The Rosemariners

Lost Stories #3.8

Released: 19 September 2012

Listened: 7/31/22

This Lost Story is much less offensive than “Prison in Space.” In fact, it’s pretty normal for the era, if a bit dull. According to the extras, it was written by regular writer Donald Tosh, and they just never got around to producing it. The TARDIS lands on a scientific space station where one of the main researchers is botanist Arnold Biggs, played by the estimable David Warner. For once, he’s not a bad guy, nor even suspected of being a bad guy. The Doctor takes to him almost immediately, and he’s on their side through the whole story. The station is taken over by the titular Rosemariners, aliens from the planet Rosa Damascena, and boy do these guys like roses. Like, a lot. Roses are necessary for their life cycle, and now they’re trying to find a way to turn roses into weapons. Specifically, the rosa toxicaera, developed by Daleks on Kembel, along with the varga plants. What follows is a lot of running back and forth between the station and the Rosemariners’ ship, bluffs and double-bluffs, mistaken identity, and lots of talk about roses. Clive Wood (who once played a Roman commander in “The Pandorica Opens”) plays the Rosemariner commander as a straight villain, sneering, berating his underlings, and even letting out a full-blown evil cackle during one cliffhanger. Frazer Hines does his usual fantastic job as the Second Doctor. Wendy Padbury gets all the female parts, of which there aren’t many, and also plays the station commander, who has a ridiculous French accent (not particularly well). There isn’t really much to recommend this as a story, except that the actors all seem to be having a grand time.