The Cloisters of Terror

"I don't want to be a martyr."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: June 2015

Series: FDA 4.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

St Matilda's College, Oxford is haunted. The building was formerly a convent and, so the story goes, three ghostly nuns wander its passages during the hours of darkness. The story goes on to say that anyone who sees the 'three sisters' will not be long for this world. 

When one of the students mysteriously disappears, the Dean of the College, Dame Emily Shaw, has no option but to call in the police. Her call appears to be answered when a Police Box arrives in her study; the Doctor and Leela have come to investigate and uncover the dark secret that has lain buried beneath the college for almost a thousand years...

Verdict

The Cloisters of Terror was a very good Fourth Doctor Adventure! I thought this was a fun story to actually conclude my listening of the fourth series of the range in a very roundabout way and it started with a nice horror feel as Lynn was frightened of the mysterious Three Sisters who if seen, meant you were next to die. The contrast with her roommate Megan not being scared at all was great and I loved the return of Emily Shaw, now a Dame, to report Lynn as missing. Right from her first appearance it was clear that Sister Beckett was up to no good and that was great to hear throughout the story as she always popped up where she wasn't wanted. The meeting between the Doctor and Shaw was magnificent and I liked how she boasted knowledge of UNIT and explained her history with the Third Doctor, unbeknownst that the man present was the very article just in a different incarnation. The reference to The Last Post was delightful and the Doctor sending his regards to her daughter Liz was wonderful. The line about then police box appearing on the common as an explanation for the Doctor and Leela's investigating was tremendous. I also thought it was amusing for the Doctor to explain in such throwaway detail what Leela was wearing in the fashion of a bicycle suit. The all female college setting of St. Matilda's was a fantastic setting and always felt pretty eery which I guess isn't too much of a surprise when you have nuns on the loose. The strictness of being female only put the Doctor in an amusing predicament and I liked that Lynn had been researching the history of the college before going missing. Clearly somebody didn't want her finding out a truth with the site previously being a convent. I liked the revelation and the Doctor working out the geometric progression of the female disappearances was a very strong concept, although a firm reason on why would have been welcomed. The iconography of the three nuns being the angels that inspired Matilda to found the college was intriguing and I liked the story of how she became a saint shortly after disappearing in 985AD, at the time of the first progression. Leela seeing the nuns and being next in line to be taken was a good threat and the old room in the chapel as the ship navigation room was nicely done. The three pilots there were fascinating as they weren't the originals, and Leela being beckoned provided a strong cliffhanger. Those pilots experiencing a tough ageing process that accelerated them when linked was good and the astral telepathic hypnosis to get the girls required was enjoyable stuff. The removal of a sister meaning the forces of destruction being held back now able to come through was a strong threat and Megan being put in place to postpone armageddon presented a fine dilemma. Megan becoming a ghost was eery and I liked how her link to the navigation computer provided an out. Beckett being party to the kidnappers was obviously no surprise, but the description of the girls having faith and believing their sacrifice would get them into the Kingdom of Heaven was admirable, but I won't get into my thoughts on religion here. Matilda being the first victim worked well and recounting her encounter with the alien 'angels' through Megan was really beneficial in bringing the story full circle. The threat of the damaged warp field engine engulfing the Earth was excellent. I thought the idea of giving your life as a good reason for sainthood was a strong concept but girls now being conscripted was such a brilliant line. All of the girls being summoned was quite the image and the impact of Leela and Lynn becoming two of the three pilots was a shock. The Doctor wanting to start the engine without the warp was marvellous and it would just destroy the college with a smaller bang, rather than the entire planet. Beckett being the one to stay as penance was a nice touch and a noble sacrifice to conclude things. Overall, a really strong audio! 

Rating: 8/10