Planet of the Drashigs

Fourth Doctor Adventures #8.2

Released: 16 January 2019

Listened: 4/26/22

This story is technically the first chronological appearance of K-9 Mark II, as the Doctor has just finished building him as the story opens. It’s also Ann’s first TARDIS trip, and unfortunately for her, she’s got a full-blown Jurassic Park reference, complete with electric fences, a mad billionaire owner, a laconic gamekeeper, and a panicky safety inspector. (Sadly, no Wayne Knight or Sam Jackson, but the story is only an hour.) And instead of foolishly messing with dinosaur DNA, the scientist is foolishly messing with mind-controlling Drashigs. Even though they only appeared in “Carnival of Monsters,” Drashigs have become kind of synonymous in the fandom with “unstoppable beasts.” (Although their name is an anagram of “dishrag.”) Introducing smaller, smarter variants creates even more parallels to Jurassic Park, but it does allow the baddies some agency, instead of just being a force of nature. As for Ann, although she drew an unusually dangerous first adventure, the Doctor does try to keep her out of mortal peril. She’s asking a lot of questions and making inferences here, which makes her a nice step between Leela and Romana.