Prisoners of the Lake

Are you going to tell me that a prehistoric structure with an airlock and statue that can speak are normal, explicable and definitely not a threat to this planet?

The Third Doctor

Synopsis

Captain Mike Yates is investigating the disappearance of artefacts from an archaeological site deep below Dunstanton Lake. It’s hardly a job for UNIT. But when the team discover a mysterious ancient structure buried deep underwater, all that changes.

When chief archaeologist Freda Mattingly ventures inside, she soon realises that her skills do not begin to equip her to deal with what she finds. As an ancient menace begins to stir the Doctor, Jo Grant and Mike Yates must dive down to the lake bed and discover the secrets hidden there. Secrets that could mean the end of all life on Earth…

Review

Prisoners of the Lake sees Big Finish recast the late Jon Pertwee with Tim Treloar, a recasting that has been incredibly effective. Treloar made his debut as this incarnation of the Doctor during the Big Finish fiftieth anniversary story The Light at the End and has continued to go from strength to strength, being accepted into the fold and featuring more prominently in Big Finish’s twentieth anniversary release, The Legacy of Time.

Justin Richards writes a good Earthbound adventure, which fits into the formula of an ancient evil being in hiding on Earth. The Dastron, a violent species, were frozen in stasis to be transported to their trial, only for the ship carrying them to be damaged and crashland on Earth is a good idea for a story and I was pretty gripped throughout this. The only flaw that I can really level at it is that it never really feels as though it does anything to become a truly exceptional story for this era; it is undoubtedly solid, but to the extent that parts feel rather by the numbers. I know that these Earthbound stories were something the production team struggled with in the 1970s, but the challenge did lead them to great stories, like Day of the Daleks, which pushes the limits of what an Earthbound story could do. The Dastron are also built up to be a big threat, but given their late introduction into the story, I don’t think they get a chance to show fully why they are so dangerous. They do show glimpses and they are certainly reckless about the harm to the Earth that their escape will cause, but it would have been nice to see a little bit more.

We have a crew working on the lake, but they are all largely functional and don’t really make a massive impact. The possession of Repford’s Ex Cav suit kept reminding me of The Wrong Trousers, and Freda Mattingley is a character that, despite being responsible for the initial discovery of the ship, continually runs the risk of being forgotten about.

As mentioned, this story almost feels like it could be a Third Doctor era story by the numbers, but that is probably the best way to start off a run of stories for a new actor playing this role. Aspects like the Doctor diving to the bottom of Dunstanton Lake or the Doctor and Mike’s clashes with Director Pennard certainly feel as though this is how this Doctor would behave. You can almost imagine Jon Pertwee being enthusiastic about the prospect of diving to the bottom of the lake to enter the spaceship, and also relishing the chance to clash with the corrupt Director Pennard. We also have members of UNIT featuring, most prominently Mike Yates, but also Lieutenant Macintyre, and the Brigadier does technically feature too. I was trying to work out where this story featured, but I think that it falls somewhere in Season 9 or 10, as there is no real mention of the Master and the Doctor does not seem to have a functioning TARDIS.

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated a cup of tea so much in all my life.

The Third Doctor

Recasting is always a contentious issue when it comes to Big Finish, and I can certainly see why Big Finish took the initial approach they did when creating The Early Adventures of having one of the companion actors provide linking narration, along with another one playing the Doctor for the purposes of the story. The Third Doctor Adventures kicks off with narration, albeit with it being provided by Tim Treloar. This, however, did make listening to this story feel quite jarring, having only listened to the ones where Treloar only plays the Doctor. Treloar does certainly inhabit the role of Jon Pertwee really well and feels as though he really hits the ground running. Whilst he is not aiming to provide a perfect impression of Pertwee, he certainly imbues the spirit of the Third Doctor and there is certainly something in the way that Tim Treloar captures the way that the Third Doctor would bristle when he was angry that feels very well studied.

A lot of why this story and the recasting works is due to the relationship between Treloar and Katy Manning, playing Jo. The two seem to have really strong chemistry, which comes through in the behind the scenes interviews, and Manning’s work in respect of this recasting helps the audience to accept it too. Thinking about the Third Doctor Adventures more widely, this helps pave the way for the continued success of this range, allowing for recasting of Liz, Sarah Jane and the Brigadier further down the line. Jo does not have a lot to do in Prisoners from the Lake, but Manning does make what she gets work really well. There is a real loyalty and strength shown by Jo in this story, not allowing the Doctor out of her sight when he goes to dive down to the ship and also refusing to allow Macintrye out her sight later when there is the risk of the spaceship being blown up with the Doctor and Yates onboard.

Verdict: A solid, if unspectacular first entry for Big Finish’s Third Doctor range, Prisoners of the Lake is a lot of fun. This is largely thanks to Treloar and Manning really hitting the ground running. 7/10

Cast: Tim Treloar (The Doctor/Narrator), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Carolyn Seymour (Freda Mattingly), Robbie Stevens (Johnny Repford/Director Pennard/Statue/The Prosecutor) and John Banks (Chief Dastron/Lieutenant Macintyre/UNIT Operative/Archaeologist).

Writer: Justin Richards

Director: Nicholas Briggs

Music: Nicholas Briggs

Release Date: 2nd September 2015

Behind the Scenes

• The first story released in The Third Doctor Adventures, starring Tim Treloar as the Third Doctor. Treloar had previously played the role in The Light at the End.
• The Brigadier’s dialogue is provided all in the narration, as Nicholas Courtney had passed away four years previously.

Cast Notes

• Carolyn Seymour has also appeared in a number of Big Finish stories, including Ghost Walk, Fever Island (The Fourth Doctor Adventures) and The Devil’s Hoofprints (The Third Doctor Adventures).
• Robbie Stevens has also appeared in audio stories including We Are The Daleks, The Peterloo Massacre and The Helliax Rift.
• John Banks has frequently appeared in Big Finish stories, including Paper Cuts, The Wrong Doctors and Ghost Walk.

Best Quote

A group of ruthless war criminals running around on this planet of yours? No, that’s no good at all.

The Third Doctor

Previous Third Doctor review: Planet of the Spiders

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