to save the Earth... and the friend they lost along the way.

Verdict

Earthshock was a quite beautiful way to kick off the Tales of the TARDIS original series! This is such a wonderful little addition to the Whoniverse and I think it’s so fun that as part of the sixtieth anniversary we get nearly every episode ever (that still exists) now on BBC iPlayer which would have been a dream to me back in my childhood as I loved exploring the show when I delved into the Classic era. I don’t tend to rewatch the stories and episodes now unless there’s a very good reason due to the amount of yet unblogged stories across the numerous formats, but the brand new content on display here was just tremendous. The announcement of the Tales of the TARDIS series really caught me off guard so on November 1st as I was doing my daily walk at around 5.30am in the morning I couldn’t resist but get onto iPlayer and find out what the episodes would entail. I was a little surprised to find that the episode names were familiar in that an older serial took the forefront and the new memory TARDIS scenes would bookend an adventure. To start with Earthshock is a fine idea and I love that Russell T Davies has now written dialogue for the Fifth Doctor and Tegan. Both are fresh off reprising their roles for The Power of the Doctor and they shared an incredible moment together in that story, but it didn’t make it any less special. The Doctor’s reaction when he saw Tegan was beautiful and the fact these two characters embraced in a hug is testament to the anniversary celebrations. It was a loving moment for a show and characters we as fans love. The memory TARDIS itself was magnificent and the assembly of random parts from a number of previous TARDIS interiors was marvellous. I like the symbolism of the Thirteenth Doctor’s interior being on the floor and quite small as to be honest I’d rather it wasn’t there at all. It’s by far and away the worst TARDIS design there’s ever been and it needs the Paradigm Dalek treatment. I can’t wait to see what the new era has in store in that regard. But we were celebrating the old here and speaking of old, the humour that came from Tegan mentioning how the Doctor had gotten old but his retaliation of her one hundred lines was glorious. Of course, initially he’d said she hadn’t got old which was lovely and there was the right balance of nostalgia and that feisty relationship between the pair. As they sat down to tell the story that fed the memory TARDIS, coming to the decision to tell the events of when they met the Cybermen and lost Adric was some way to start! It really doesn’t get much more powerful. I thought the lead into the first episode’s beginning with the Doctor mentioning the people in the caves was good and this was the first time I’ve ever watched a Classic era story in omnibus format with not even a quick titles break for the cliffhangers! That caught me off guard a little but it was good and certainly kept things moving fast. Not that it needed to be fast though when you have a story as good as this one. I won’t get into the serial details too much as I’ve blogged it before but it was interesting to see it again since purchasing the B&M figure set from the story. The black androids and the bomb feature in that and it was lovely to see them up close in action a year or so after purchasing them. I was impressed! It’s also a little weird hearing the Cybermen sounding distinctly non-metallic, but the use of gold against them is a good weakness and I love the Cyber Leader recognising the TARDIS. The little flashback scenes of previous Cyber adventures with the First, Second and Fourth Doctors is magnificent. Of course, the ending of this one is incredible as Adric sadly passes away and after wishing to go home at the start of the story, he was plotting his route but used the mathematics to try and take over the freighter as it plummeted to Earth. The Cybermen’s plot going wrong because that freighter would wipe out the dinosaurs is brilliant, and I imagine the image of the Fifth Doctor showing no hesitation in shooting the Cyber Leader dead with a gun would have been quite new to newer viewers! The reminiscing in the memory TARDIS by the Doctor and Tegan about Adric and how he was annoying but also loved was a nice touch and I like how he’s remembered. He’s far from my favourite companion, but he deserves his flowers. Overall, this was a beautiful way to kick off the series and I certainly can’t wait for the next five! A wonderful idea of a series worthy of the anniversary. 

Rating: 10/10