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[Brief Encounters] [Click on the Covers to download .PDF]
[BE1] Fear The Dark
Fear The Dark
Written by: Robert Mammone

This story features the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith

A small team of scientists have been secreted aboard a research station located on a hidden asteroid in deep space.  Their mission - successfully test a system designed to create wormholes at will, and enable their government to use it to quickly end a rebellion that is threatening to topple the old order.  When the final test is successful - too successful; it ruptures the fabric of the universe allowing living shadows to cross over.  When the third Doctor and Sarah Jane arrive, they discover the remnants of an investigative team sent to discover what went wrong.  Initially under suspicion, the Doctor and Sarah team up with the surviving investigator and work together to drive the creatures back into their own dimension and seal the breach before every living being has been consumed.


[BE2] Symbiosis
Symbiosis
Written by: Simon Tyler-Jones

This story features the Second Doctor, Ben and Polly

Nobody could ever question Ben Jackson's loyalty.  In the navy and now in time and space, he was someone to be trusted, someone to have on your side.  He was unshakable.  With Polly and the Doctor, this trait had become symbiotic.  Together, they were a team, a unit - rock solid in taking care of each other no matter what the Universe may throw their way.  And, right now, as Ben movies quietly through an alien control room, this solidarity is needed more than ever.  Polly has been captured, imprisoned by the Emod, her only hope of salvation rests with Ben and the Doctor.  However, as time passes, and Polly's would be rescuers strive to reach her, Ben finds himself undergoing a personal trial of faith.


[BE3] Monkey Cups
Monkey Cups
Written by: Dan Tessier

This story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri

The Doctor and Peri take a trip to nineteenth century Borneo in search of the fabled Rafflesia flower - a seemingly harmless trip that takes a turn for the worse when they encounter British explorer Professor Crumb and a group of deadly Iban warriors.  However, the true threat is something very different - something that isn't human.  The travelers discover that evolution doesn't always run quite the same course across the Universe.


[BE4] This Is How The World Ends
This Is How The World Ends
Written by: Robert Mammone

This story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri

Answering a distress signal from a distant planet, the Doctor and Peri find themselves intertwined in the lives of two of the colonists who harbor great hopes for the future and a terrible secret from the past.  With the planet slowly dying, the Doctor wrestles with a decision which will have a lasting impact on the lives of those he seeks to rescue, as well as for himself.


[BE5] Canary In A Coal Mine
Canary In A Coal Mine
Written by: Ian Wheeler

This story features the Seventh Doctor and Ace

Traveling through time is not without its hazards.  When the Doctor is forced to bring the TARDIS out of the space/time vortex in what should have been a routine rematerilsation, goes horribly wrong. The time machine has materialized in a part of space already occupied by another object, and it's all going to get rather messy.  As the TARDIS, and the other vessel, struggle to co-exist, strange things start to happen.  Whilst the Doctor tries to control the situation in the console room, Ace must travel alone into the bowels of the TARDIS on a terrifying journey.  Her deadly mission will challenge not only her own resolve, but will her friendship with the Doctor as its never been tested before.  What is the other object?  Can it destroy the TARDIS?  Can the Time Lord's friendship with his companion survive?  And why is Ace turning into a dog?


[BE6] It's Behind You
Its Behind You
Written by: John Callaghan
The village of Frangeford has a quaint local legend - two hundred years ago a benevolent alien foiled an invasion attempted by giant blue lizards.  Louise Ethers, the local librarian, plans to celebrate, but not all the locals want the event remembered.

[BE7] The Man of Many Faces
the Man of Many Faces
Written by: Steve Oliver

This story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri

The Doctor wants to show Peri that the universe isn't all dangerous, and so promises to take her to a tropical planet untouched by civilization.  However, the TARDIS mistakenly lands on Khranos Prime, a human-colony world in the 22nd century - but something is wrong.  What should be a thriving metropolis is inhabited solely by worker robots.  With Peri struggling to come to terms with the Doctor's newly regenerated persona, together they investigate.


[BE8] Where There's Thunder
Where There's Thunder
Written by: Richard Hoover

This story features the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe

It's 1832 and an eclipse of the sun brings more than just a celestial spectacle.  As lightning falls, a young boy sees.  The TARDIS has brought the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe to a quaint countryside farm.  But amid the rustic setting stands a colossal site - four metal spires reaching to the sky.  Parts of a device created by renowned scientists and rivals Michael Faraday and William Sturgeon.  A device capable of harnessing devastating energies.  What force has brought these men together?  What is their "great experiment"?  What secrets lie in the storm clouds gathering above?  While Jamie and Zoe fend for themselves, the Doctor struggles to find the answers before his dreams become nightmares.


[BE9] The Trap
The Trap
Written by: Steve Oliver

This story features the Seventh Doctor and Ace

It;s 2683 and the planet Njohuri is home to the Galactic Library, the greatest collection of information and data mankind has ever known.  The Doctor's curiosity is piqued when the TARDIS receives a signal from the planet, so he and Ace set out to investigate, but something is wrong.  Instead of the thriving city they expect to find, the surface of Njohuri is a desolate wasteland.  For the Doctor and Ace, an adventure across space and time awaits.


[BE10] The Morro Castle
The Morro Castle
Written by: Martin Montague

This story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri

After a series of failed attempts to show Peri a good time, the Doctor plans a trip to prohibition era USA, for a cruise from Havana to New York.  As ever, he lands the TARDIS in the wrong time and in the thick of danger.  It's September 7, 1934 and disaster is about to strike passengers and crew of the SS Morro Castle.  A being from another reality has entered our own, and it's hungry.  By the morning of September 8th, the death toll will be high, but can the Doctor and Peri avoid being among their numbers?


[BE11] The Ties That Bind
The Ties That Bind
Written by: Martin Broome

This story features the Seventh Doctor and Ace

Arriving at a country house in England in the 1930s, the Doctor and Ace discover it is an unhappy place burdened by darkness and terrible secrets.  It is possible there is a murderer amongst the occupants and maybe something far worse.  They must unlock the secrets of the house and piece together the truth if they are to have a chance at freeing everybody from its terrible grip.


[BE12] A WINTER'S TALE
A Winters Tale
Written by: David Wallington

This story features the Third Doctor and Jo Grant

The TARDIS is pulled off course by a strong magnetic field. Exploring the icy landscape, the Doctor and Jo Grant meet a strangely familiar character and discover the truth behind one of Earth's most enduring legends.


[BE13] A WORD TO THE WISE
A Word To The Wise
Written by: Michael Baxter

This story features the First Doctor

In the days long-ago of the Old Testament, a group of travelers are journeying to Bethel. Amongst them are the sisters Leah and Rachel, wives of Jacob.  When the TARDIS arrives in the wilderness, the Doctor perceives the dark intentions of Leah.  How much of the future is he willing to reveal in order to turn this bitter woman from her sinister purpose?


[BE14] SHADOW AT THE HEART
Shadow at the Heart
Written by: James P. Quick & Daniel Tessier

This story features the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa

They say that the atmosphere of Traken is so suffused with goodness that any evil that arrives there is sure to just shrivel up and die. They say it's a paradise, matched by few, exceeded by none. Is it any wonder that other beings look upon it enviously as their own civilizations crumble? Nyssa has never left Traken, but she explores the universe every night from the safety of her grounds. Yet what she sees through her telescope tonight frightens her. What is happening to the stars? For Nyssa, Traken is the most wonderful place in the universe, but soon it could be the only place left...


[BE15] THE MISSHAPEN PLANET
The Misshapen Planet
Written by: Chris McKeon
This story features the First Doctor, Stephen & Dodo

The TARDIS intercepts a distress signal traveling through time and the Doctor feels compelled to investigate. Tracing the call to a beautiful world, the Ship lands within a mysterious vessel; and soon the Doctor, Steven, and Dodo find themselves trapped in the sinister clutches of the Doctor's old enemies, the Voord. And to make matters worse, there is also another TARDIS on board the Voord ship, a TARDIS with a Monk at its helm. With Dodo and Steven held hostage, the Doctor is forced to assist his fellow time traveller in completing a dangerous task. But why has the Monk allied himself with the Voord? What is their bold, new intention? What is the strange object that lies at the bottom of the Ravine? And what sudden, terrifying illness has afflicted the Doctor? The answer to these questions leads the Doctor straight into a catastrophe, which hits closer to home than he ever thought possible.


[BE16] THE SECRETS OF BONE ISLAND
The Secrets of Bone Island
Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor

When the topsail schooner Miss Miles is wrecked, Edmund Leigh finds himself stranded on Bone Island, a place to be avoided by superstitious sailors. Edmund encounters the Doctor and together they accompany two of the Aranthean race on a quest to rescue their lost queen, Valadria. Unknown to them all, an ancient horror awaits them at the end of their expedition.

[BE17] IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED
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Written by: David Wallington
This story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri

A small town on twentieth-century Earth. A series of bizarre and unexplained deaths. The Sixth Doctor and Peri are caught up in the search to find a mysterious killer in modern-day England, and a race against time to stop before they strike again. They soon discover that the female of the species can be deadlier than the male…

[BE18] THE THREE MARINERS
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Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor

Curiosity draws the Doctor into an antique emporium known as The Three Mariners. Edwin Chitty, the elderly owner, tells of a spectre that haunts the property, said to be the manifestation of a noblewoman who was drowned centuries earlier. The two old men undertake an overnight vigil in the shop and witness the vision of a hauntingly beautiful woman. A strange, jewelled artefact amongst the shop’s merchandise is the key to her true identity, and an indication of the power that might be unleashed against mankind…

[BE19] DOCTOR IN RESIDENCE
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Written by: John G. Wood
This story features the First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara

When the mysterious Doctor first joined the residents of the Golden Firs Residential Care Home, stroke survivor Malcolm Conway felt he had found someone to talk to at last. Not everything the Doctor said made sense, however, and after witnessing some perplexing conversations with the old man's friends and granddaughter, Malcolm realised something was definitely wrong. Nothing could have prepared him for quite how wrong.

[BE20] THE FOSSILIST
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Written by: Daniel Tessier & James P. Quick
This story features the Ninth Doctor and Silver

When she was a little girl, Mary Anning hunted for fossils on the beach, both for fun and to sell for a few extra pennies. When she grew up, she became one of the best-known paleontologists in the world—all from the rooms of her little fossil shop. In a time when humanity is just beginning to learn of the vast prehistory of its own world, Mary is swept up in an adventure with the Doctor and Silver. One that takes her further into the past than she could ever have believed, to meet creatures she could never have imagined.

[BE21] THE LAST VIKING
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Written By: R. Morgan Crihfield
This story features the Fourth Doctor and Leela

On a cliff deep in the age of Vikings stands the Methuselah. This ancient sage is ready for his final rebirth. Now, his work nears its end. A prophecy passed from generation to generation nears fulfillment. They are coming. The fearsome Huntress and a demon known only as Dok Tor. The beacons lie hidden across time and space—keys to the unimaginable power locked inside an ancient artifact. Then, the artifact wakes…

[BE22] CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
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Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor

Hastings Ascham, a forbidding Gothic house in the little Yorkshire town of Matching, has been shrouded in mystery for decades. Five people have vanished without trace while within its walls, yet its owner, the determined Jemima Flinch, continues to endure the oppressive atmosphere of the cursed residence. The Doctor and Edmund Leigh, accompanied by the Reverend Guy Ridley, investigate and discover the horrifying truth about the so-called ‘Devil Patient’. The question is, how can such an evil, twisted entity be prevented from drawing further victims into its bleak world of imprisoned souls?

[BE23] LAST CHRISTMAS
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Written by: R. Morgan Crihfield
This story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri

It’s a white Christmas in rural Colorado and an old enemy of humanity stirs deep in the freezing forest. A young traveler’s car breaks down at the worst possible time and she seek help and shelter from the winter storm in an old cabin on the hill, where a terrible secret awaits. An old blue Police Box arrives with the Doctor and Peri just in time to investigate a cry for help before tragedy strikes. The Doctor may be too late to save his friend but something stalks his steps in the forest at night and the clock is ticking. A familiar foe has designs against humanity, can the Doctor intervene before its too late or will this be the last Christmas?

[BE24] THE SLUMBER
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Written by: R. Morgan Crihfield
This story features the Seventh Doctor and Ace

In a far-flung corner of the galaxy lies the Primeval Ruins where a thousand cultures have come to study the mysterious signal which emanates from these bizarre structures with few real answers. When a Time Lord scientist falls ill and dies during her studies - she only has one word of warning: Slumber. The Doctor and Ace travel to this foreboding landscape to find answers; and answers they find- will be like a nightmare.

[BE25] BRANDY IN A TEACUP
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Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor, John and Gillian

Anne, Queen of England, is in a quandary. Who is to be her successor? Her Catholic half-brother James, who has always been her enemy? Or George of Hanover, whom she has always greatly disliked?

The Queen records her ponderings on the subject, and also relates the story of her life. She writes of her colourful family, including the flamboyant King Charles II, the stubborn James II, the lovestruck Princess Mary, and the ambitious but illegitimate Duke of Monmouth. But how has she gained knowledge of events that will occur beyond her own lifetime? Could her unofficial adviser, the Bishop of Tardis, be the source?

For the first time, the content of this extraordinary document, discovered in the archives at Windsor Castle, can be perused by the public. Start reading now, for a move to suppress it has, reputedly, already commenced.

[BE26] BEST SERVED COLD
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Written by: David Wallington
This story features the Fourth Doctor

Digging tunnels for a new station on the London Underground, workers come across a train - but one that went missing in 1939. Of its occupants there is no sign. Head of C19 - the department of UNIT dealing with the regular Army - General John Sudbury calls on the Doctor for help. They trace a signal to the top of the Canary Wharf tower and set off to find out where it is being beamed to. They arrive in a ghost town - abandoned during the Second World War - and discover another beacon which the Doctor programmes into the TARDIS computer. They materialize in a familiar ghost town but this time it isn't deserted. As they confront the villagers, they discover that someone has been playing a game with them, but can the Doctor and Sudbury win the game?

[BE27] MODEL/TRAIN
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Written by: Nick May
This story features the Fourth Doctor

Student Stuart Milner’s hopes of getting some much-needed work done on his train journey home for the holidays are dashed by the arrival of a beautiful, ethereal girl and a wild-eyed stranger in a very long scarf. Soon the girl vanishes, the train is pulled into another dimension and a platoon of robots appears, demanding she is found and turned over to them on pain of death. Stuart and his travelling companion, the Doctor, must unravel a tale of war and corporate espionage if they are to defuse the situation, release the train and stand any chance of getting some revision done…

[BE28] REIGN OF THE UNEXPECTED
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Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor

The Doctor promises to take John and Gillian to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth I, though the children are dubious about his ability to direct the TARDIS there. Surprisingly, the time travellers find themselves in the midst of coronation revelry in the bedecked streets of Tudor London and proceed to enjoy the colourful sights around them. When an assassination plot comes to their attention, the three resolve to foil it and keep history on the right path. Matters take an unexpected turn, however, and the children are horrified when they realise what terrible events their efforts have helped to ensure.

[BE29] THE DEMON BARBER
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Written by: Paul Williams
This story features the Fifth Doctor and Turlough

It is London 1800. Turlough spends Christmas in the condemned cells at Newgate prison, convicted of murder with Sweeny Todd. His defense that he found the bodies whilst searching for an alien predator is not believed. Todd’s lover who harboured the creature is dead, and it has disappeared. Aided only by a reluctant lawyer the Doctor must find a way to prove the impossible and save his companion’s life

[BE30] ONE FINAL REQUIEM
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Written by: Chris Heffernan
This story features the Seventh Doctor and Ace

VirTech, providing the latest in virtual reality getaways. Cutting-edge technology able to take you anywhere, any when, and anyhow! But something sinister lies beneath the simulations. The Doctor and Ace travel to Lucias Prime, headquarters of VirTech, to investigate. What they discover taps into one of the Time Lord’s ancient fears.

[BE31] HOMECOMING
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Written by: Philip Bates
This story features the Fifth Doctor and Peri

Paris is a city of miracles, and at its heart is the Seine. This glittering scar through the streets sums up the enigmatic majesty of the French capital. Perhaps that's why so many are drawn into it: the suicides, the murders, even the accidents, when people get just a little too close to the edge. But you don't need to worry any longer. Tonight, the Seine is giving up its dead. They line the banks of the river, bringing people in. Yes, everyone's welcome: the adults, the children, the natives, the tourists, and even Time Lords. Come see the Seine. Dip your head under the surface. It's like coming home, one last time.

[BE32] THE FOUR WISE MEN
The Four Wise Men
Written by: Michael Baxter
Both stories feature the First Doctor

The Doctor has created a new set of co-ordinates. He believes they will return the TARDIS to England in 1964, the home of his grandchildren John and Gillian. Soon their travels will be over. The time and space machine does reach Earth, but in the era of the New Testament. The travellers see a group of riders and are astounded to find that they are the legendary Wise Men, for there are four of them instead of three! When he discerns the reason for the variation from the Bible, the Doctor reduces the deputation, but frustrates the intentions of a powerful entity, which is soon burning with rage against him… What is the shocking truth about ‘yonder star’?

Also include the bonus story "The Night Before Christmas"

During a long journey in the TARDIS, the Doctor reluctantly agrees to tell John and Gillian a story. He heard the tale himself from an old man called Mr Twist, who had lived since he was a boy in the same road, a few doors from where the Doctor was first visited by his grandchildren. The story takes place at a nearby orphanage, run by the stingy Mrs Patt, in the year 1907. When Mrs Patt is arrested for misappropriation of funds, her sinister assistant, Mrs Pale, takes over. She is a secret drinker who eats the children’s food. On a dark December night she disappears without trace and a police search proves fruitless… What happened to Mrs Pale on the night before Christmas?

[BE33] THE GAR ANTITHESIS
The Gar Antithesis
Written by: Daniel Tessier & Hamish Crawford
This story features the Fifth Doctor and Turlough

The Doctor and Turlough are still reeling from Tegan’s departure when they arrive in a bucolic English setting. There are Easter eggs and a pub, and less invitingly, a great deal of litter to pick up. While enjoying the comforts of a ploughman’s lunch, Turlough becomes increasingly convinced the stereotypical villagers he encounters are not what they seem, and their actions are part of a bewildering test that could have grave implications for all of Earth.

[BE34] THE WISE WOMAN OF HENRIETTA STREET
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Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor and Steven

In the picturesque seaside resort of Whitby, beneath the stark, clifftop ruins of an ancient priory, a twisted and malicious hag is crushed beneath the wheels of a runaway brewer’s dray. Many years later, her eccentric relative, Gadney Mace, witnesses the death of an old carthorse on cobbled Henrietta Street and is overcome with foreboding. In an old inn known as the White Horse and Griffin, the Doctor learns the story of Old Joan and the visions she beheld once a year. Has a death on a fateful anniversary liberated an evil-minded spirit from an isolated grave?

[BE35] KHARTOUM
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Written by: Paul Williams
This story features the Second Doctor, Victoria and Jamie

The TARDIS lands in Khartoum, 1885, where the Mahdist forces are about to reclaim the city from the British and Egyptians. Realizing this the Doctor wants to get away, but Egyptian soldiers stop them and as they cannot produce identity documents escort them to General Gordon. Gordon is an old friend of Edward Waterfield, Victoria’s father. Recognizing her he invites the travelers to dinner with meagre rations. The British Government sent Gordon to organize an evacuation, but he chose to stay and fight. Victoria inadvertently tells Gordon about the TARDIS – he believes that it can save the city. The Doctor tells Victoria that he cannot interfere and insists they escape, but the soldiers will not let them pass. Will the Doctor, Victoria and Jamie manage to escape, or will they become victims of the eventual slaughter?

[BE36] MAUVAISE RENCONTRE
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Written by: Jamie Hunn
This story features Barbara, Ian and the First Doctor

Barbara Chesterton no longer voyages through the dimensions of space and time with the Doctor in the TARDIS. Now she and Ian navigate the trials of real life, in real time. But Barbara still remembers and when she needs to, she can make her past come alive again. As she journeys back to the eighteenth century and finds herself trapped and alone with the infamous pirate king, Blackbeard, she tackles the greatest challenge of all: bedtime.

[BE37] THE GARDEN OF ENIGMA
gardenofenigma
Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor, Stephen and Vicki

The Bell Man sits by a flickering brazier, awaiting the moment to mark the passing of another uneventful hour with his wearisome tolling. His only other task is the admittance of visitors to the disquieting garden, which lies on the very edge of Creation. But when had anyone ever presented themselves at its forbidding gates? Then the Doctor, Steven and Vicki arrive quite inadvertently. The purpose of the ostensibly delightful paradise is unknown to them as yet, but they soon register disturbing hints. Who is the dissolute-looking poet? Why is a statue positioned where it can barely be seen? The topography of the place is impossible to discern. Gradually the time travellers realise that the beauty of the garden is an attempt to soften the punishment meted out to the occupants of this apparent haven. But the greatest surprise for the Doctor awaits in a lakeside gazebo, where a black-garbed old woman from his past is consumed with hatred for him…

[BE38] THE UNRAVELLING
The Unravelling
Written by: Selim Ulug
This story features the Third Doctor, Lethbridge-Stewart and Benton

Strange things are happening. Earth tremors and changes in the properties of material and light itself. To top it all off, alien creatures are attacking UNIT HQ. Can the Doctor identify who's behind this before the Earth is destroyed?

[BE39] THE BLACK SHIPS
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Written by: David N. Smith
This story features the Second Doctor, Jamie, Polly & Ben

Japan, 1853. An important milestone in the history of both Japan and the United States. The TARDIS has arrived on a beautiful Pacific beach, but the Second Doctor, Ben and Polly are about to be reminded that during their adventures through history, such tranquil locations can be far from safe. Jamie is the first to see Samurai. Sometimes, just arriving somewhere, can be a crime punishable by death...

[BE40] THE SECRET OF ARABELLE
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Written by: Michael Baxter
This story features the First Doctor, John & Gillian

The TARDIS materialises in a crowded marketplace. The Doctor, John and Gillian wander round the stalls. Gillian sees an item she likes on a jewellery stall and goes to find her grandfather, hoping he will buy it for her. When the travellers arrive at the stall a different vendor is selling lengths of cloth and there is no sign of any jewellery. A fanfare sounds and a jolly-faced, portly man arrives on the scene. This is King Salter, ruler of the kingdom of Arabelle, who invites the TARDIS crew to a sumptuous feast in his castle. Strangely, the food turns out to have no taste. The Queen is a proud, haughty woman who is plotting with the King’s nephew, Basil of Cruett. Then, alarmingly, the dining hall slips out of focus. When it clarifies, the Queen has become a pleasant, homely little woman and Basil no longer exists. The Doctor suddenly realises where they are and what is inevitably going to happen. Can they reach the TARDIS before Arabelle ceases to exist?


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