A mind-bending 3rd Doctor story from 1970, this featured the last appearance of his companion Liz Shaw, and covered seven whole episodes. A scientific project to drill deep into the earth to tap a peculiar gas that could resolve the energy crisis is monitored by UNIT and the Doctor, whos also attempting to use the project to power experiments into ending his exile on Earth and fixing his TARDIS. Essentially, they drill too far and unleash some primordial and utterly gross ooze that can transform people into horrifying monsters but not before the Doctors own experiments on the TARDIS have him accidentally transport himself to a parallel universe. In it, a similar project is occurring, but is a few days further along. Seeing the terrifying effects of ooze, and believing Earth to be doomed, the Doctor begs the UNIT and project leaders of this parallel world to allow him to return to his own universe to warn them to stop the drilling in time to at least save them. Unfortunately for him, the parallel universe was created when Britain was taken over by a fascist regime some years previously. Basically, the parallel versions of his friends and colleagues are all wrong and evil and dont want to help him at all. Considering when this serial was made, its fine, fine science fiction on television, and possesses a brain-grinding plot that wouldnt be out of place in a Steven Moffat series of todays Doctor Who.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
