‘THE KING OF GOLDEN DEATH’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Inside an Egyptian Tomb with the Second Doctor, Polly and Ben
After the First Doctor section of ‘The Doctor Who Audio Annual’, we move onto the Second Doctor section. It begins with a feature called ‘The Phoenix in the TARDIS’, taken from the 1968 ‘Doctor Who Annual’. This is read by Anneke Wills. It provides a unique insight on the regeneration concept.
We then go on to the second story of ‘The Doctor Who Audio Annual’ called ‘The King of Golden Death’, also from the 1968 ‘Doctor Who Annual’. This is also read by Anneke Wills who plays Polly in the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. The story features the Second Doctor with his two friends Ben and Polly.
It was interesting to hear this story as it takes place in the early part of the Second Doctor’s life when he’s travelling with Ben and Polly in-between ‘The Power of the Daleks’ and ‘The Highlanders’ before he meets Jamie. The Second Doctor’s mannerisms in the adventure are questionable to say the least.
I imagine the story was written at a time when the Second Doctor’s character wasn’t quite clear when Patrick Troughton took over. In this story, Patrick’s Doctor has mannerisms carried over from the First Doctor, since he refers to Ben and Polly as ‘my children’; ‘my girl’; ‘my boy’ or something like that.
Anneke Wills still does a good job voicing Patrick’s Doctor as well as voicing Ben and Polly. But the story doesn’t feel Second Doctor era enough and feels clumsily written. Once again, Patrick’s Doctor keeps getting referred to as ‘Dr. Who’ like Hartnell’s Doctor was during the early annuals of the 1960s.
The story’s not very exciting either. It’s just the Doctor, Ben and Polly inside an Egyptian tomb and looking around. Ben and Polly consider stealing from the tomb to which the Doctor berates them. The tomb is soon about to be robbed before Ben scares them off with a mask. Still not much action here.
‘The King of Golden Death’ rating – 4/10
| The previous story
For the Second Doctor was
For Polly was
For Ben was
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The next story
For the Second Doctor is
For Polly is
For Ben is
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| Return to The Second Doctor’s Timeline | |
| Return to Polly’s Timeline | |
| Return to Ben’s Timeline | |
| Return to The Doctors’ Timelines Index | |
| Return to The Companions’ Timelines Index | |
| Return to Doctor Who Timelines | |
| Return to Doctor Who | |
| Return to Sci-Fi |
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