Doctor Who: Subterranea

The Doctor and Romana arrive in a ship burrowing deep below the ground on an alien planet and become embroiled in a battle for survival against a merciless enemy. In all honesty, this is a space opera featuring a foe that bears a strong resemblance to one that's already part of the DW canon and, in terms of the plot, is not particularly unusual for the series. Certainly, if you're after the dark gothic feel of TV stories like The Brain of Morbius this probably won't be one for you.

What it does have, though, is a sense of fun, and one that fits with the Williams era that a story featuring Romana should generally be emulating. There's a steampunk feel to the setting, with coal driven drill-ships manned by mole-like aliens with heavy goggles and an obsession for top hats. Even the fact that we are underground, rather than in space, makes a difference from a ‘real' space opera, without the disadvantages that trying to render something like that in a visual medium would create.

It's all rather bonkers, enlivened as much by the guest cast as by the regulars (who bicker rather less than usual here). It's probably fair to say that the fine details of the setting don't bear too much thinking about but, for an hour-long story little of that matters. It's fast moving with a resolution that, if not unexpected, at least comes from an unusual quarter. An enjoyable, light-hearted story with a setting that's at least a little out of the ordinary.