The Invention of Death

First Doctor Adventures #2.1

Released: 25 July 2018

Listened: 1/12/20

This is the first John Dorney story in this series, and as might be expected, it’s high-concept. The TARDIS crew happens upon a species of aliens who appear to be immortal, and therefore have no fear of death, no concept of pain or discomfort, no means of reproduction, and no spur toward scientific progress. That last concept seems to be most important in this story, as far as it provides some motivation for some very alien characters. Otherwise, there isn’t really a “bad guy” or any sort of threat, which makes the story drag a little bit. There’s also an odd interlude in which the cast sings “London’s Burning” as a round, for no real reason. This is another one of those stories that I don’t think could have been done on TV, not just because of the special effects, but because the concept is too far out there for the TV audience.