Earthshock

^{Sunday Simmons}^{on why Earthshock is her favourite classic Doctor Who adventure}

Long ago, in the mists of time, in a fabled era we call the 80s, a little sci-fi fan watched with bated breath as The Doctor began his regeneration process. It was 1981, and Tom Baker had been in the eponymous role for 7 years – most of which I hadn’t seen at the time of airing on account of being tiny. Yes, I caught up when I was older, but I came into the franchise hanging on the coat tails of the beloved jelly baby eating Fourth Doctor, just in time for the one who would become ‘my’ Doctor – Peter Davison. I actually had the pleasure of meeting him last year, and to say I had a fangirl moment is an understatement! *sigh…

Anyway, as Tom Baker’s whimsical, frenzied approach to the Gallifreyan Time Lord came to a heart breaking end in the final episode of Logopolis, the Fifth Doctor brought us youthful public school boy; playful, dashing, but unsure of himself. A vulnerable side we had yet to see in previous incarnations. With his Edwardian cricketers garb and stick of celery on his lapel, Peter was the youngest actor to have filled the role at that time, in what was undeniably a stab by the writers to bring new fans into the fold. It also helped that he was already known for his role of Tristan Farnham in All Creatures Great and Small.

And, so to my favourite episode, from my favourite Doctor, featuring my favourite baddie – Earthshock. For this fan, any episode featuring the Cybermen is always amongst the best of the Doctor’s adventures. But this episode is an absolute cracker. The year is 2526, and in a cave system on Earth, the Doctor and his companions Tegan (Janet Fielding), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), and the much maligned Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), find themselves at the mercy of the Cybermen in this fraught, thrilling episode.

Combining the claustrophobia of the cave system with the nail biting image of cybernetic silhouettes, I clearly remember being on the edge of my seat when I saw this episode as a child. And it still has the capacity to hold my attention to this day. There’s something utterly horrifying seeing hoards of Cybermen pour out of their silos! And that’s another thing I love about this episode – it harkens back to some of the horror style episodes from earlier in the franchise. The Cyber Leader playing monochrome clips of earlier incarnations of the Doctor is notably one of the most poignant moments of an episode that’s otherwise action packed. Cybermen storming the TARDIS!! Eeek!

I can’t write an article on Earthshock without mentioning the elephant in the room (or the TARDIS), which is to say the Doctor’s clear affection for Tegan. Had we already kind of guessed it? Of course. But the Cyber Leader confirming it as he ordered one of his drones to kill her is another outstanding moment in this thrilling adventure.

And of course it would be remiss of me not to mention Adric’s sacrifice. Was he the most loved companion? Most certainly not, and yet when he finally ended his stint in the TARDIS, he also became a little more popular. Oh, the irony. As the freighter he was aboard hurtled back in time to become the meteor that would wipe out the dinosaurs, the Doctor unable to save him, the silent credits rolled to serve a fitting memorial. What a ride!