The Secrets of Det-Sen

Early Adventures #7.2

Released: 17 August 2021

Listened: 8/19/21

This is the first story featuring Lauren Cornelius as Dodo. It’s also a trip to Tibet, forming a direct prequel to “The Abominable Snowmen.” If you know that story well, you can probably guess at some of the plot twists here, but most people don’t know it, as it’s currently a lost story. But all the same trappings are in place, including the monks, the monastery, and even yeti, although in this case natural creatures rather than robots. Cornelius plays Dodo with a distinct accent, which doesn’t seem quite what Jackie Lane did on TV, but is closer to the accent that Dodo would’ve had. Dodo herself seems to be doing well in this story, getting along with the pilgrims and the monks, and even the yeti. Fortunately, they all seem to find her irreverence amusing. Steven is having a much harder time of it, starting with altitude sickness that makes him cranky for the whole story. Worse, he’s distrustful of several of the other characters, and flatly dismissive of the monks’ pacifist beliefs. That’s probably not out of line for the 1960s, but I’d expect a character from the future to be less parochial. Peter Purves does his usual fine job voicing the Doctor, who mostly seems respectful towards the monks, but also barges around the monastery like he has the right to go wherever he wants, and considers his own philosophy to be superior. As a true historical and a 1960s story, it’s a little on the slow side compared to modern stories, but probably better paced than other stories from the period. It’s a nice start for full-cast stories featuring Dodo.