Fields of Terror

Companion Chronicles 11.1

Released: 15 June 2017

Listened: 2/11/20

This episode is a true historical, set during the tail end of the French Revolution, which means it’s unrelentingly grim and dark. At least the Doctor knows this, because he’s been there before, and for a change, even he wants to just leave, but events prevent them. Out in the French countryside, Republic armies are ravaging the landscape and killing indiscriminately, which the TARDIS crew blunders into. It’s one of those stories where all they’re trying to do is stay alive long enough to leave again, which makes for a bleak story, but fortunately this one is short. One notable aspect is that the Doctor is correct in all of his observations and assumptions, which is pretty rare for the First Doctor. Maureen O’Brien narrates and plays most of the parts. Unlike the previous story, the Doctor is a main character, so O’Brien has to do her Hartnell impersonation, which honestly isn’t the best, but she does have his mannerisms down. It’s a dark downer of a story for Vicki’s last appearance in this project, but there it is.