‘THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
A Visit to Traken with Nyssa and the Melkur
Now we come to what I consider to be the highlight of Season 18 in ‘Doctor Who’! The first time I saw this ‘Doctor Who’ story was when I purchased the ‘New Beginnings’ DVD box set in March 2007. I was really excited when I first heard about the ‘New Beginnings’ DVD box set coming out that year!
I was keen to watch the closing stories of Tom Baker’s era of ‘Doctor Who’ as well as the beginning of Peter Davison’s era. I’d seen ‘The Beginning’ DVD box set beforehand with William Hartnell’s Doctor in November 2006. With the upcoming DVD box set as ‘New Beginnings’, a tingle was sent down my spine! 🙂
The three stories of the ‘New Beginnings’ trilogy are as follows: ‘The Keeper of Traken’, ‘Logopolis’ and ‘Castrovalva’. After watching the three stories on DVD, I had the most enjoyable viewing experience of my life as a ‘Doctor Who’ fan. I found the three stories excellent when I first saw them.
I know now that there are flaws in the last two stories of the DVD box set. But at the time in March 2007, I was pretty excited to watch them. With the DVD special features added to them to tell the behind-the-scenes story of 1980s ‘Doctor Who’, it was worth seeing all three TV adventures in one go.
The ‘New Beginnings’ trilogy was also extra-special for me on another personal level! The DVD box set featured the first three stories that introduced a new ‘Doctor Who’ companion to the series. That is of course Sarah Sutton who plays Nyssa of Traken, meeting Tom Baker’s Doctor and Peter Davison’s.
Sarah Sutton was an actress before she gained her fame in ‘Doctor Who’. She started acting at the age of 9 and went on to star in numerous TV productions including ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’ and ‘The Moon Stallion’. I have had the pleasure of seeing Sarah in those productions over the years.
I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Sutton at ‘Doctor Who’ conventions. Sarah as Nyssa is my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ companion and I’m very lucky to be her friend over the years. The ‘New Beginnings’ trilogy holds a special place in my heart as a ‘Doctor Who’ fan regarding Nyssa of Traken.
A lot has happened since I watched Nyssa in ‘Doctor Who’ via DVDs. I’ve enjoyed her in the rest of the TV series as well as the Big Finish audios that Sarah’s done. I’ve also enjoyed meeting her at conventions. So watching ‘The Keeper of Traken’ and Nyssa’s other TV tales on Blu-ray lately has been more special.
I’ve had the DVD cover of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ as well as the DVD covers of ‘Logopolis’ and ‘Castrovalva’ from the ‘New Beginnings’ trilogy signed by Sarah Sutton at the ‘Acceptable In The 80s’ convention in Chiswick, London, October 2011. I’ve enjoyed chatting to Sarah about her TV stories. 🙂 I’ve also had the DVD cover of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ signed by Geoffrey Beevers, who plays the Master in this story, at the ‘Film & Comic Con Glasgow 2019’ at the Braehead Arena in August 2019.
I’ve also had a glamour photo of Sarah Sutton from ‘The Keeper of Traken’ signed by her at the ‘celebrate 50 – The Peter Davison Years’ convention in Chiswick, London, April 2013. I’ve also had a lovely photo of Nyssa from ‘The Keeper of Traken’ signed by Sarah for my birthday in May 2019. This was acquired by my parents for my birthday from the ‘Film & Comic Con Cardiff’ in March 2019.
Back then in March 2007, I had no idea that I would be falling for Nyssa in ‘Doctor Who’ many years later. I was pretty inexperienced and uninitiated into the fandom of ‘Doctor Who’ at the time with the classic series. It was a generally happy time for me to get to know the TV series both classic and new.
I find the ‘New Beginnings’ trilogy to be the beginning of a wonderful ‘Doctor Who’ companion as well as a lovely lady who played her. There’s also the transition of an old Doctor into a new Doctor here, but I do regard the early 1980s period of ‘Doctor Who’ very highly especially when Nyssa’s involved. 😀
Anyway, let’s talk about the first story of the ‘New Beginnings’ trilogy, ‘The Keeper of Traken’ itself. Like I said, I’m very fond of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ as much as Sarah is. When I first saw this ‘Doctor Who’ story on DVD, I was immediately captivated into it, finding it very compelling and so enjoyable.
Years later, I’ve written my own sequel to ‘The Keeper of Traken’ which I’ve added to my blog called ‘The Tree of Riverloth’ featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Billy. I find it amazing to believe that I would later write a ‘Doctor Who’ story of my own that is a follow-up to one of my favourite stories.
‘The Keeper of Traken’ is a four-part adventure by Johnny Byrne. He writes a captivating and engaging adventure here. Johnny Byrne previously wrote episodes of ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ before he worked on ‘Doctor Who’. He also wrote episodes of ‘Space: 1999’, another sci-fi TV classic.
I liked the atmosphere and the ideas behind the creation of this story by Johnny Byrne. The story has the Doctor and Adric visiting the planet Traken after being summoned by the Keeper who is afraid that the world he’s been trying to keep safe is in trouble. A terrible evil is about to wake up on Traken.
This evil is in the form of a calcified statue called the Melkur. The Melkur attempts to take control of the Keepership and the Source of Traken by manipulating one of the Traken Consuls, Kassia, to do its work. Can the Doctor and Adric solve the riddle of the Melkur with Tremas and his daughter Nyssa?
When I chat to Sarah about ‘The Keeper of Traken’ at ‘Doctor Who’ conventions, she always says it’s one of her favourite ‘Doctor Who’ stories and rightly so. Sarah loved the set design and the costumes provided for this story. Certainly the set designs and the costumes for ‘The Keeper of Traken’ are impressive.
This four-part story was directed by John Black, who makes his first contribution as a ‘Doctor Who’ director. Clearly John Black worked well with the costume designer and the set designer to make Traken an impressively alien world, based on the style of Art Nouveau which I found very interesting.
Sarah told me that the costume she wore in ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is her favourite and I liked it as well. It has a plum colour to it and Nyssa certainly looks very aristocratic being the daughter of a Consul of Traken. The tiara on her head and the fairy skirt she wears matches her costume very well.
I enjoyed Tom Baker as the Doctor and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric in this adventure. They certainly work well together as a TARDIS duo. This is very different to the TARDIS team set-up of the Fourth Doctor, Adric, Romana and K-9 in Season 18. Romana and K-9 had previously left in ‘Warriors’ Gate’.
Tom Baker is at his heroic best as the Doctor in this adventure. He clearly seems to be enjoying himself in what is his penultimate TV story. Tom’s Doctor doesn’t seem to be so moody as in previous adventures. The writing works well for him since Tom has some eccentric ‘bonkers-ness’ back.
There are times when Tom’s Doctor grins a lot and I liked it when he has his moments of humour including when he bashes Neman and the Fosters’ heads together, saying “One head’s better than three!” rather than “Two heads are better than one!” Tom even liked the story on ‘Behind the Sofa’.
Adric seems to be well-served here in this story too. Matthew Waterhouse has said that ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is one of his favourite ‘Doctor Who’ stories too and I can see why. Johnny Byrne writes well for Adric. He makes him a useful companion compared to how other writers seem to write for him.
I like how Adric gets to use his mathematical skills; picks locks and does a Fourier analysis of some energy readings that might bring the Doctor’s TARDIS back. I like how Adric meets Nyssa for the first time and they quickly become good friends, getting to work together to defeat the Melkur in the tale.
Sarah Sutton as Nyssa is of course the highlight for me in this ‘Doctor Who’ story. I like how Sarah auditioned to be in ‘Doctor Who’ and that it was only meant to be for one story. But after she had impressed director John Black and producer John Nathan-Turner, Nyssa became a TARDIS regular! 🙂
Nyssa of course is the daughter of Tremas, a Consul of Traken. She first meets the Doctor and Adric when they come to rescue Traken from an impending danger. I like how she gets to be helpful, especially when helping Adric to get into the Traken Grove, persuading Proctor Neman with money.
She rescues her father Tremas, Adric and the Doctor when they’re locked in the Traken penal wing during ‘Part Three’ and she helps Adric to input the ‘servo shut-off’ into the Traken Source to get rid of the Melkur. Nyssa must’ve been brave when considering the risks of nearly destroying Traken’s Source.
This story is also the first to feature Anthony Ainley in ‘Doctor Who’. Here he guest stars as Tremas, Nyssa’s father. Anthony Ainley would go on to play the villainous Master in ‘Doctor Who’. I enjoyed Anthony’s performance in ‘The Keeper of Traken’ and it’s so intriguing how he becomes the Master.
Here, Tremas is a compassionate man who loves his daughter Nyssa and becomes the Doctor’s ally on Traken. I liked how Tremas turned out as a character in this story and his scenes with Nyssa are very sweet. Tremas is a dedicated man to preserving Traken and sees the Doctor’s scientific skills useful.
The guest cast in this adventure are great. There’s of course Denis Carey as the titular Keeper of this tale. Denis Carey previously played Professor Chronotis in the aborted ‘Shada’. Had ‘Shada’ been completed, this would’ve been Denis Carey’s second ‘Doctor Who’. He’s great as the Keeper in this!
There’s Sheila Ruskin as Kassia, who marries Tremas and becomes Nyssa’s stepmother. Kassia has been attending to the Traken Grove and cared for the Melkur since she was a young girl. Her obsession with the Melkur becomes the better of her once she’s being used to do its bidding in the tale.
John Woodnutt guest stars as Seron, one of the Traken Consuls. I’ve seen John Woodnutt play Sir Watkyn Bassett in the ‘Jeeves & Wooster’ TV series with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. He’s been in ‘Doctor Who’ before in ‘Spearhead From Space’, ‘Frontier In Space’ and ‘Terror of the Zygons’. He’s superb as Seron in this!
Margot Van der Burgh guest stars as Katura, an elderly Traken Consul member in the story. This is Margot Van der Burgh’s second ‘Doctor Who’ appearance since she appeared in ‘The Aztecs’ with William Hartnell. I enjoyed her character Katura in this adventure and how she responded to events.
And there’s Robin Soans as Luvic, a Traken Consul who doesn’t seem to be the brightest and most special out of the lot in the story. I enjoyed how his character turned out when it came to the story’s climax. Years later, Robin Soans would return to make a small guest appearance in ‘Face the Raven’.
There’s also Roland Oliver as Proctor Neman, who is like the chief Foster on Traken. The Fosters are like the gardeners/policeman on Traken. Neman is meant to maintain order and security on Traken whenever things go wrong. Neman becomes seduced by power and greed when the Melkur is in charge.
The villain of the story is of course the Melkur. I found the Melkur to be an impressively scary statue. My Dad was impressed when he saw the Melkur in this adventure. It’s good the Melkurs came back in a Big Finish audio called ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’ as well as my story ‘The Tree of Riverloth’. 😀
The Melkur stands about the gardens of Traken for many years before it get to use Nyssa’s stepmother Kassia to take control before sitting into the Keeper’s chair on the planet. The Melkur is well-performed by Graham Cole in the costume and it’s superbly voiced by Geoffrey Beevers throughout.
It took me quite by surprise when it turned out that the Melkur was…Geoffrey Beevers as the Master inside. The Melkur turned out to be the Master’s TARDIS after all. I was amazed and thrilled to see the Master in this adventure and it was intriguing to see an unusual version of him in this tale.
This is of course the decrepit decaying husk of the Master from ‘The Deadly Assassin’ from Season 14 of ‘Doctor Who’. Geoffrey plays him very superbly, matching well to Peter Pratt’s interpretation. I’m glad he didn’t have the ping-pong ball eyes to wear as that would’ve made him unconvincing to see.
Speaking of which, I’m sorry to say this, but I found those eyes that Sheila Ruskin wore as Kassia when her eyes glowed red to be very unconvincing. I know they’re supposed to indicate that Kassia is being controlled by Melkur when she has the neck-band on her, but to me, they look really fake.
The story’s climax is pretty exciting as well as sad since it ends on a cliff-hanger. Despite the Doctor defeating the Master on Traken, the villain gets away and Tremas gets taken over by him when caught in his trap at the end. The Master takes over; steals Tremas’ body and kills him in the process.
Anthony Ainley becomes the Master from now on as he leaves Traken. I found it very gut-wrenching when Nyssa came back in and called for her father before the story ended on the scary cliff-hanger. I was so keen to find out what happened next as the end credits rolled up at this amazing story’s conclusion.
The incidental music provided by Roger Limb is very good. I especially loved Nyssa’s theme/the Traken theme featured in this story. I recall speaking to Roger Limb at the ‘Fifth Element’ event in February 2010 and he said that he was inspired by Béla Bartók when he composed that piece of music.
When I purchased the ‘New Beginnings’ DVD box set in March 2007; ‘The Keeper of Traken’ DVD was dedicated to the memory of Anthony Ainley who sadly died in 2004. I’m saddened they didn’t transfer the dedication to Anthony Ainley from DVD to Blu-ray within the Season 18 Blu-ray box set.
The original DVD special features were as follows. There was a ‘Swap Shop’ interview with Sarah Sutton which I found lovely; ‘The Return of the Master’ featurette with Geoffrey Beevers; the ‘Being Nice to Each Other’ making-of documentary with behind-the-scenes cast and crew interviews and some BBC trailers and continuity announcements of the story. There was a photo gallery of the story; an info-text commentary option to enjoy; a ‘Doctor Who Annual 1982’ PDF and a ‘Radio Times Listings’ PDF of the story. There were also three audio options. There was a mono sound audio mix option for the story; a DVD audio commentary with Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse, Anthony Ainley and writer Johnny Byrne; and an isolated music option by Roger Limb to enjoy.
On Disc 6 of the ‘Doctor Who – The Collection – Season 18’ Blu-ray, the ‘Swap Shop’ interview with Sarah Sutton; ‘The Return of the Master’ featurette; the ‘Being Nice to Each Other’ making-of documentary; the ‘Radio Times Listings’ PDF, the mono sound audio mix option for the story; the DVD audio commentary and the isolated music option can be found on there. The BBC trailers and continuity announcements, the info-text commentary option and the photo gallery for ‘The Keeper of Traken’ have been updated for 2019 on the Blu-ray. The ‘Doctor Who Annual 1982’ PDF isn’t included on ‘The Keeper of Traken’ Blu-ray disc for the Season 18 Blu-ray box set. It’s now included on the ‘K-9 & Company: A Girl’s Best Friend’ Blu-ray disc for the Season 18 Blu-ray box set and it’s on the ‘Time-Flight’ Blu-ray disc for the Season 19 Blu-ray box set.
The new special features on Blu-ray include the ‘Behind the Sofa’ feature on ‘The Keeper of Traken’ with Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor); costume designer June Hudson and John Leeson (K-9) as well as Wendy Padbury (Zoe); Janet Fielding (Tegan) and Sarah Sutton (Nyssa). There’s a ‘Commentary Extra’ which features an excised chat between Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse, Anthony Ainley and writer Johnny Byrne when they recorded the DVD audio commentary in 2004.
On the PDF front, as well as the ‘Radio Times Listings’ of the story, there are also production documents and the script for the story. You need a special Blu-ray computer drive for that.
I found ‘The Keeper of Traken’ to be a brilliant beginning in the ‘New Beginnings’ trilogy of ‘Doctor Who’. It’s still one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ stories and it has a wonderful introduction to Sarah Sutton as Nyssa who would become my absolute favourite ‘Doctor Who’ companion in the TV series.
This story is beautifully well-written by Johnny Byrne and it’s beautifully well-directed by John Black. There are some impressive set designs and costume designs that make ‘The Keeper of Traken’ very compelling and engaging. But of course, this was only the beginning of Nyssa’s journey as the series continued.
‘The Keeper of Traken’ rating – 10/10
‘WHO GIRLS CALENDAR 2013’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Originally posted on December 25th 2018.
This will always be my favourite ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’!
I remember when Fantom Films announced in July 2012 that they would be releasing a ‘Doctor Who’ calendar featuring 12 images of six female ‘Doctor Who’ companions from the TV series. This would be two images for each of the six girls in the 12 months of 2013. I was very happy about this special news!
I discovered that Sarah Sutton who played Nyssa of Traken, my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ companion, was to be one of the six girls in the calendar. I purchased the calendar as soon as I heard the announcement and was looking forward to receiving it in the post. It was very fitting to have this calendar for ‘Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary.
The calendar arrived safely in the post in August 2012 when it was released and I couldn’t be happier. There were beautiful portraits of the six girls inside it. They included Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Katy Manning (Jo), Deborah Watling (Victoria), Mary Tamm (Romana), Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Anneke Wills (Polly).
The calendar photos for each month were as follows. For January, it was a photo of Deborah Watling; for February, it was a photo of Nicola Bryant; for March, it was a photo of Mary Tamm; for April, it was a photo of Katy Manning; for May, it was a photo of Anneke Wills and for June, it was a photo of Sarah Sutton. For July, it was a second photo of Nicola Bryant; for August, it was a second photo of Deborah Watling; for September, it was a second photo of Katy Manning; for October, it was a second photo of Anneke Wills; for November, it was a second photo of Mary Tamm and for December, it was a second photo of Sarah Sutton.
The calendar photos of Sarah Sutton are my favourites. She looks very pretty and so happy in each of them. The June photo is of Sarah as Nyssa in her ‘Terminus’ costume and the December photo is a lovely black-and-white photo of Sarah as Nyssa in her ‘Keeper of Traken’ costume.
There was a nice surprise for me. One of Anneke Wills’ photos for May was signed by her as a free autograph in the post. I didn’t mind having Anneke’s signature already. I was looking forward to having one of Sarah’s calendar photos signed by her at ‘Collectormania Glasgow 2012’ when I saw her again.
Sarah Sutton, Deborah Watling and Katy Manning at a ‘Who Girls Calendar 2013’ signing, August 2012
Beforehand, Sarah Sutton, Katy Manning and Debbie Watling attended a signing event for Fantom Films to promote the new ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’ in August 2012. I didn’t attend the event sadly, but I was going to see Sarah the following week at ‘Collectormania Glasgow’ and I was to have a family holiday in Scotland afterwards.
I took my ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’ with me to the Glasgow comic con and Sarah signed it for me there. Sarah looked inside the calendar and said the December photo was her favourite. I knew it was Sarah’s birthday in December as well as it being Christmas. 😀 I was so happy when she signed that photo for me.
I was immensely delighted and surprised when she wrote “Merry Christmas Tim!” on the photo. It was very sweet and kind of Sarah to do that and wish me a “Merry Christmas” on the photo. I was looking forward to putting the calendar on my bedroom wall in 2013. Sarah laughed when I mentioned that to her. 😀
At the Glasgow convention, Sarah turned the calendar back a page and saw Mary Tamm’s November photo. I miss Mary Tamm a lot as I enjoyed her as Romana in ‘The Key to Time’ season. Before this calendar was released, Mary sadly passed away in the summer of 2012. It was a big shame. I really wanted to meet her at conventions.
I remember chatting to Sarah about Mary Tamm and telling her that she was my favourite Romana. Sarah said she knew and met Mary at conventions. The two calendar photos of Mary for March and November are lovely. She looks glamorous as ever as she was back then as Romana in the TV series.
Katy Manning was lovely to see in the calendar too with two photos for April and September. I first met Katy at the ‘Fantom Films @ Memorabilia Birmingham’ convention in November 2011 before the calendar was released in 2012. It was lovely to see Katy in this ‘Doctor Who’ calendar. She’s so lovely to meet and chat to.
In the March photo, Katy wears a feathery outfit whilst in the October photo, she wears her ‘Frontier In Space’ outfit. Katy’s October photo is the best out of the two and is my favourite. I’m glad her infamous nude photo with a Dalek wasn’t included the calendar as that wouldn’t have been appropriate.
Deborah Watling’s photos as Victoria in the calendar are the best that I’ve seen of her. I hadn’t seen these full-scale photos of Debbie as Victoria before and the amazing bonus was – they were in colour! Debbie looks very glamorous in both these complimentary photos for the January and August months.
Sadly, Debbie aged since those photos were taken and, with respect, didn’t look the same as she did back then when I met her at conventions. But Debbie was a lovely person to meet at convention and it was great to see these 1960s photos of young Debbie when it came to January and August in 2013 for the calendar.
Nicola Bryant’s photos are very good. She’s pretty sexy as Peri from the TV series and is even more so when seeing her pictures in the calendar. Nicola’s photos are in February and July for 2013. Peri was a sex symbol in 1980s ‘Doctor Who’ and it’s hard to imagine her not being in the ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’.
The photos of Peri in the calendar are very complimentary, especially the black-and-white one in July where she’s seen skipping about barefoot with the American flag behind her for her character. The February photo is my favourite since it’s in colour and Nicola looks so lovely in her white dress as Peri.
Anneke Wills’ photos are equally good in the calendar months of May and October. I’m not really a huge fan of Polly in ‘Doctor Who’, but it was nice to see her in this ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’. It was nice to have the May photo of Polly signed by Anneke when the calendar came in the post as my birthday’s in May.
The photos of Anneke probably would have been taken during a photo call when she was making ‘Doctor Who’, although she looks more fitting for other TV shows around the time such as ‘The Saint’ and ‘The Avengers’. I’ve met Anneke at ‘Doctor Who’ conventions and she’s very pleasant to meet and talk to.
The ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar 2013’ will always be my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ calendar. The new series haven’t come up with anything like this and I was pleased that Fantom Films did it. The 2013 calendar is out of print now, but I would highly recommend the calendar to a ‘Doctor Who’ fan if it was available now.
Sarah Sutton is my absolute favourite ‘Doctor Who’ companion and I love her photos in the calendar. I’m pleased I got the calendar signed by Sarah. It was an extra when she wrote a Christmas message for me. I’ve kept Sarah’s December photo hanging on my wall since 2014. I haven’t taken it down at all. 😀
There was a second ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’ released for 2014 with more girls for the twelve months – that’s 12 girls for the 12 months. These included Maureen O’Brien; Janet Fielding and Louise Jameson. However, I didn’t get that same excitement for the 2014 calendar despite Sarah signing it for me too.
Fantom Films haven’t released any more ‘WHO GIRLS Calendars’ since then, which is shame. You can’t beat the first ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’ in 2013 though and it was great to have two photos of the six girls in it. I will always regard it highly as the best ‘WHO GIRLS Calendar’ ever since I’ve kept fond memories of Sarah signing it.
‘DOCTOR WHO AND THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
The Novelization and Audiobook of Traken
For Terrance Dicks
I’m so happy Andrew Skilleter’s cover featuring the Melkur and Nyssa was used for the audiobook!
‘Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken’ was a pleasure and a treat to read and listen to! It was great to read it back in 2011 after purchasing the original 1982 edition in 2010 and it was great to read and hear it in 2020. This ‘Doctor Who’ tale in book/audio form cheered my spirits up during a pandemic.
I purchased the Target novelization of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ at the ‘Regenerations 2010’ convention in Swansea, September 2010. As you’re already aware, ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ stories from the classic TV series, featuring the debut of Nyssa of Traken.
Nyssa of course is my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ companion, having seen her TV stories; heard her in audios; read her in books and even written her character in the stories that I share on my blog. I was able to read the book properly on a summer holiday in York, August 2011. Oh they were happy days!
I later had the Target novelization of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ signed by the lovely Sarah Sutton at the ‘Science of the Time Lords’ event at the National Space Centre, Leicester, January 2016. Sarah signed the book on Nyssa’s 35th anniversary in ‘Doctor Who’. That amazed her when I told her so. 🙂
‘Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken’ is by Terrance Dicks, based on the original TV scripts by Johnny Byrne. I really like Terrance’s novelization of ‘The Keeper of Traken’. I regret not having the book signed by Terrance at ‘The Capitol II’ in May 2017 since he died two years later in August 2019.
For many, Terrance Dicks is a ‘Doctor Who’ legend. He was script editor on the TV show from the late 1960s through to the mid-1970s, concentrating on the Jon Pertwee era stories in the 1970s. He has also authored many of the Target novelizations of ‘Doctor Who’ during the 1970s and the 1980s.
‘The Keeper of Traken’ novelization is divided into 12 chapters. Dividing the story as if four episodes of a TV story, you have 3 chapters comprising one episode. The first three chapters comprise of ‘Part One’, the second three comprise of ‘Part Two’, the third three of ‘Part Three’ and the final three of ‘Part Four’.
There are also exciting titles to go with each chapter in the book, including ‘Melkur Awakes’, ‘The Voice of Melkur’, ‘The Rule of Melkur’ and ‘The Last Resort’. It’s interesting how Terrance Dicks comes up with the titles for these chapters as he must’ve read the TV scripts before novelizing them.
It was years later that the audiobook for ‘The Keeper of Traken’ novelization had been announced for release in 2020. I pre-ordered the audiobook CD in November 2019. I hoped there would be an audiobook version of the Target novelization released by the BBC soon, as I enjoyed the book a lot. 🙂
I was looking forward to receiving the audiobook CD in the post and hope to read/hear the story at the same time when it came to revisiting it in 2020. I was hoping that Sarah Sutton would be the reader for ‘The Keeper of Traken’ Target audiobook. I have found Sarah to be a pretty good narrator.
It was proven when she did the audiobook for ‘The Moon Stallion’ novelization which was released in 2019. Sarah has a beautiful reading voice and I hoped she would say “Yes” to reading ‘The Keeper of Traken’ Target audiobook since her debut tale as Nyssa in ‘Doctor Who’ is one of her favourites. 🙂
Sadly that didn’t happen and the audiobook was read by Geoffrey Beevers instead. Not that’s a bad thing mind as Geoffrey Beevers is a fitting choice to do ‘The Keeper of Traken’ audiobook as he played the Master in that story. At least it wasn’t Steven Pacey from ‘Blake’s 7’ who read ‘Terminus’.
Geoffrey Beevers does a pretty engaging reading of the story in the audiobook. He doesn’t do exact recreations of voices for characters like with Tom Baker’s Doctor, as was the case in the ‘State of Decay’ Target audiobook. But his reading voice is clear and easy to follow, which was nice to read to.
The audiobook CD is a 4-disc set. The first three chapters on Disc 1 make up for ‘Part One’ of the story; the second three chapters on Disc 2 make up for ‘Part Two’ of the story; the third three chapters on Disc 3 make up for ‘Part Three’ and the last four chapters on Disc 4 make up ‘Part Four’.
Just to point out, the audiobook CD was originally meant to be released in May 2020. It would’ve made a nice birthday present for me. Sadly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the UK lockdown, its release got delayed. Thankfully, I received the audiobook CD in October 2020 before the year ended.
As I said, the Target novelization was originally published in 1982 – a year after the story was transmitted on TV in 1981. I greatly love the book’s original 1982 edition front cover. It has a beautiful profile image of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa adorning the cover the Melkur in the background. 🙂
It’s one of my favourite book covers. I’m glad BBC Audio used that front cover by Andrew Skilleter for the audiobook CD instead of the Alister Pearson front cover used for the 1993 Virgin Books reprint edition. I feel Andrew Skilleter did a brilliant, remarkable job with the original book’s cover. 🙂
He captured Sarah Sutton’s likeness as Nyssa from the TV series and it was great to see Nyssa on the front cover of a ‘Doctor Who’ book since she gets to be the centre of attention. Sarah is a pretty beautiful lady and it’s the inner Nyssa fan in me who gets excited about checking out the Target novelization.
Just to talk about the 1993 reprint edition cover by Alister Pearson, it depicts all the major elements of the story including the Keeper, the Master, the Fourth Doctor and the Melkur. I’m sorry to say this but the 1993 reprint edition doesn’t look impressive as the 1982 cover since Nyssa isn’t included. 😀
I was very impressed with how Terrance managed to novelize Johnny Byrne’s TV scripts, seeming to be really enthused in the story. He stays true to what was originally shown on TV without any deviations. In my original review for the novelization, I had found ‘The Keeper of Traken’ a slim book.
It’s after hearing the audiobook read by Geoffrey Beevers that there’s more depth to the story with it being divided up in its respective 4 CD discs like four episodes. It is true Terrance doesn’t add much to the original story as he usually tends to do with previous novelizations he’s had involvement with.
I was engrossed with how the story unfolded. What with the Doctor and Adric being visited by the Keeper of Traken who appears in the TARDIS; being summoned to the aid of Traken as an evil force wakes on the planet and it happens to be the calcified Melkur statue that landed on Traken long ago.
It got tense and interesting when the Melkur used Consul Kassia to get into the Keeper’s chair and control the Source. Thankfully with the aid of Tremas, Kassia’s husband and Nyssa, Tremas’ daughter, the Doctor and Adric seek out to stop Melkur and save Traken from terrible devastation. 🙂
It gets interesting in terms of how Terrance unveils that the Melkur is more than a mere statue and that it happens to be the Master inside. I’m sure Terrance had fun writing that in the novelization since he co-created the Master’s character with Barry Letts in the early 1970s for Jon Pertwee’s era.
I like the descriptions Terrance gave to the Master in his decayed form, reflecting how he used to be a ‘stocky, powerful figure’ with a ‘darkly handsome face’ and a ‘pointed beard’, matching to how Roger Delgado looked. This is also the second time that Terrance has written for the decrypt Master.
The first time was in ‘The Deadly Assassin’ Target novelization when he wrote that based on Robert Holmes’ scripts. There’s even a reference to what happened in ‘The Deadly Assassin’ with the Master trying to get an extra supply of life, which I’ve discovered recently from hearing the audiobook CD. 🙂
Apart from adding in a few deleted scenes, Terrance simply writes the novelization according to what Johnny Byrne wrote. Whilst fair, it’s a shame as I would like to explore more of Traken’s world and see the characters enhanced more in the story. Mind you, the audiobook can help add to that effect.
With reading a Target novelization on its own, you don’t pick details up in a slow progressive manner. You could be rushing through it quickly. With a Target novelization and an audiobook in the background, Geoffrey Beevers takes time to read the story, allowing you to process more information.
The dialogue between characters is sharper than it was in the TV story. Terrance reworked some original lines to make them sound believable. One moment I liked is when Nyssa encouraged her father Tremas to give the Source Manipulator plans to the Doctor when being persuaded to do so. 🙂
Terrance does well describing Traken in prose form, clarifying some points in the story that might not have been clear to TV viewers. This includes the descriptions of the Source Manipulator’s inner workings; the Keepership of Traken and what ‘rapport with the Keeper’ actually means in the tale. 🙂
As mentioned before, the reinserted deleted scenes include one where Nyssa and Adric are before the gates of the Grove and there are people there waiting for a sign. There’s also additional dialogue between the Doctor, Tremas, Luvic and Katura when they’re escorted to their quarters by Neman. 😐
This is when the Melkur has now become Keeper of Traken during the ‘Part Four’ section. I like how Terrance writes for the Fourth Doctor and Adric together, having previously written for them in ‘State of Decay’. There’s a nice connection about the Doctor and Adric escaping E-Space at the start.
Terrance has kept to the Doctor and Adric’s strengths as characters which is what Johnny Byrne would’ve done when he wrote for them in the original TV story. Terrance also does well writing for Nyssa’s character, especially in her ‘Doctor Who’ debut. Mind you, I have noticed something here. 😀
I’ve noticed that Terrance describes Nyssa as a ‘slender brown-haired girl’ a few times. Not I mind the repetition, but couldn’t Terrance have varied it when he wrote it three times in the story? I suppose the second time round was to reintroduce readers to Nyssa in case they had forgotten her.
The third time was stretching it a bit too far. I like how Terrance handles the interaction between Nyssa and Adric, establishing that they become quick friends after some initial hesitation towards each other. I also like how the relationship between Nyssa and her father Tremas is handled in book.
Tremas is well-served in the Target novelization, as he turns out to be a worthy ally for the Doctor. Committed to his oath of office as a Traken Consul, Tremas shows a compassionate side and is very fond of his family. Tremas is a character you can easily identify and sympathise with concerning his fate. 😦
I like how Terrance depicted Kassia’s motivations as character, doing the things she thought were right in order to save her husband from becoming Keeper-Nominate on Traken when serving the Melkur. It’s intriguing how Kassia doesn’t want Tremas to be the Keeper-Nominate once it’s announced.
She feels her marriage to Tremas will be short-lived once he becomes Keeper. It’s easy to sympathise and understand why she was doing the things she did during the story in novelization/audiobook form rather than TV form. TV viewers might not have picked it up so quickly.
The Melkur statue is well-depicted by Terrance Dicks, as he describes the silky tones of its voice. He also describes the Melkur’s evil nature very well, especially once it starts walking about the Grove. Clues and hints are given about who the Melkur is, e.g. mentioning the creature in his control room.
It’s intriguing Geoffrey’s voice was amplified/modified/treated when he read the Melkur’s dialogue in the audiobook. I’m not sure if that gets forgotten about in the last quarter of the audiobook though. Either way, it provides the sinister modified tone to Melkur’s voice matching to the TV story.
The way the novelization/audiobook ends is gripping and tense. Terrance does well describing the horror of Tremas’ demise once he’s taken over by the Master. You do feel sorry for Nyssa when she’s calling for her father at the end. A faint evil laugh gets added. That makes it effective and disturbing.
I greatly enjoyed ‘Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken’ by Terrance Dicks. It was even better hearing it with the audiobook read by Geoffrey Beevers in the background. Terrance has done a fantastic job novelizing Johnny Byrne’s TV scripts into prose form. It almost feels like I’m watching it.
I’m saddened it wasn’t Sarah Sutton reading the audiobook instead, but Geoffrey Beevers is a good choice to read the story anyway. I’m also happy the original 1982 cover by Andrew Skilleter is used as the audiobook’s cover rather than the 1993 cover. Seeing Nyssa on the audiobook cover is bliss. 🙂
‘Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken’ rating – 9/10
‘BRADLEY’S BASEMENT’S STRANGE LOVE – ‘THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN’
Originally posted on September 30th 2021.
Tim Bradley:
Hello everyone!
Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’s Strange Love’!
The first of a new segment on my blog to celebrate 6 years of ‘Bradley’s Basement’ in 2021! I’m the super duper Tim Bradley of ‘Bradley’s Basement’ and I’m joined by the wordsmith Wolfie…
Wolfie:
Pleasure to be here, Tim!
Tim Bradley:
The motorsports mad but fun WilliamsFan92.
WilliamsFan92:
Greetings, Tim. I’m glad to have joined the team.
Tim Bradley:
And I’m pleased we have the bonkers but equally fun Timelord007 on our team.
Timelord007:
Thank you, Tim. And I’d like to point out I’m not bonkers. Just madly eccentric.
Tim Bradley:
(laughs) I’m sure a lot of us know that, Timelord.
Laughter ensues.
Tim Bradley:
So anyway! Thank you gents for joining me in this discussion as we look at ‘The Keeper of Traken’, one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ stories from the classic series! This is also to celebrate 40 years of Nyssa in ‘Doctor Who’. I hope everyone reading this discussion will enjoy our thoughts and insights about the story and I’m sure there’ll be good-humoured and tasty jokes along the way as we discuss.
First of all, I think we should start off by talking about what we make of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ in general. WF92, do you want to start? What are your overall thoughts of the story? Do you like it?
WilliamsFan92:
Yes, I do like it. The sets are well put together, Nyssa is a very sweet character and the ending sets us up for the next story very well.
Timelord007:
It’s purely an interesting tale of mystery and intrigue. The Melkur is eerie and the story builds up suspense as well as giving a bit of character drama to Nyssa.
Tim Bradley:
I recall purchasing the ‘New Beginnings’ DVD box set of ‘Doctor Who’ in 2007 which featured ‘The Keeper of Traken’, ‘Logopolis’ and ‘Castrovalva’. Is that how you first saw ‘The Keeper of Traken’, WF92? Through the ‘New Beginnings’ DVD box set?
WilliamsFan92:
No, I’ve never owned the ‘New Beginnings’ DVD box set. My first viewing of the story was on Britbox.
Tim Bradley:
Ah, I see. Well, when I first saw the story, I was pretty engrossed by certain scenes it had and it just felt gripping from beginning to end, especially when our heroes including the Doctor, Nyssa, Adric and Tremas were on the run and in trouble. It takes effort for a story like that to fully grip me, especially when the set design and the costume designs are very good and the direction by John Black is good.
Timelord007:
This was transmitted during my 6th birthday in 1981. I remember the Melkur scaring me and the emaciated Master terrifying me.
Wolfie:
I can’t recall where I saw ‘The Keeper of Traken’ for the first time. I think it was part of the ‘New Beginnings’ DVD box set, but I can’t be certain.
Tim Bradley:
Well, as long as you saw it, I think that’s all that matters.
Wolfie:
Oh I saw it, most definitely.
Tim Bradley:
Just to talk about Season 18 of ‘Doctor Who’, I feel it’s a rather mixed bag. On the one hand, I like that it’s a season with bold ideas and it attempted to reinvigorate the show. It had become silly by that point, especially with the overdose of humour in certain stories script-edited by Douglas Adams. Not that I don’t like Douglas Adams’ writing. On the contrary, I’ve been inspired by his writing at times in my stories. It’s just that Season 17 had become uneven in terms of humour and storytelling.
However, I wish Season 18 had more variety in terms of its storytelling. It tended to be harder sci-fi as opposed to a balance of historical and outer-space adventures. It also didn’t help when producer John Nathan-Turner and the script editor Chris Bidmead toned things down in terms of the humour.
I know Tom Baker wasn’t happy with that and you could see he was getting tired in terms of this being his last season of ‘Doctor Who’. Season 18 also doesn’t showcase the best of Tom Baker’s Doctor. The only two stories that did him justice were ‘State of Decay’ and ‘The Keeper of Traken’.
What do you chaps think about Season 18 overall?
WilliamsFan92:
From watching ‘The Keeper of Traken’, ‘Logopolis’ as well as ‘Part One’ of ‘The Leisure Hive’ so far, I find this season to be very interesting as well as different.
Timelord007:
A hit and miss season in my opinion. Some clever ideas, but some story arcs weren’t given enough due care and attention with the end results being a confusing mess – ‘Warriors’ Gate’ as an example. I thought the show tried to be too clever for its own good and it backfired hugely in the ratings as everyone tuned into ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’ on ITV1 instead.
Tim Bradley:
I don’t know anything about ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’ since I haven’t seen the series yet, but if I was a kid living in the 1980s, I probably would prefer watching ‘Doctor Who’ on BBC TV than that.” (aside) “Sorry, Buck Rogers. No offence. I haven’t got to know you yet. Maybe I will check you out at some point.
Timelord007:
Ah, but remember ‘Buck Rogers’ was a big budget sci-fi series at the time with its ground-breaking special effects. It seemed fandom did away with rubber monsters and complex plots for pulpy action visual spectacle.
Wolfie:
I got a hell of a shock the first time I saw ‘The Leisure Hive’. As seasoned ‘Who’ fans, I think it can be easy to forget just how much of a statement Peter Howell’s theme music and Sid Sutton’s starfield were for Tom’s final year. Those first episodes didn’t come with an ethereal drumming, they screamed their way on beams of light right into our televisions. Like a bolt of thunder down the aerial. Where Season 18 succeeded was in presentation and sheer style. Australian audiences had to wait a full year back when it first aired for Season 18/19 to be aired back-to-back on the ABC. It doesn’t shy away from being a bold new era for the show.
Tim Bradley:
It must have been frustrating for you to have to wait for the next season of ‘Doctor Who’ in Australia whilst many of us in the UK were already watching episodes of Tom Baker and Peter Davison in Seasons 18 and 19. Was it tricky to avoid spoilers while waiting for a brand-new season?
Wolfie:
That’s a very good question. A very good question, indeed…and I don’t have an answer, unfortunately!” (laughs) “I got to ‘Who’ a bit later than that, so I was part of the wave actively seeking out spoilers from reference guides. I still have my copy of ‘Doctor Who: The Legend’ with Richard E. Grant slated as the Ninth Doctor in the back. I imagine back in the pre-internet days, fans didn’t have to worry too much outside of merchandise. Those guides didn’t start showing up until the late 1980s, so I’d been watching since the early 1970s, I was probably under the impression Jo Grant had left the Third Doctor after Spiridon in ‘Planet of the Daleks’. We didn’t get to see the next story ‘The Green Death’ until much later. Missing episodes, not just a 1960s phenomenon for overseas audiences as it turns out.
Tim Bradley:
I have to say, I love the Peter Howell theme music of ‘Doctor Who’. I know the Delia Derbyshire theme music is very recognisable and we’ve had some really good renditions of the ‘Doctor Who’ theme music over the years from people like Murray Gold and Segun Akinola. But the 1980s theme music by Peter Howell does excite me as it’s very recognisable every time you hear it in 80s’ ‘Who’.
Timelord007:
I get goosebumps every time I hear Peter Howell’s rendition of the theme. It’s pure 1980s nostalgic gold for me!
WilliamsFan92:
Even though I rate the Ron Grainer/Delia Derbyshire version of the ‘Doctor Who’ theme music highly, Peter Howell’s version is always a joy to hear.
Wolfie:
As a debut, I enjoyed Season 18. It’s interesting that Christopher H. Bidmead, the script editor, wanted to push the series more towards hard sci-fi because this season, more than any other before it, feels as though it embraces sword-and-sandal fantasy. For every ‘Full Circle’, we have a ‘Keeper of Traken’. If it has a weakness, it’s that all these high concept ideas so heavily take centre stage at times that the characters feel as though they fade into the background. Something that rubbed me the wrong way on first viewing, but I’ve warmed to the stories since then (subjective tastes and all that). Like most seasons, that problem tends to vary depending on the story. ‘Traken’ strikes the right balance, I feel.
Tim Bradley:
Yeah, I think we can all be in agreement on that.
Timelord007:
I think ‘The Keeper of Traken’ would have worked better as a six-parter just to give some of the supporting characters a bit more depth as the overall story and concepts were interesting.
WilliamsFan92:
Does the Target novelisation cover that ground?
Tim Bradley:
Not really. Terrance Dicks did a straight-forward novelization of Johnny Byrne’s scripts as opposed to delving deeper into the story. If Johnny Byrne novelized the scripts himself, I’m sure we would have got more information about Traken and its history compared to what Terrance Dicks gave us. Not to say Terrance Dicks’ novelization is bad. I actually quite like Terrance’s novelization of the adventure.
Wolfie:
The impression I often get of Terrance Dicks’ modus operandi was that he tended to approach novelizations with certain sanctity around the original text. Keep the bones, flesh out the rest. Any background information would be to clear up certain vagaries and ambiguities in the screenplay. Things to help the story along, like providing an identity to the otherwise nameless human abducted for ‘Meglos’ (i.e. George Morris, a bank manager from 20th Century Earth). On the whole, ‘The Keeper of Traken’ has very few essential gaps to fill. It’s a tightly-plotted tale. It would definitely have been interesting to see it as a six-parter with a deeper delve into where Melkur came from (as we would discover two incarnations later).
Tim Bradley:
Yeah, I think that’s fair.
Johnny Byrne
Tim Bradley:
The author of this tale – Johnny Byrne! I haven’t come across his other sci-fi work such as ‘Space: 1999’, but I have come across him as a writer in other things apart from ‘Doctor Who’ such as the original ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ and he did devise ‘Heartbeat’. I like Johnny Byrne’s writing. I’d like to think he understood how to develop characters in stories and not just focus on the plot, which quite a number of writers often did in 1980s ‘Doctor Who’. Even when stories don’t work out well like ‘Warriors of the Deep’, I always feel Johnny Byrne had good messages to tell in his stories. What does everyone else think?
WilliamsFan92:
He seemed to always know what he was doing. I’ve seen ‘Warriors of the Deep’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Space: 1999’ and ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. Some of those episodes he did for those shows aren’t that great, but like you say, Tim, Johnny Byrne did well in his career.
Timelord007:
Johnny Byrne is a good writer. I was happy to see ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’ done as a Big Finish audio ‘Lost Story’ and while ‘Warriors of the Deep’ is not masterpiece, that was simply down to the lack of production values and budget. Not Johnny’s writing.
Tim Bradley:
And the Myrka was a bit of a disaster, wasn’t it?
Timelord007:
Ugh, the Myrka was a terrible idea, which should have been omitted from the script. No way was a BBC effects budget going to create something terrifying. So either get around it by showing it in silhouette or darkly-lit areas or cut it out completely because the story loses credibility with a weak monster, which is a shame because the story had great ideas and a haunting emotional ending.
WilliamsFan92:
They should do a special edition with updated special effects for the story’s Blu-Ray release in Season 21. Or maybe that won’t make a difference.
Tim Bradley:
(jokingly) Maybe you should write to BBC Studios to prompt them to do that, WF92.
WilliamsFan92:
(laughs; jokingly) I’ll get right on that.
Tim Bradley:
Excellent! Pleased to hear it!
Laughter ensues.
Tim Bradley:
Out of the three ‘Doctor Who’ stories Johnny Byrne wrote for TV, I would say ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is the best, ‘Arc of Infinity’ is the second best and ‘Warriors of the Deep’ is the worst. That’s both in accounts of storytelling and production values. Would you agree with that assessment?
Timelord007:
Yep, I completely agree.
WilliamsFan92:
Sounds right to me.
Wolfie:
Just the TV versions?
Tim Bradley:
Well, I haven’t come across the Target novelization of ‘Warriors of the Deep’ yet, although I’m sure it’s better than the TV version we got. I have read ‘The Keeper of Traken’ and ‘Arc of Infinity’ novelizations, but judging the three TV stories alone, I would say ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is the best.
Wolfie:
Yeah, it’s a fair cop, guv. I have to agree.
WilliamsFan92:
The Target novels aren’t all better than the TV versions. Cough-cough ‘The Leisure Hive’, cough-cough ‘Time-Flight’.
Tim Bradley:
Yes, that’s true. And I’ve said that in my reviews of those novelizations.
WilliamsFan92:
You certainly have, Tim.
Timelord007:
Yes, you have, Tim.
Tim Bradley:
One of the things said about ‘The Keeper of Traken’ by Johnny Bryne in a DVD interview, is that the theme of the story is when a world rotates through peaceful harmony to a state of terrible crisis. Would you say that’s true in today’s context, especially with what we’ve been going through lately?
Timelord007:
They say life imitates art and there are some parallels in this story which mirror recent global events which viewers can relate to.
WilliamsFan92:
I can certainly see that, seeing as we have peace to begin with before everything goes awry.
Wolfie:
Oh, absolutely! There’s an interesting conversation to be had in the story about a paradise and the people that exist within it. Even in an apparent utopia like Traken, surrounded by harmony, Kassia fears losing her husband. However perfect the world, people themselves are still imperfect.
Tim Bradley:
Did you know Johnny Bryne wrote scripts for two abandoned ‘Doctor Who’ movies including ‘The Time Lord’ in 1988 and ‘Last of the Time Lords’ in 1991? Fancy that? A shame they didn’t happen!
Timelord007:
Never knew that.
WilliamsFan92:
I learn something new every day.
Tim Bradley:
Well, they were in the pre-production phases and I don’t think anything got beyond the scripts! I know a poster was done for ‘Last of the Time Lords’. I wonder what those stories would have been like had they been made for the big screen. I’m sure they would have been very exciting movies to watch at a cinema.
Wolfie:
One of the scripts had the Doctor locked in an asylum after his regeneration. Makes for quite the image, isn’t it? I rather liked the idea Byrne had of Pog, a small frog-like creature the Doctor confided to in the TARDIS gardens. Shame he’s never turned up elsewhere.
Tim Bradley:
Those are details I never knew about. Have you got the scripts for that movie, Wolfie?
Wolfie:
Not myself, but I did manage to catch a few pages of ‘The Nth Doctor’ reference book. It details outlines of Byrne’s two attempts, plus a number of other unproduced film ideas. Interestingly, his last script also delves into a benign society attacked from within.
Tim Bradley:
Hmm. Sounds eerily familiar!
The Traken Society
Tim Bradley:
Traken, described by the Doctor, is famous for its universal harmony. A whole empire held together by people just being terribly nice to each other. I don’t know about you three, but considering how our world has gone about lately, I wouldn’t mind visiting a planet like that where everyone’s nice.
Timelord007:
The thing is, while it would be lovely to visit a place of pure peace and calm, it’s the old yin/yang philosophy that good can’t exist without bad and vice versa.
Tim Bradley:
The Captain Kirk ‘Enemy Within’ logic, right?
Timelord007:
Argh! I’m now seeing images of William Shatner’s hammy acting from that episode! “I WANNA LIVE!!!”
Laughter ensues.
Tim Bradley:
I’m quite disappointed we don’t get to see enough of Traken as it all seems to be in just one place with the Grove, the Sanctum and everything. When I did my Traken-like story called ‘The Tree of Riverloth’, I tried to make good use of geography in terms of there being a variety of places and making the world bigger. I don’t think you justify Traken’s geography by focusing on just one place.
WilliamsFan92:
Big Finish could create a Traken set spin-off like they did for ‘Jago & Litefoot’.
Tim Bradley:
They could do that! It’d be nice if they did that, yes.
Timelord007:
‘The World of Traken’ by Tim Bradley! Here Big Finish, take my money!
Tim Bradley:
Hmm. I’ll have to think of some story ideas for that. Thank you for your confidence in me.
Timelord007:
If anyone can do a story arc about Traken, it’s you, Tim. I’ve said it many times, “Big Finish hire this talented young man”.
Wolfie:
“Oohh, how about even bigger? ‘The Worlds of Traken’! Beside Traken and Serenity, we don’t really get to see much of, what are implied to be, at least half-a-dozen planets in the Trakenite Union. There’s still room for that in the gap between ‘Traken’ and ‘Logopolis’.
Tim Bradley:
Yeah, that’s a good point, Wolfie. They talk about the Traken Union, but apart from Traken and Serenity, we don’t get to see enough of those planets before they’re all destroyed by the entropy field in ‘Logopolis’. It’s rather sad we didn’t stay on Traken long enough.
Timelord007:
Again, a big plot arc completely glossed over for time constrictions. This is why the story needed to be a six-parter. Another gripe about Season 18 is the running time on the length of episodes which pushed to barely 20 minutes. That’s five minutes off per episode and twenty minutes off a four-part story. Twenty minutes which could have fixed many plot inconsistencies.
Wolfie:
Funny you should mention that, Timelord. We’ve gone from stories like ‘The Leisure Hive’ and ‘Meglos’ where the time elapsed for each episode could be as short as 19 minutes, through to ‘Warriors’ Gate’ and ‘The Keeper of Traken’ where they’re happily pushing 25 minutes on the regular. Almost as if the season’s grown into itself in terms of content. The closer we get to the end, the more it does feel like the characters have been given room to breathe.
WilliamsFan92:
From what I’ve heard, John Nathan-Turner hated six-parters. That was the reason ‘Black Orchid’ was a two-parter and was followed by the four parter ‘Earthshock’.
The Fourth Doctor and Adric
Tim Bradley:
Tom Baker as the Doctor and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric! I don’t know if Lalla Ward leaving the series helped things, but I think these two got on well with each other in the TARDIS afterwards. They seem to get on very well with each other, especially in the opening and closing TARDIS scenes.
Timelord007:
I know from what I’ve read, Tom was very moody and just wanted to be gone. However he still managed to give an impressive performance here, despite the many behind-the-scenes clashes he endured during Season 18. I know Matthew irritated him and that the show’s changes upset him. However, you wouldn’t believe it by watching the episodes because there’s a nice chemistry between the Doctor and Adric throughout this adventure.
Tim Bradley:
It’s funny, because this was the first story of Season 18 I saw and I’d just seen Adric got blown up in ‘Earthshock’. I had no idea there were these behind-the-scenes tensions going on with Tom’s temperament after doing the show for seven years. I was put off that Tom tended to be bad-tempered when making the series, as most of the time he came across as really enjoying playing the character he played. It shows very naive I was and didn’t know much about Tom Baker as a person.
WilliamsFan92:
I just try not to let the on-set tensions spoil my enjoyment of the stories. Besides, it’s all in the past now.
Timelord007:
JNT and Bidmead wanted Tom gone and I find it unacceptable how Tom Baker was treated this season. Besides Tom’s health issues and his on/off relationship with Lalla Ward at the time, I’m surprised the season turned out as good as it did.
Wolfie:
I can’t really speak on the behind-the-scenes tensions. I don’t feel as though I know enough about it to make a judgement call one way or the other. On the subject of the Fourth Doctor and Adric as characters, though, I enjoy the ‘elderly wizard and young thief-turned-apprentice’ dynamic that the tale sets up here. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of it. It’s something we’ve seen perhaps once before with Leela, but it is curious how different the emphasis feels compared to the Sevateem huntress. Here, the Doctor is almost acting like the guardian of a foster child (something that Marc Platt would expand upon for the audio ‘Purgatory 12’). If the show had continued with just the two of them, I could see the dynamic evolving to something similar like Rothgo and Phil from ‘Into the Labyrinth’.
Tim Bradley:
I’ve yet to see ‘Into the Labyrinth’, but I’ll take your word for it.
Wolfie:
A side-step in time for ‘Who’ fans interested to see what the series’ alumni got up to outside of the show. It was a short series with tales from Bob Baker, Dave Martin, John Lucarotti, Anthony Read, Robert Holmes, even Morris Farhi who wrote the unproduced but later adapted ‘Farewell, Great Macedon’. It’s also a great place to see Pamela Salem, better known as Toos from ‘The Robots of Death’ or Rachel Jensen from ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’, play the sorceress, Belor. She’s clearly having a ton of fun in the role.
Tim Bradley:
Thanks for sharing that with us, Wolfie. Maybe we’ll check out ‘Into the Labyrinth’ someday.
Laughter ensues.
Tim Bradley:
I like how in the Big Finish audios, Adric’s character has developed greatly compared to his appearances in the TV series, especially when he interacted with the Fourth Doctor, Romana and K-9 in the Series 9 stories. I hope there’ll be more to explore between the Fourth Doctor and Adric in the Big Finish audios. I assume that a season featuring Tom and Matthew is already in the works.
Timelord007:
I hope so. I’d like see a few more Fourth Doctor and Adric adventures set in between ‘Warriors’ Gate’ and ‘The Keeper of Traken’.
Wolfie:
I hope so too. If not, ‘Watchers’ by Matthew Waterhouse himself looks to be quite an interesting addition to those final weeks of the Fourth Doctor.
WilliamsFan92:
I’m currently looking forward to listening to the Series 9 audios once I’ve watched ‘The E-Space Trilogy’. Any Fourth Doctor and Adric audios set between this story and ‘Logopolis’ would be welcome too.
Nyssa
Tim Bradley:
Now you know how I feel about Sarah Sutton and Nyssa…
Timelord007:
(teases Tim) Err, no we don’t, Tim, please do tell.
WilliamsFan92:
(teases Tim) Oh I think Nyssa’s relationship with Billy Walker tells us everything we need to know.
Laughter ensues. Wolfie waggles eyebrows teasingly at Tim.
WilliamsFan92:
And Wolfie just teased Tim by waggling his eyebrows in Delphon language.
Timelord007:
A difficult language to master! (teases Tim) But very communicate and effective to tease Tim.
Tim Bradley:
(rolls eyes) Alright, that’s enough. (laughs) But seriously, it’s amazing that Nyssa’s debut in ‘Doctor Who’ was just meant to be one story. I chatted to Sarah about it at a convention and it’s amazing that the option was taken to carry Nyssa forward as a ‘Doctor Who’ companion. I’m grateful that happened since ‘Doctor Who’ would be a really different show today without Nyssa being in it.
Timelord007:
Nyssa is my favourite Fifth Doctor companion. Tegan just moaned throughout her travels; Adric was at times an annoying brat and Turlough was under the influence of the Black Guardian. Nyssa however wanted to be there and was on the same wavelength as the Doctor. It’s no surprise that ‘The Stockbridge Trilogy’ are my favourite Fifth Doctor and Nyssa adventures, because the chemistry is there between Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton. They complement each other’s characters and work well together.
WilliamsFan92:
I wonder how different Nyssa’s life would be if she had never travelled with the Doctor. If a Traken spin-off was made, that’s all we would have had to go by. Then again, we might not be bothered since she wouldn’t have been a companion. Have you ever wondered that, Tim?
Tim Bradley:
Well, there are times when I wondered what would have happened if Nyssa never met the Doctor and never left Traken. I would like it if Big Finish did a prequel Traken series set before ‘The Keeper of Traken’ which showcased Nyssa’s early life and maybe a Short Trip audio where Nyssa was saved by the Watcher. That would be something nice for Big Finish to explore if they ever consider it. Does that answer your question?
WilliamsFan92:
Absolutely, it does.
Tim Bradley:
Oh, that’s good to hear.
WilliamsFan92:
Also of note, I like Nyssa’s theme. It sounds a lot like the Ewok theme from ‘Return of the Jedi’.
Timelord007:
A wonderful theme for an excellent companion!
WilliamsFan92:
And very soothing!
Tim Bradley:
Roger Limb, who was the music composer for ‘The Keeper of Traken’ told me at a convention once that he was inspired by Béla Bartók when he composed Nyssa’s theme. I’ve not heard Béla Bartók’s music, but I’d like to think it’s classy and I’m sure his pieces of music are beautiful.
Timelord007:
Music is pivotal in setting up a character as it echoes the character’s moods and emotions of happy, sad, scared angry, upset, etc.
WilliamsFan92:
The way Nyssa is written and portrayed in the franchise puts her in pole position ahead of Tegan, Adric and Turlough. Forgive me for using motorsport jargon.
Tim Bradley:
No need to worry about that.
Wolfie:
Roger Limb is a name that tends to conjure up the frantic drumming of ‘The Caves of Androzani’ or the neon hiss of ‘Revelation of the Daleks’. Quite punkish and grimy stories! Starting at the beginning with ‘The Keeper of Traken’, it’s almost a bit of whiplash seeing his credit in the closing titles. He performs the idyllic panpipe tune of Nyssa’s theme and similar with equal confidence. Quite lightsome compared to where he’d be in a few years time.
WilliamsFan92:
Here’s something else about Sarah and this story that I should mention. Apparently Matthew Waterhouse recalled that he wanted to hug Sarah Sutton. He did so and she slapped him. I don’t know if that’s true for certain but it could be.
Tim Bradley:
I don’t know where you heard that from but it’s the first I’ve ever heard of it. I’m not sure what you just said might be true and just a rumour.
WilliamsFan92:
Probably a rumour. I only found it on the ‘Doctor Who’ wiki.
Tim Bradley:
Well either way, I owe a lot to Sarah Sutton from seeing her acting career and meeting her at conventions. They’re what led me to do reviews, timelines and stories on my ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog. It’s a credit to Sarah Sutton that she’s a great actress since she balances both the strength and empathy of Nyssa’s character throughout the stories that she’s in, including TV and audio. I’m glad ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is a testament to that.
Timelord007:
Sarah brought out a range of emotions with the character both on TV and Big Finish audio. As Tim says, inner strength, empathy and courageous caring make the character three-dimensional and not just another pass the tea, “Rescue me, Doctor”-type of companion.
WilliamsFan92:
Sarah certainly makes Nyssa seem kind and bubbly. I hope to see more of that when watching Seasons 19 and 20 as well as hearing the Big Finish audios and reading select novels.
Wolfie:
Kind, bubbly and capable! The rapport between Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison makes for a companion who was allowed to stand on her own two feet. She’s a capable scientist, theoretician and quite a genuine friend to the Fifth Doctor. In her audio stories, their dynamic has been allowed to grow into something that put to mind, in all seriousness, Scully and Mulder from ‘The X-Files’. I know, right? Not a comparison you’d really think of, but there’s something in Nyssa’s candid capability that brought them to mind in her first run of stories. She feels very much like an orphan who’s decided that her guardian needs as much care, as he thinks she does. Nice that they went the route of Frazer Hines with James Robert McCrimmon and brought her aboard the TARDIS in the same manner.
Tremas
Tim Bradley:
Anthony Ainley as Tremas! I like how the story builds up to the reveal that Tremas ends up being killed by the Master so that he can steal his body. Because for the most part, Tremas comes across as a noble figure, which is essential for him being Nyssa’s father; and I like how Anthony Ainley plays that in the performance he gives. It’s quite an underrated performance and it deserves recognition.
Timelord007:
The Master stealing Tremas’ body scared the hell out of me, because as a child, one expects a happy ending. Instead ‘The Keeper of Traken’ concludes on a downbeat note with the Master surviving and becoming whole again in his new body.
Anthony Ainley is often criticised for being too pantomime in his performances as the Master. However, I’ve always found he got the tone pitched right and played Tremas as a loving father and cared about Traken and its future.
By the way, nice four minutes to midnight on the clock reference which signals four more episodes until the end of the fourth Doctor era.
WilliamsFan92:
The very last shot is actually quite dark as well as sad. Nyssa then has to go on a journey to find her father at the end of which she will get a nasty surprise on Logopolis.
Wolfie:
Yeah, I agree with you three. Noble, frightening and dark. Good catch with the clock, Timelord. I’ve never noticed that before. Tremas feels almost like an old friend of the Doctor, despite the two likely never having met before. I could easily see him being Keeper and doing justice to that role in the Union. I have to wonder if the more giddy aspect of the Ainley Master isn’t him being enormously amused every time the Doctor sees his stolen body’s face. The Master’s always had a rather wicked sense of humour (flowers for a funeral in ‘Terror of the Autons’ for instance). His decision to parasitise Tremas would fit quite well with that.
Timelord007:
HMV! His Master’s Voice!
Tim, WilliamsFan92 and Wolfie give odd looks to Timelord007. Timelord007 groans.
Tim Bradley:
Incidentally, do you think it’s strange that Tremas happens to have a name which is an anagram of ‘Master’? I don’t know if that’s clever or bad fate.
WilliamsFan92:
I’d say it’s the former from a storytelling point-of-view but the latter in-universe.
Wolfie:
Is this the first instance of anagrammatic foreshadowing in the John-Nathan Turner era? You know, I think it might be.
Timelord007:
Ah! The beginning of ‘the anagram Master’!
Tim Bradley:
I did like it when Tremas was defiant towards Melkur in ‘Part Four’, even to the point when Melkur shots bolts of red beams into his eyes, which must have been painful.
Timelord007:
Not too painful though. I mean he’s going to steal his body soon so he doesn’t really want to damage Tremas too badly.
WilliamsFan92:
It would be hard to think if the pain from that would be worse than the pain from being run over by a car.
Wolfie:
Well, if we make a logical extrapolation of the weapon: it’s a laser. Lasers are made by concentrated light. Concentrated light generates heat. Heat directly in the eyes! With needles of light! Oohh! Oh, dear. Oof… That’s not a nice experience at all.
Tim Bradley:
That scene where Tremas was forced to kill Neman by Melkur was quite terrifying to witness. Melkur could have almost made Tremas shoot himself in the head like he was about to. Quite disturbing that.
WilliamsFan92:
If that had happened, the Master would never have been able to take over Tremas’ body.
Timelord007:
It’s a tense scene indeed! Very dramatic which no doubt made Mary Whitehouse wet her knickers.
Tim Bradley:
Timelord!
Timelord007:
I’m just saying. Just saying.
Wolfie:
Again, a part of the Master’s rather nasty sense of humour! It’s proof that he has as much sway over Tremas as he did Kassia. Even without the old scientist’s compliance. Johnny Byrne’s scripts – you’ll see this in ‘Arc of Infinity’ and, to a rather alarming extreme, ‘Warriors of the Deep’, as well – often have a nightmarish element of characters being forced immobile while they’re forced to act against their own nature. In this case, it harks back to an archetypal element of the Master’s character – his hypnotic influence over others.
Kassia
Tim Bradley:
In some ways, Kassia is the like the central character for a bit in ‘Parts One, Two and Three’. She could easily be mistaken as a villain, but all she’s trying to do as illustrated in the TV story and the Target novelization, is that she wants to stop Tremas becoming the Keeper and spend her life with him. I don’t think that’s explored enough in the story, but it’s intriguing how that’s portrayed here.
WilliamsFan92:
I always saw her as the villain. You could argue that she gets her comeuppance at the end of ‘Part Three’.
Timelord007:
Kassia sets up the story brilliantly but was then sidelined which I thought was an abrupt way to treat such an important character.
Wolfie:
Kassia’s a strong example of one of those complex characters like Hindle from ‘Kinda’, Carrington from ‘The Ambassadors of Death’ and Edward Waterfield from ‘The Evil of the Daleks’ that ‘Doctor Who’ does so well. Rather cruelly, Melkur takes advantage of Kassia’s misery in the cold hours after her wedding. She’s a woman who loves her husband, wishes he wouldn’t leave her, and is victimised for it. That’s quite tragic, really. As far as the Master’s plans go, it’s understatedly one of his nastiest and might have come from a lesson he learnt in ‘The Time Monster’ with Queen Galleia and King Dalios (i.e. his plan fell apart because, in the end, she really did love him).
Tim Bradley:
Incidentally, that faint that Kassia did in ‘Part Two’ after she said, “The evil is here before you! Before your eyes!” I’m sure Shelia Ruskin is a great actress and I’ve seen her in a ‘Miss Marple’ with Joan Hickson once, but I thought it daft and over-the-top when she fainted like that in the story.
WilliamsFan92:
The direction probably had a say in that faint. I’m sure Sheila Ruskin did her best.
Timelord007:
It was the 1980s. Enough said.
Wolfie:
I’m willing to say direction too. It’s also a product of the studio space of its time. The cameras were mounted on fairly obstreperous rigs and it was uncommon practice to do as a director like Graeme Harper would for his stories and have someone carry it over their shoulder for more dynamic shots. Nowadays, you’d have equipment small enough to get a point-of-view shot from the character’s perspective on set as she faints.
Tim Bradley:
Also, those moments when Kassia’s eyes glowed red once Melkur was controlling her. Even I could see those eyes were made out of cardboard and they weren’t her real eyes. They could have done without those cardboard eyes and actually had her shoot red beams from her eyes when the collar that Melkur gave her glowed red. Strange Neman didn’t have red cardboard eyes when he got his collar.
WilliamsFan92:
That is inconsistent. Perhaps the specials effects team didn’t have the budget for beams for Kassia.
Timelord007:
The budget for ‘Doctor Who’ was shocking. It was never given the due care and attention it deserved despite being one of the BBC’s flagship shows.
Wolfie:
The eyes were a curious choice, as I’m fairly confident they were painted on Ruskin’s eyelids. First time I saw it, I thought of the sigils and symbols you see adorned on the bodies of practitioners in magic. The eyes being a way for Melkur to channel its energy through Kassia as a medium! Re-watching it, looking at it from a practical production standpoint, I can understand why they chose it. Firstly, because chroma-key compositing is capricious at the best of times, and secondly, it does make for an unsettling moment when her eyes lose all definition. I will say though, that an effect that has stood the greater test of time would be Tegan’s possession in ‘Snakedance’, which applies a completely different means to the same result.
Tim Bradley:
I found it amusing when at the end of ‘Part Three’ of ‘The Keeper of Traken’, the Doctor and company tried to stop Katura and Luvic from granting Kassia access to the Source of Traken. Once Kassia did her convulsions and Katura and Luvic panicked, Tremas said “We warned you, Consuls!” as if to say, “We told you so!”
WilliamsFan92:
And the rest of the Trakenites didn’t realise this until it was too late. Then again, as I said earlier, she probably deserved it.
Timelord007:
That scene needed work, but again it’s ‘Doctor Who’ on the clock. They probably filmed it at 9:50pm which was 10 minutes before the lights switched off.
Wolfie:
The Consuls strike me as a collection of Trakenites who have grown a little too reliant on answering to a single ultimate authority. Benevolent (as with the original Keeper) or not (as with Melkur)! They take the creature at its word when it says that Kassia gave her life for it to be installed in her place. The Doctor notes, with his own lived experience, that she didn’t have a say in the matter. There is a nice little moment in there where Tremas moves towards the Source before the Doctor stops him. Even after everything, he still cared about Kassia. Tremas seems to take no small amount of gratification from the new Keeper’s discomfort during the next day. It killed his wife and his defiant anger at that shows.
The Melkur
Tim Bradley:
I like the Melkur statue in ‘The Keeper of Traken’. I’ve included an army of Melkur statues in my story ‘The Tree of Riverloth’ and they were in ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’. I like how scary the statue is, especially when it has its red glowing eyes and when it walks about the gardens of Traken.
WilliamsFan92:
It’s certainly menacing with its physical appearance. I wonder how long this particular one’s been there. And it’s the Master’s TARDIS, so has he been there long?
Timelord007:
The Melkur scared the then six-year-old me to the point I avoided statues in friends and family’s gardens because I was afraid the statues would speak to me. That’s the essence of great writing and a wonderful visual creation that it has the influence to scare someone enough to avoid statues.
Tim Bradley:
I know Timelord and I tend to criticise Steven Moffat’s writing in ‘Doctor Who’ quite often, but do you think that’s where he got the inspiration to create the Weeping Angels? Because, let’s be honest, the Weeping Angels are an impressive creation by Steven Moffat just as the Melkur is a really impressive creation of Johnny Byrne’s.
Timelord007:
To be fair, the Weeping Angels are Moffat’s best created monster. No doubt children felt the same fear with the Weeping Angels that I felt at 6 years old with seeing the Melkur.
WilliamsFan92:
I personally feel as though the Weeping Angels are scarier than the Melkur. Though the things the Melkur can do make it just as dangerous.
Tim Bradley:
Ah, that’s interesting, WF92. In what way do you think the Weeping Angels are scarier than the Melkur?
WilliamsFan92:
Well, the way the Angels’ facial expressions change look very unsettling. The Melkur doesn’t change its expression.
Tim Bradley:
An interesting observation. I always feel that the Weeping Angels worked well in their debut appearance ‘Blink’. I didn’t think they worked so effectively in their later TV adventures, but that’s just my opinion.
Timelord007:
A shame ‘The Keeper of Traken’ was all filmed inside a studio. If any story deserved location filming, it was ‘The Keeper of Traken’. Imagine those scenes from ‘Traken’ filmed on location with a bigger budget. The possibilities would be endless.
Tim Bradley:
Yeah, I’d agree with you, Timelord. ‘The Keeper of Traken’ needed to be more outside on location as opposed to outside in a studio.
Wolfie:
The similarities between the Melkur and the Weeping Angels are rather interesting. Both use their statuesque features to hide a predatory nature. In the case of ‘Traken’, the statue literally disguises a greater evil within. Like a nesting doll. It says something about how we view such sculptures, doesn’t it? We imbue an immovable thing with animal-like features (eyes, mouth and so on), a sense of intelligence, and then worry if it’s benevolent or not. There’s almost a fear there of what’s created (and, potentially, what’s left out).
Tim Bradley:
I have to say there is one moment where I thought the Fosters as security men was rather daft. There’s a moment in ‘Part Two’ where a Foster sees the Melkur and is terrified but doesn’t run away. I was shouting at him to ‘run’ three times before he got shot by the Melkur with its deadly eyes. Now, come on! It isn’t that difficult! You could have easily run away from the Melkur before you were shot!
WilliamsFan92:
Perhaps he didn’t anticipate being shot. But even so, it’s not hard at all.
Timelord007:
I understand the phrase fright or fight, but this guy had time to take a shower and boil an egg before being shot.
Wolfie:
Ah, but you have to remember what the Melkur represents, too. I thought the Foster’s reaction played into the fact that Trakenites weren’t really prepared to defend themselves. When faced with a legitimate threat, he didn’t have that instinct. The gun had become almost a ceremonial object.
Tim Bradley:
And I suppose the Trakenites forgot they had faced a great threat to their planet before in Kwaundar in the audio drama ‘Primeval’ to be ill-prepared for such an event!
Wolfie:
Oh, civilisations get complacent and they didn’t exactly respond well to Kwundaar’s invasion attempt that first time around. Funny you mention the Trakenites, because the Source seems to have learnt a trick or two since those days.
WilliamsFan92:
It depends on the time between those two stories for Traken. A lot can change if it was a decade or two.
Tim Bradley:
It’s a good thing Nyssa and Tremas were level-headed to help the Doctor and Adric!
Timelord007:
Yup! Two very well-written characters indeed.
WilliamsFan92:
I cannot fathom what kind of hole the Doctor and Adric would have been in if Nyssa and Tremas hadn’t been able to help them.
Wolfie:
Enslaved, or worse, at the hands of a practically omnipotent Master. Not a pleasant thought.
The Master
Tim Bradley:
Geoffrey Beevers as the Master! What can one say about him? He’s just amazing in that role both on TV and in Big Finish. I know he had to carry on the Peter Pratt interpretation from ‘The Deadly Assassin’ and he was inside his Melkur TARDIS the whole time, but it’s his chilling, sinister voice that did it for me. Even when he screams horrendously at the end in ‘Part Four’, that was very terrifying!
WilliamsFan92:
I’m not sure which one’s scarier. Both Pratt and Beevers are terrifying in their own way.
Timelord007:
A shame we don’t get more screen time with Beevers’ emaciated Master, because those spooky tones of his always send shivers down my spine to this day. A fantastic performance thankfully expanded by Big Finish in various ‘Doctor Who’ audio dramas.
Wolfie:
There’s an interesting question that always gets thrown around whenever someone is asked to succeed in a role. Is it tougher being the original, the replacement or one of the long successors? Roger Delgado defined the role with his Teflon charm, Peter Pratt broke the mould with his agonised revenger, Geoffrey Beevers had an extremely tough set of shoes to fill. He could be one, the other or both and – credit to him – he chose both. He’s only a voice for much of the tale, but we get both the fluidic, frictionless charm of that first incarnation with the tremorous determination of the second. Watch his face as he circles the Doctor in ‘Part Four’, all that acting going on beneath the make-up. He moves like a cobra. Hypnotising its prey before it strikes!
Tim Bradley:
It’s funny that the Master wasn’t originally intended to be in ‘The Keeper of Traken’ by Johnny Byrne. The villain was going to be someone else entirely different called Mogen and Tremas had a different name in the original TV story, which was Hellas. The Master was John Nathan-Turner’s idea.
I think it works well in the story to have the villain be revealed to be the Master inside the Melkur statue which turned out to be the Master’s TARDIS and that carried forward into ‘Logopolis’ and ‘Castrovalva’. It’s an ingenious combination of John Nathan-Turner and Chris Bidmead on their parts.
Timelord007:
Thank goodness the Master was carried over into the next two stories. Even though he didn’t have much screen time in ‘The Keeper of Traken’, the reveal was an excellent twist and that final scene has become one of ‘Doctor Who’s best endings to a story.
Tim Bradley:
Yeah, I agree with you there, Timelord. The moment where Nyssa called for her father at the story’s end once the Master killed and stole Tremas’ body was heartbreaking as well as thrilling.
Timelord007:
Absolutely!
WilliamsFan92:
Makes you think if Tremas would still have been killed and then led to Nyssa joining the Doctor. I expect adding the Master had something to do with Nyssa being made a companion.
Wolfie:
I’ve a strong impression that Tremas would have likely outlasted the day under Mogen. That said; part of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is the Doctor believes he hasn’t visited the Union before. Except, he has! He and Adric double-check the Time Lord’s old diaries and discover that he made a visit quite some time ago (the expanded universe has since put that in his second incarnation with Jamie and Victoria). It’s possible that Mogen, in the original script, may have been recognised as an unseen former adversary similar to the Borad in ‘Timelash’. Nevertheless, the decision to change him into the Master fits rather snugly in the new context of the story.
Tim Bradley:
That’s interesting you said about the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria visiting Traken. I don’t think I’ve come across that before. Is that mentioned in a book or a comic?
Wolfie:
Not a bad guess, your first was right. Oddly obscure, it’s one of the Short Trips from Big Finish’s ‘The Muses’ anthology. Back when they were releasing them as print books. The story in question is ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ by Simon A. Forward. We learn a little of astronomy in relation to Traken and even get to see their equivalent of horses. Like ‘The Sandman’ before it, it delves into the concept of phantasmal images that run away with themselves.
Tim Bradley:
Ah. Intriguing.
Wolfie:
‘The Keeper of Traken’, ‘Logopolis’ and ‘Castrovalva’ form an unofficial second trilogy for Seasons 18/19. While the two latter stories can be viewed as essentially a dissevered eight-parter (not unlike ‘Frontier In Space’ and ‘Planet of the Daleks’), it’s hard not to see the shadow that Traken will cast over future instalments of the series.
Tim Bradley:
Yes, a lot of people can easily overlook ‘The Keeper of Traken’ as being a significant story, especially since it sets up how things are going to turn out in the transition between Tom Baker and Peter Davison’s Doctors. And I suppose the Master helped in that regard too.
WilliamsFan92:
It really doesn’t make sense to discard ‘The Keeper of Traken’ from this small arc.
The Legacy of Traken
Tim Bradley:
We have touched upon them, but ‘The Keeper of Traken’ has had its legacy in its Target novelization and audiobook read by Geoffrey Beevers! There’s also ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’, which I loved hearing and I’ve written my own story ‘The Tree of Riverloth’, based on ‘Traken’. There’s also ‘Primeval’, which is an excellent pre-Traken tale with Peter’s Doctor and Sarah’s Nyssa.
WilliamsFan92:
I bet I will enjoy these when I get round to them. Maybe a Traken spin-off could be made by Big Finish to complete the Traken cycle.
Timelord007:
A brilliant world barely touched upon on TV, but what we do have is a wonderful mythology and lore which Big Finish have expanded upon.
Wolfie:
And how? The Union has been revisited in not too dissimilar a way to the planet Peladon from the Third Doctor’s tenure. Despite its scientific leanings, ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is one of the few stories in ‘Doctor Who’ to treat morality as a physical universal force.
Tim Bradley:
Yeah, it’s fascinating how things like good and evil in Traken-like stories are depicted in physical nature as opposed to invisible nature which is what we sometimes are often used to. I think it’s a metaphysical thing which, dare I say, has been carried over into tales like ‘Kinda’ and ‘Snakedance’.
WilliamsFan92:
Johnny Byrne must have put a lot of effort into that aspect of the writing.
Timelord007:
Bring back Traken, I say. Imagine how it would look now on a 21st century budget.
Tim Bradley:
Wolfie, do you want to share you what think of ‘Primeval’ and ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’ each in turn?
Wolfie:
Well, ‘Primeval’ examines medieval Traken, still grappling with its own extremist views of morality and a cosmic horror sitting on their doorstep. By their ethics, a thing must be good or evil. It cannot be both. When the Fifth Doctor challenges that view, quite innocently, he inadvertently makes an enemy of the ruling elite. They treat his wisdom as an invitation to defy his ‘evil’ and much of the story revolves around moral relativity and those perceptions. Among those on Traken and in the dark fleet which circles on the edge of the Union. In order to save Nyssa, he’s forced to make a pact with the cult’s god Kwundaar, but the cost…? Well, you’ll have to listen to the audio to find out. But, as we’ve mentioned earlier, it’s not just Traken that gets a further exploration.
Tim Bradley:
I love how ‘Primeval’ tackles the themes featured in ‘The Keeper of Traken’ but on a darker level and it’s unusual to hear a story where things were more hostile and less civilised on medieval Traken compared to the Traken we would later know in ‘The Keeper of Traken’. It’s fascinating to discover! Something for you to look forward to no doubt, WF92!
WilliamsFan92:
You said it, Tim. Right, guys?
Timelord007:
Trust me! You’re gonna love ‘Primeval’ most definitely when you hear it.
Tim Bradley:
And ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’, Wolfie?
Wolfie:
‘The Guardians of Prophecy’, conversely, takes the high fantasy undertones of the original ‘Traken’ tale and pushes it right to the fore. ‘Doctor Who’ has a long and happy history of pastiche, ranging across all manner of inspirations. If ‘Leviathan’ could be described as taking a few pages from ‘Robin of Sherwood’, then ‘Prophecy’ could easily be said to possess a nod or two to ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. The Sixth Doctor and Peri walk into the aftermath of one his former incarnation’s biggest failures. It’s clear that the events of ‘Logopolis’ still haunt him as readily as the Lament of the Melkur, but their chilling resonance retains an evil purpose. One that draws the TARDIS down to that lonely, surviving planet of Serenity. You see, Serenity bears its own secrets, locked deep in a sarcophagus at the heart of their entropy-blasted society.
Tim Bradley:
I listened to ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’ before setting down to write my ‘Tree of Riverloth’ story and I was fascinated by the world-building that was created in terms of how the planet Serenity was different to the planet Traken. It’s a real shame that ‘Prophecy’ didn’t get made into a TV adventure.
Timelord007:
It was probably due to budget concerns than storytelling. But ‘Primeval’ and ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’ are both amazing high quality audios. They’re rich in storytelling and brilliantly performed by the cast.
WilliamsFan92:
I’ve been meaning to do something like what Tim did for his ‘Tree of Riverloth’ story from listening to ‘The Guardians of Prophecy’ for some of my story ideas.
Final Verdict
Tim Bradley:
Okay, let’s give our final thoughts on this story. How would you sum up ‘The Keeper of Traken’ in one sentence?
WilliamsFan92:
A joy from start to finish! 9 out of 10!
Timelord007:
Awesomeness! 9 out of 10!
Wolfie:
A strong entry from Season 18! 9 out of 10!
Tim Bradley:
Great answers! (laughs) It’s 10 out of 10 for me with this story. I think the highlights of this story are the introduction of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, the introduction of the Melkur, the introduction of Geoffrey Beevers as the Master, and the introduction of Anthony Ainley as Tremas who becomes the Master at the story’s end.
Timelord007:
‘The Keeper of Traken’ is an entertaining spooky story that features a great debut for Nyssa. Plenty of tense drama; a creepy Melkur; the Master’s twist; him stealing Tremas’ body and my idol Tom Baker just being magnificent as the Fourth Doctor.
Tim Bradley:
Also if it wasn’t for this story and ‘Black Orchid’, I wouldn’t get to meet Sarah Sutton, who I’ve found lovely to chat to at conventions over the years.
WilliamsFan92:
It would be lovely for me to meet Sarah at conventions when the time is right.
Wolfie:
Oh, conventions! I miss them! I’d love to see them back at some point in our foreseeable future.
Tim Bradley:
Hopefully the one I’ve got coming up in Bedford in October 2021 will be a fun experience. To finish off, has anyone attempted to cook the Kipper of Traken, which is a recipe by Johnny Byrne from ‘The Doctor Who Cookbook’? I’m not sure I want to try it out after seeing ‘The Doctor Who Cookbook Revisited’ bonus recipe with Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding and Toby Hadoke from the Season 23 Blu-ray box set. You can also see it on the official ‘Doctor Who’ YouTube channel.
Timelord007:
Kipper of Traken?! (groans) What next? Sea Devil Surprise? Silurian Curry?
WilliamsFan92:
Maybe someday, I’d need to purchase the cookbook and it comes up to £80 on Amazon. My cooking skills at the moment are limited to sandwiches and cereal. It’s safe to say that I do more eating food than I do making it.
Laughter ensues.
Wolfie:
I just watched the video. I could honestly go for a whole evening of watching ‘Doctor Who’ alumni attempt to make dishes from the cookbook. That would be an absolute riot. Nice touch at getting India Fisher to step in and do the voiceover segments. Charming!
Tim Bradley:
Well, just to say, thank you three for joining me in this ‘Bradley’s Basement’s Strange Love’ discussion on ‘The Keeper of Traken’. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.
WilliamsFan92:
It was a pleasure to be here, Tim.
Wolfie:
Always happy to pitch in, Tim.
Timelord007:
I always enjoy revisiting ‘Doctor Who’ in the company of friends. Even though I keep saying I’ve retired from reviewing, Mr. Bradley always charms me to come back.
Tim Bradley:
Maybe we could do another one these ‘Strange Love’ discussions in the future. Perhaps we can do one on the 1989 ‘Batman’ film or on the ‘Thunderbirds’ Christmas episode ‘Give or Take a Million’ next time! Who knows?
WilliamsFan92:
I’ve watched both, so either’s fine with me.
Timelord007:
‘Batman’ 1989? I’m in as I’m very nostalgic about that movie!
Wolfie:
I suppose we’ll find out next time. In another time, another place! Until then, at the risk of sounding terribly official, this has been a very ‘Bradley Basement’s Strange Love’ look at ‘The Keeper of Traken’.
Tim Bradley:
(laughs) Very good of you to close us out on that note, Wolfie.
Timelord007:
Sorry, just one more mini moan to add about the VHS release of ‘The Keeper of Traken’. The artwork with the Fourth Doctor wearing the Season 17 attire and not the burgundy attire he wore throughout Season 18! Disgraceful!
Tim Bradley:
Yes, I’ve had a look at the VHS release cover on Amazon. Very shocking indeed!
Laughter ensues.
Timelord007:
By the way, on Tim’s request, I’ve done a couple of illustrations for ‘The Keeper of Traken’ including the Melkur and Tom Baker’s Doctor. Hope everyone likes them! Enjoy!
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For the Fourth Doctor was For Adric was |
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For the Fourth Doctor is
For Adric is For Nyssa is |
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| Return to Adric’s Timeline | |
| Return to Nyssa’s Timeline | |
| Return to The Doctors’ Timelines Index | |
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Bradley's Basement 
Blimey signed DVD & novel by Sarah Sutton nice one.
Excellent review Tim, i like how both reviews give a different take on the story which is a favourite of mine, i remember reading Dicks adaption & getting goosebumps throughout.
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Thank Timelord Simon. I can always rely on you to give positive feedback on my reviews. Glad you enjoyed my reviews on ‘The Keeper of Traken’ DVD and novel. Thank you for sharing your memories of reading the Terrance Dicks novelization of the story. I’m currently re-reading the book at the moment.
Yes I’m very pleased to have had the DVD cover and novel signed by Sarah Sutton. It was very good to get the book signed for Nyssa’s 35th anniversary on that day at ‘Science of the Time Lords’ when I saw Sarah there.
Thanks. Tim. 🙂
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So, going back to the beginning, after having jumped straight to Divided Loyalties as I was especially curious to read yout thoughts on that, considering my own reaction to it…
Keeper of Traken: I love it!
Being generally more of a fantasy fan than a sci fi one (Doctor was really what got me into sci fi, my only previous experience of the genre, at the time, being Star Wars) the setting and general feel of this story really appealed to me. I also really liked the characters, Nyssa among them. They all had distinct personalities and worked well in relation to each other.
This was also the first Doctor Who story I watched with my grandmother. While she’s not exactly a huge Doctor Who fan, she enjoyes watching the series with me, enough that she’s actually taken the initiative to suggest we should watch it at times. Evidently, she must have liked what she saw in this story ^_^.
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Thanks Elinor!
Good to see you’ve gone back to the beginning of Nyssa’s story in ‘The Nyssa Challenge’. That’s alright about ‘Divided Loyalties’. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on that story. Don’t worry about catching up on each Nyssa story I’ve already posted. I’ll enjoy any comments you have on each review I’ve written on each Nyssa story.
I’m very pleased you love ‘The Keeper of Traken’. So do I. It was very engaging to watch when I saw it, as I said to Sarah Sutton in my interview with her back in August 2015.
Yes I found the characters worked very well with their distinct personalities and Nyssa’s introduction was very good in this. The story was of course well-written by Johnny Byrne who does well with writing for characters (that includes the supporting characters he creates and also writing for the Fourth Doctor and Adric). The performances of the cast also help to make them easily enjoyable to watch.
That’s good to hear that your grandmother liked this story when you watched it with her for the first time. I’m glad she enjoys watching the series with you. I’m pleased she liked what she saw in this story.
Thanks for your comments, Elinor. I’m pleased you enjoyed ‘The Keeper of Traken’ and my review on it. Tim. 🙂
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Fantastic update blu ray review Tim i know how much you enjoy this story & let’s be honest it’s awesome isn’t it.
This one of my favourite season 18 stories along with State Of Decay, good cast, Tom Baker back on top form, Sarah Suttons excellent debut as Nyssa & a new Master.
I remember watching this upon transmission aged 6 not knowing anything about the Master, i remember the Melkurs eyes turning red scared me (LOL)
My only slight nitpick there was no location filming, but otherwise top draw Doctor Who.
A joy to watch from start to finish.
5/5.
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Hi Simon.
Very pleased you enjoyed my updated review on ‘The Keeper of Traken’.
This is definitely my favourite story out of Season 18 of ‘Doctor Who’ especially with Sarah Sutton’s debut as Nyssa. It is pretty awesome, yes. I enjoyed the performances of the cast in this adventure and the storytelling is very good by Johnny Byrne. I was pleased to see Tom Baker enjoying himself in this story as it’s definitely one that suits his Doctor. Anthony Ainley is excellent as Tremas in this adventure before he became the Master as well as Geoffrey Beevers himself as the Master. And yes, Sarah is excellent here in her debut as Nyssa. I’m so pleased she became a regular companion after this.
Thanks for sharing your memories of watching this story when you were aged six at the time. I’m sure the Master and the Melkur terrified you when you were watching this adventure as a kid. Yeah, it is a shame there is no location filming for this story as it was all studio bound, but hey it’s only a minor point.
Very pleased you found this a joy to watch from start to finish.
Thanks for your comments, Simon.
Tim. 🙂
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Beevers’ narration of this audiobook adds a spooky atmosphere, his voice as the Master strangely reminds me of Vincent Price?
Fantastic review Tim, this is without doubt one of my favourite stories from Season 18, tense, scary, dramatic & emotional, a fantastic debut story for Nyssa.
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Hi Simon.
Glad you enjoyed my review on the ‘Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken’ audiobook. I’m looking forward to hearing it again with Geoffrey Beevers reading it. ‘The Keeper of Traken’ still remains one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ stories, especially with Nyssa’s debut. I re-watched it recently on Blu-ray before Christmas.
Thanks,
Tim. 🙂
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Great review Tim.
I just finished revisiting ‘The Keeper of Traken’ on Blu-Ray and I greatly enjoyed it. The Doctor and Adric were well-written and had good chemistry. Nyssa’s debut both as a story and for her was just amazing. Sarah Sutton looked beautiful in her fairy skirt and her acting helped establish Nyssa with her sweetness. Tremas was a nice character as well. I’m glad he and Nyssa were smart enough to help the Doctor and Adric. Did Nyssa try to bribe Proctor Neman when she wanted access to the Grove and to the Penal Wing?
I know Kassia was under the influence of the Melkur for most of the story, but I sometimes found her to be a bit spiteful on her own. I still think she got her comeuppance when the Melkur killed her. The Melkur is pretty unsettling, even more so than the Master himself. The Master in decaying form was played superbly by Geoffrey Beevers. It was very tense and sad when the Master killed Tremas and inhabited his body, as well as when Nyssa called for her father when she returned. She will be in for a nasty surprise in the next story. That of course will be ‘Logopolis’ featuring the introduction of a certain Australian air hostess and the departure of the Fourth Doctor. Of note, ‘The Keeper of Traken’ is the only ‘Doctor Who’ story to feature Nyssa, but not Tegan.
I’m hoping to get ‘The Keeper of Traken’ audiobook read by Geoffrey Beevers for Christmas. Do you own it on CD or on Audible? I will be getting it on CD, but you said you had ‘The Claws of Axos’ audiobook on Audible. Do you own it on it’s own or as part of the Second Master collection? I own some of those collection’s of past audiobook readings.
I purchased ‘Galaxy 4’ today, so I will be revisiting that soon having already seen it on ‘The Aztecs’ special edition DVD. I will also soon be sharing my thoughts on ‘Evil of the Daleks’ and ‘Dragonfire’.
Take care, WF92.
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Hi WF92,
Glad you enjoyed my review on ‘The Keeper of Traken’. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the story and the characters. Yes, I believe Nyssa tried to bribe Proctor Neman on both occassions. First time to the grove was successful, second time she knew Neman wouldn’t be swayed so easily, so she had to take drastic measures with the ion bonder.
I’m glad you took part in ‘The Keeper of Traken’ and ‘Logopolis’ discussions this year. I’ve got ‘The Keeper of Traken’ audiobook on CD. Hope you enjoy ‘The Keeper of Traken’ audiobook when you get to hear it. I tend to get ‘Doctor Who’ audiobooks on download from Audible or Big Finish nowadays, but if it features Sarah Sutton/Nyssa or David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor or Chris Eccelston’s Ninth Doctor, I’d get them on CD.
Hope you enjoy the new version of ‘Galaxy 4’. Look forward to your thoughts on that as well as ‘The Evil of the Daleks’ and ‘Dragonfire’.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
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Hi Tim.
I’ve finished listening to ‘The Keeper of Traken’ audiobook. It was just as enjoyable as the tv version. I liked the detail that Terrance Dicks put into the writing, as well as Geoffrey Beevers’ narration. I did feel like the twelfth and last chapter squeezed a bit too much in, but I think I worked in the end.
My full thoughts on the novelisation will be covered in my review, which I will be starting soon. I’ve decided to review the novelisation before the tv version. I will apply the same thing to my reviews of ‘Logopolis’ and ‘Castrovalva’, as well as the Second Doctor stories ‘Fury from the Deep’ and ‘The Wheel in Space’. But apart from that, I will only review a ‘Doctor Who’ novelisation if I’ve already reviewed the tv version from now on. I might one day revisit the ‘Sea Devils’ novelisation in order to update my review of it.
P.s. have you had a chance to read my fanfic story ‘The Con of Death’?
https://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=63951
Take care, WF92.
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Hi WF92,
Glad you enjoyed the Target novelization/audiobook of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ by Terrance Dicks, read by Geoffrey Beevers. I enjoyed the story in novelization/audiobook form. I hope to revisit it again sometime soon, perhaps when it comes to doing a redux of ‘The Nyssa Challenge’ for my blog’s 10th anniversary or something. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the novelization/audiobook. I look forward to your review on the novelization/audiobook of ‘The Keeper of Traken’ as well as your reviews on the novelizations/audiobooks of ‘Logopolis’, ‘Castrovalva’, ‘Fury From The Deep’ and ‘The Wheel In Space’. I haven’t had a chance to read ‘The Con of Death’ yet. Thanks for providing the link. Hopefully I’ll be checking it out soon.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
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