4 episodes Running Time: Approx. 108 minutes. Written by: Justin Richards. Directed by: Nicholas Briggs. Produced by: David Richardson.
THE PLOT:
The disappearance of several artifacts from an ancient structure located deep beneath Dunstanton Lake would normally not be UNIT business. However, a combination of financial and political interests leave Capt. Mike Yates driving down to the site to investigate, much to the annoyance of Paul Pennard (Robbie Stevens), the director of the dig.
It's as well that Yates is on site. When lead archaeologist Freda Mattingly (Carolyn Seymour) ventures into the structure, she discovers a stone statue... only for the statue to move and even talk before losing power. That's enough to catch the Doctor's interest. He and Jo travel to the lake, where the Doctor finds his suspicions realized: This is no ancient human structure, but a crashed spaceship!
The Doctor has a theory about the nature of the ship. But before it can be tested, another stone robot awakens - and declares that all of the intruders must be executed!
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor: In his first full story as the Third Doctor, Tim Treloar is already quite good. His Doctor is pompous but knows it, and Treloar is at his best when showing the Doctor's ego and authority. Unfortunately, at least in this initial outing, Treloar only manages to put across a small amount of the spark Pertwee imbued in his era - though that may have less to do with Treloar than with a script that emphasizes plot and technical issues over character.
Jo Grant: As on television, she humanizes the Doctor through her presence. When he declares that he's an expert in "everything," she punctures that pomposity by archly adding, "Especially humility." She insists on joining the Doctor in diving to the site (she took a UNIT course on deep sea diving, naturally), and she ends up saving someone as a result.
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: Since this first release follows a semi-narrated format, not dissimilar to that of the Early Adventures range, writer Justin Richards sidesteps any need to recast the Brigadier (for now) by presenting his scenes through narration. This works well enough, but it's already obvious that such sleight of hand wouldn't be viable as a long-term solution. Still, it was probably smart to postpone that need, leaving listeners with only the recast Third Doctor to accept at the start of the range.
Mike Yates: After the Doctor offends Director Pennard and dismisses him as an idiot, Mike eases the ruffled feathers. He points out to the Doctor that Pennard has strong qualifications and a good track record, then goes in search of the director to defuse the tension. When the Doctor and Jo descend to look at the structure first-hand, Mike stays above, investigating his original assignment: the theft of the artifacts. It probably goes without saying that the two threads link up in the second half.
THOUGHTS:
Prisoners of the Lake is in many ways an ideal introductory story for Big Finish's Third Doctor Adventures. It showcases Tim Treloar's Third Doctor, giving him a dominant role and allowing him plenty of interaction with both Jo Grant and Mike Yates, and it offers a narrative that feels absolutely of a piece with the Pertwee era.
The first episode is my favorite, introducing the various characters and plot points with efficiency. Notable is how much detail is given about the technical resources the characters will be using throughout the story, from the tunnel connecting the diving platform to the ship's airlock to the Ex-Cav diving suit that ends up serving multiple plot functions. This plants important elements for the rest of the serial, while at the same time grounding the situation to create a sense of authenticity.
Unfortunately, the rest of the narrative becomes increasingly standard as it goes. It isn't bad. Both major threads - the peril on the underwater ship and the theft of artifacts above ground - are developed alongside each other, and the two strands dovetail effectively. Sound design is particularly good, and the music score does as fine a job as the script in evoking the Pertwee era.
But it's so devoted to being just like the television era that it ends up feeling a bit generic. The stories from the televised Third Doctor era usually strove for some hint of substance. This never seems to have any ambition beyond being "median Pertwee." By Episode Three, my interest began to dip - and unfortunately, I found Episode Four to be the weakest of the serial, in which dull villains with overly-treated voices issue threats while the Doctor responds with indignation.
OVERALL:
Final episode aside, there's very little wrong with Prisoners of the Lake. It's well-produced and entertaining, particularly its first half. It just ends up being aggressively average, as if "being Pertwee" was prioritized over telling an interesting story. Ironically, for a serial so determined to feel straight out of the early '70s, I'm left with the sense that Dicks and Letts would have firmly rejected this as being too unadventurous.
I think it might be best taken as a Proof of Concept for The Third Doctor Adventures, and on that basis it is a success. Tim Treloar is instantly good in the role, and he plays well opposite both Katy Manning and Richard Franklin. At the end of the story, I'm left wanting to hear more of him in the role. I'm just also left hoping that the next stories have more to them than this one.
Overall Rating: 5/10.
3rd Doctor Audio Review Index
3rd Doctor Television Review Index
Third Doctor Adventures Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On BlueSky:
On Threads:
