‘DARK INTRUDERS’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

Minoans Attack with the Third Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier

The third story of ‘The Doctor Who Audio Annual’ is ‘Dark Intruders’ from the 1973 ‘Doctor Who Annual’. It’s read by Geoffrey Beevers who played the Master in ‘The Keeper of Traken’ as well as the Big Finish audios. Geoffrey also played a small role in the TV story ‘The Ambassadors of Death’.

This story features the Third Doctor with Jo and the Brigadier. The story is set during the Doctor’s exile on Earth around Season 8 time. There are gritty elements of Season 7 though and the story almost follows the same plotline as ‘The Ambassadors of Death’ with a Mars mission being involved.

In the story, the Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier are on a sailing ship in Hawaii where they witness the return of two astronauts – one American and one British – from their mission to Mars. Something goes wrong though and upon their return to England, the Doctor finds the evil Minoans behind it all.

‘Dark Intruders’ isn’t very special. Geoffrey Beevers does fine reading it and voicing the three main characters. But the story didn’t grip me within an action-packed setting. It’s basically an earthbound alien invasion story that’s quite laborious. Jon Pertwee’s Doctor is also referred to as ‘Dr. Who’ here.

It was interesting to hear that the Minoans are old enemies of the Doctor from long ago. I’m surprised they haven’t been in other ‘Doctor Who’ stories before and after this one. It transpires the Minoans are brain stealers of people. The Doctor manages to defeat the Minoans by the story’s end.

‘Dark Intruders’ rating – 5/10