Famine on Planet X

"He could see the bones through the flesh of his hand."

Writer: Paul Crompton
Format: Short Story
Released: September 1978
Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1979

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

A malfunction in the TARDIS sees the Doctor and Leela arrive on a mysterious planet with only the simple title of 'X'. The Doctor soon gets accustomed with the local inhabitants and with a famine in full force, his giving of food upsets the octopoids leading to some deadly dissatisfaction...

Verdict

Famine on Planet X was great little story to kick off my reading of the 1979 Doctor Who Annual! The stories that feature in these Doctor Who Annuals are often hit or miss but I was glad to be able to say that this was certainly a hit. It was actually rather simple but its simplicity is what made it likeable and just a logical story with a very natural progression. I'm a big fan of some Doctor Who DVD releases containing a PDF of a Doctor Who Annual and whilst I do wish that every Annual was included somewhere, I'm grateful to be able to read this one for no extra cost. I thought the characterisation of the Fourth Doctor was pretty decent but I was a little surprised by how much more he had to say than his companion. Leela didn't have too much to do in this story which was a bit of a shame as she really is terrific as a companion. She wasn't utilised as well as she could be but I was glad that it didn't seem to have much of an effect on the story's quality. Ogg was a tremendous little character and I liked how he was trying to communicate with the Doctor and Leela and could only manage an imitation. It was quite intriguing though that it was perfect and it was seemingly effortless for him to transition from the Doctor's to Leela's voice. I thought the moment that the Doctor and Leela rushed into the TARDIS only for them to hear that Ogg had followed them in was quite humorous and a fine moment in the story. I found the malfunctions of the TARDIS that led to the Doctor and Leela meeting the Children of Rha very descriptive which was good and I liked that a lot of the story took place in the console room. The way the Doctor was able to identify and learn about the planet's lost language and the fact that they were the stuff of legend was brilliant. One thing that seemed universal amongst the octopoids was that they wanted food. There was a famine and that's a good starting point for a Doctor Who story but it was cured quite simply with the Doctor supplying alien melon. The theme of peace was wonderful and I thought the final lines of the story were beautifully written. The Doctor having to use blackmail to ensure the safety of the planet's inhabitants and the crop was quite a move from what we're used to from the Doctor but it was good to see that he would go to some different lengths to ensure everyone's survival. Overall, a lovely little story!

Rating: 8/10