The Death of Doctor Who


(Inside the Doctor and Princess' ship, the glass column in the centre of the console has stopped moving, and the wheezing engines of fallen silent. The four time travellers have gathered around the console and are looking up at the scanner, which shows a thick swampy forest covered in mist.)

IAN: Looks swampy.

DOCTOR: Yes, this sort of terrain is going to make it very difficult for the Daleks.

BARBARA: It won't stop them from trying to get us though.

PRINCESS: And we must let them, if we're to stand a chance at getting Vicki back. If the Daleks don't leave their ship, then Vicki won't be able to either.

IAN: Yes. Well, we won't have long to explore before they arrive in any case, so let's get moving.

(Ian picks up the Doctor's equipment, a rectangular box like device, with wires and such sticking out of a missing panel.)

DOCTOR: Yes, quite right. And despite all appearances, the readings say it's quite safe to go outside.

IAN: Good.

(The Doctor activates the door controls and the walls of the console room open up to the unpleasant swamp on the scanner. The four time travellers step outside and into the mucky water, having landed in a small opening, with vines already wrapping themselves around the out of place police box.)

BARBARA: Just look at that vegetation.

(The trees and vines seem to move and sway of their own accord, stretching this way and that.)

IAN: Yes… Just as though it were alive.

DOCTOR: Alive would appear to be the correct choice of word, young man.

BARBARA: What are they?

DOCTOR: Well, I'm not entirely sure, young lady. But, if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say it's some kind of plant fungus.

(The Doctor pokes the nearest plant with his stick, and the things shakes wildly.)

PRINCESS: Doctor, don't provoke it!

(The plant seems to calm down.)

IAN: Well, it's certainly animated.

BARBARA: A little too much for my liking.

PRINCESS: Agreed. Let's retreat into the ship for…

(They turn around to find the plants are covering the doors to the police box, like a high fence.)

DOCTOR: How did that get there?

(All around them, the plants begin to move, slowly, entrapping the time travellers.)

BARBARA: They're moving. They're closing in on us!

IAN: Run, it's our only chance!

(Ian pushes through the plants, with the others following him as they run through the swamp. But everywhere they go the plants close in, until they have nowhere left to run.)

PRINCESS: We're trapped!

DOCTOR: We can't go forward, and we can't get back to the ship.

(The Doctor starts hits the approaching plant life with his stick, but it does little to deter them. Ian tires hitting one with his hand, but then pulls back sharply.)

IAN: It stings!

(As the plant life closes in, the time travellers begin to hiss and groan in pain, as the plant life begins pressing against them. Then suddenly, the swamp is bathed in light from above. The plant life immediately retreats out of the light, withering and almost collapsing as they slide back into the shadows.)

DOCTOR: Well, our friends here obviously don't like the light.

BARBARA: Well, thank goodness for that.

PRINCESS: But where is it coming from?

IAN: Up there, see.

DOCTOR: Yes, some type of portable torch, up in the trees.

IAN: What I want to know is, who put them there in the first place, and why?

BARBARA: Well, I'd say we've worked out the why.

PRINCESS: (Looks around at the lurking plants) Yes, to keep these plants at bay.

DOCTOR: Well, it does suggest that there are other creatures on this planet, besides the plants. Creatures of intelligence.

BARBARA: Wait a minute… There's more lights up ahead.

IAN: So, there are. Almost like a corridor.

BARBARA: Should we follow it?

PRINCESS: It's that or wait for the lights to go out, so that those creatures can attack again.

DOCTOR: The Princess is right. There doesn't appear to be a clear path back to the ship at this present time. And even if we were to reach it, it might still be covered by those vines. Our best bet would be to see where this, 'corridor of light,' leads us.

IAN: Hopefully to some place where we can fight the Daleks.

DOCTOR: Yes, well, one step at a time, eh? Let's get going.

(The four time travellers set off, walking through the misty swamp and following the trail of light laid out before them.)


(A short while later, the four time travellers have followed the corridor of lights to the mouth of a cave, where they have come to a stop.)

DOCTOR: We seem to have come to the end of our corridor of lights.

PRINCESS: And arrived a cave.

IAN: Yes… Let me go inside first, just to be safe.

(Ian cautiously enters the cave, while the Doctor, Princess and Barbara wait outside in the light.)

DOCTOR: Any Daleks?

IAN: No, nothing. It's empty.

(The Doctor, Princess and Barbara enter the cave to find Ian standing in the middle of it, looking around.)

DOCTOR: Let's take a look around.

IAN: There's not much to see from the looks of things.

PRINCESS: Well, first impressions can be deceiving. Come on, Barbara.

(The Princess and Barbara begin searching around the edges of the cave, while the Doctor and Ian stand by the entrance.)

IAN: Strange place. Now why would anyone construct a complicated system of lights, to lead directly to a cave like this?

DOCTOR: Well, I'm not quite sure, dear boy, but there must be a reason for it. Yes, like everything else in the universe, there is a reason for it.

(Ian puts down the device he's been carrying.)

DOCTOR: (To Ian) Oh, do be careful what you're doing with that.

(Meanwhile, across the cave.)

BARBARA: Hey, Princess, look what I've found.

(The Princess joins Barbara, as she holds up a strangely crafted pole.)

BARBARA: What do you think it is?

PRINCESS: I have no idea. May I?

BARBARA: Of course.

(Barbara hands the pole over to the Princess who examines it.)

PRINCESS: In fact, if I'm not very much mistaken…

IAN: What have you got there, Princess?

(Ian and the Doctor come over, right as the Princess presses a button on the pole and the end in front of her face lets out a small flame.)

PRINCESS: A lighter.

IAN: A lighter? What on Earth would that be doing in a place like this?

BARBARA: It must be to scare of those creatures in the swamp.

PRINCESS: If they don't like light, I can't imagine they're terribly fond of fire either.

IAN: Still…it's a little small.

PRINCESS: Size isn't everything, Ian.

(The Princess blows out the flame at the end of the pole and hands it back to Barbara.)

IAN: Well, it might help with those fungous creatures, but I doubt it'll do anything against the Daleks.

DOCTOR: (Holding up his device) Then it's a good thing we have this.

BARBARA: Are you going to explain it to us now?

DOCTOR: Yes, I am. It's a disrupter. And once activated, any Dalek in the vicinity will be rendered powerless.

(The Doctor passes the device to Ian.)

IAN: (Looking over the device) What's its range?

DOCTOR: With any luck, a good mile or too.

IAN: But, Doctor, then all we have to do is wait for the Daleks to arrive and then hit them with–

DOCTOR: Ah, but there's more. I cannot guarantee the range of this device. And furthermore, if we are in the vicinity when it goes off, we ourselves will be affected. So, if we activate it in here, we'll be doomed.

BARBARA: But Doctor, if the Daleks find this corridor of light and follow it here, we'll be trapped.

IAN: Not if we put the lights out.

DOCTOR: Now you're talking common sense.

PRINCESS: I saw something that looked like a control box over here.

(The Princess leads the group over to a box that's been built into the cave wall.)

PRINCESS: Unfortunately, it appears to be locked.

IAN: Maybe I can pray it open.

(Ian hands Barbara the device, while she gives him the lighter pole. Ian then jams the lighter pole into the door of the control box, forcing it open with a snap that has the door flying open.)

IAN: There we are.

DOCTOR: Well, done, my boy. Now, allow me to do the honours.

(The Doctor reaches into the control box and turns off the power. Outside the cave, the lights from above disappear, shrouding the swampy forest in darkness once again.)

IAN: There, that'll buy us some time at least.

(Suddenly there's a scream from outside the cave.)

IAN: There's someone out there!

BARBARA: That noise! That noise, it was it was–

PRINCESS: Vicki!

(The Princess runs out of the cave and into the dark swamp.)

IAN: Princess, wait!

(Ian chases after the Princess with the lighter pole activated, it's little flame flickering as he runs. The Princess runs through the swamp even after the scream stops. She doesn't stop until she trips up over something and stumbles into a tree – luckily, it's not one that bites back. At that point, Ian then catches up to her, holding out the lighter pole to keep back the plants of the swamp.)

IAN: Are you all right, Princess?

PRINCESS: Never mind me, where's Vicki?!

(The Doctor comes up from behind to join them.)

DOCTOR: There, that was the way we came. She must be that way.

(Ian takes the lead with the lighter pole, while the Doctor and Princess are close behind. Then, within a few meters…)

IAN: Up ahead!

(They see on the swamp floor ahead of them, Vicki sprawled out on the ground.)

PRINCESS: Vicki!

(Ian quickly uses the lighter pole to scare off the nearby plants, while the Doctor and Princess kneel down to check on Vicki.)

PRINCESS: Is she all right, Doctor?

DOCTOR: Yes, yes, just unconscious, my dear.

IAN: And if she's here, the Daleks must be too.

PRINCESS: We must get her back to the cave, quickly.

(Ian holds out the lighter pole to the Princess.)

IAN: Here, you take this, I'll help the Doctor with Vicki.

(The Princess takes the lighter pole from Ian and begins using it to keep the nearby plants at bay. Ian then bends down to help the Doctor pick up Vicki, before the Princess leads the way back to the cave.)


(A short while later…)

PRINCESS: Almost there, I think… Yes, I can see it up ahead.

(One of the nearby plants tries to lean in towards them, but the Princess holds up the lighter pole, warding it off as they time travellers continue on.)

DOCTOR: You know, the plant life on this planet have an extraordinary range of movement, extraordinary.

IAN: Yes, well, all I'm interested in right now is getting into that cave where we'll be safe.

(They reach the cave entrance, with the Doctor going in first. The Princess remains behind, using the lighter pole to cover Ian as he carries Vicki inside, then the Princess follows.)

IAN: Barbara? Barbara, we've found her.

(Ian gently lays Vicki down on the ground.)

PRINCESS: Barbara? Barbara? She's not here.

IAN: But where could she have gone?

DOCTOR: Take a look outside, maybe we passed her. I'll look after Vicki.

(The Princess and Ian head back outside the cave, the Princess holding up the lighter pole.)

IAN: Barbara?

PRINCESS: Barbara, are you out there?

(No reply.)

PRINCESS: I don't like this, Ian.

IAN: Me either, come on.

(Ian heads back inside the cave with the Princess behind him.)

IAN: Doctor, Barbara's not–!

(Ian and the Princess see Vicki up against the cave wall, keeping her distance from the Doctor as if afraid of him.)

PRINCESS: Vicki? Vicki, what's the matter?

VICKI: (In relief) Princess? Ian?

(Vicki goes to the Princess, giving the Doctor a wide berth, before throwing herself into the Princess who holds her close.)

PRINCESS: What's going on?

VICKI: I thought…. When I… (Looks back at the Doctor) Oh, it must be the Doctor, or you wouldn't be with him.

IAN: What are you saying, Vicki?

(Vicki goes to the Doctor.)

VICKI: (To Doctor) I'm sorry I behaved like that. But when I first woke up, I…I thought you must be the robot.

DOCTOR: Robot?

IAN: I think you'd better sit down, Vicki.

VICKI: No, you have to listen!

PRINCESS: All right, Vicki, we're listening. Tell us about this robot?

VICKI: The…The Daleks made it. (To Doctor) They made it to look exactly like you.

DOCTOR: A robot exactly like me?

VICKI: In every detail. I heard them giving it orders. They made it to infiltrate our group. They told it to infiltrate and kill!

DOCTOR: So that's it.

IAN: What's it?

DOCTOR: Well, you've both been asking where Barbara is, and I think I have the answer. After all, Barbara would never have left here unless one of us told her to go.

(Ian realises what the Doctor is saying, as a look of horrifying dread comes over him.)

IAN: They've got her… They've got Barbara…

(Ian then turns and runs out of the cave at full speed.)

IAN: Barbara! Barbara!

PRINCESS: Ian, wait!

DOCTOR: Wait, wait, my dear?! There's no time to wait, now come along, quickly!

(The Doctor runs out after Ian.)

PRINCESS: Vicki, take my hand and stay close.

(Vicki takes the Princess' free hand.)

VICKI: Yes.

(The Princess and Vicki then run out, hand in hand, with the Princess holding up the lighter pole, as they chase after Ian and the Doctor. But quickly they lose sight of them, as they run through the misty swamp.)

VICKI: Which way did they go?

PRINCESS: I don't know. Maybe…

(They hear a scream, Barbara's scream.)

VICKI: That way!

(The Princess and Vicki take of running through the swamp. And soon enough they enter a clearing, where Ian is hold Barbara in a tight embrace.)

VICKI: Barbara!

PRINCESS: Thank goodness!

IAN: It's okay. She's okay.

VICKI: Where's the Doctor?

(And at that very moment, two identical Doctors enter from opposite ends of the clearing. The other four time travellers look back and forth between the two, unsure which is the real one.)

DOCTOR: Don't just stand there, Chesterton. That's the robot.

DOCTOR: Robot? Robot? Me? You're the imposter. He is the imposter!

DOCTOR: Then prove it, my dear fellow, prove it. Then we shall all believe you.

DOCTOR: I don't have to.

DOCTOR: You mean you can't!

DOCTOR: Why, you!

(The Doctor raises his stick to strike, but Ian steps in between him and the other Doctor.)

IAN: Put that stick down!

(The other Doctor waves the women aside, and all three join him at the edge of the clearing.)

DOCTOR: Get out of my way!

IAN: And if I won't?

DOCTOR: I shall give you the same treatment!

(The Doctor tries to get past Ian, but Ian steps in his path. The Doctor swings his stick, but Ian catches it and begins wrestling the Doctor for control of it.)

DOCTOR: Watch him, Chesterton. Watch him.

IAN: (To Doctor he's fighting) You still you insist you're the real Doctor?

DOCTOR: Oh, what does it matter what I say now!

(Ian overpowers the Doctor, forcing him to the ground.)

DOCTOR: Chesterton, now's your chance. Destroy it. Destroy it with a rock!

(Ian picks up a large rock from the floor, lifting it above his head. But at that moment, the Princess looks at the Doctor standing beside her. Their eyes connect, and the Princess instantly realises.)

PRINCESS: Ian, no, that's the Doctor! This one's the robot!

(The robot Doctor makes a grab for Vicki, but she darts out of the way. The Princess, Barbara and Vicki then run to the side as Ian throws the rock towards the robot Doctor. The robot Doctor avoids the attack and goes to run away, only for the Doctor to trip him up with his stick. The Doctor then gets on top of the robot and reaches into its waist coat. It struggles, up until the Doctor pulls out some wires, killing the thing. The time travellers all sigh in relief.)


(Later on, back at the cave, the Princess is sat on the cave floor next to Vicki. Vicki is laid down and asleep next to Barbara, who is doing the same. The Princess smiles warmly at Vicki, while next to Barbara, Ian is also sat up, watching her sleep too.)

IAN: That's twice today I thought I'd lost one of them.

PRINCESS: Well, thankfully, we got them both back, safe and sound.

IAN: Yes, but only just. We can't keep this up much longer, Princess.

PRINCESS: One more day, Ian. One more day, and hopefully this will all be over.

IAN: (Hollow chuckle) I don't know if I can last that long.

PRINCESS: Get some rest.

IAN: No, I'm much too wired for that. I think maybe I'll go and check on the Doctor, takeover the watch. (Gets up) Though I must say, it doesn't look good.

PRINCESS: Well, we have one thing going for us.

IAN: What's that?

PRINCESS: We're all together again.

IAN: (Smiles) Yes. Yes, I suppose you're right.

(Ian exits the cave, leaving the Princess to watch over Vicki and Barbara, smiling to herself. She brushes Vicki's hair, before yawning herself. The Princess leans back against the cave wall, closing her eyes, until the Doctor enters.)

DOCTOR: I'm sorry, my dear, were you sleeping?

PRINCESS: No, no. Just resting my eyes.

(The Doctor sits himself down next to the Princess.)

DOCTOR: You don't mind if I join you?

PRINCESS: No.

(The Princess closes her eyes once more, resting her head on the Doctor's shoulder.)

DOCTOR: I…I wanted to say…about earlier – Now that we're alone… When we were on the ship with–

PRINCESS: (Sleepily) Not now, Doctor.

DOCTOR: I just…I wanted to make sure you were all right?

PRINCESS: I am, thank you.

DOCTOR: Good. Good… And I wanted to thank you, for what you said as well.

PRINCESS: Hmm?

DOCTOR: About me…About me being a good man… About me being your friend.

(The Princess doesn't respond, as she has fallen asleep on the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor merely smiles.)

DOCTOR: Goodnight, Princess. Sweet dreams.

(The Doctor himself then closes his eyes, before remarkably falling asleep too.)


(The next morning, natural light is shining into the cave and onto the Doctor's face. It awakens the Doctor, who blinks before holding his hand up to shield his face. It takes him a moment to realise what is happening, at which point he gently shakes the Princess awake.)

DOCTOR: My dear. Princess. Princess.

PRINCESS: (Waking) Hmm? What…What is it?

DOCTOR: Look.

(The Princess blinks before looking up, before realising what is happening.)

PRINCESS: Is that…natural light?

DOCTOR: I believe it is.

(The Doctor gets up, the Princess doing the same, before both head outside. There, they find Ian has fallen asleep while on watch.)

DOCTOR: What does he think he's doing? Chesterton!

IAN: (Waking with a jump) Hmm?!

PRINCESS: Doctor, be gentle. He's just as exhausted as we are.

IAN: What's going on?

DOCTOR: Get up, get up, get up.

IAN: (Alert) What's the matter?

(Ian gets up to his feet.)

DOCTOR: (Pointing up) Look here.

IAN: It's light! Wait…do you see that, through the tree tops?

PRINCESS: See what… Oh, my!

(Through the trees, high above them, they see beautifully designed bridge that leads to a sparkling city, built upon stands that stretch high above the swampy forest.)

IAN: Stunning.

PRINCESS: It's beautiful.

DOCTOR: Breathtaking. (Back into the cave) I say, Vicki, Barbara, come and have a look at this. Come along, wake up, wake up! Come out here quickly!

(Vicki and Barbara exit the cave to join the others. They too look up and see the beautiful city above them.)

BARBARA: Oh, my word.

VICKI: Wow, beautiful…

IAN: To think that was up there all last night and we never knew.

DOCTOR: Quite so. And that is where we've got to get to.

BARBARA: But why, Doctor?

DOCTOR: Up there, we shall be out of reach of the device's effects.

IAN: So, if we leave it here and activate it–

DOCTOR: Yes, I see you've followed my train of thought, very good. Now, where is it.

BARBARA: I'll get it.

(Barbara returns to the cave.)

PRINCESS: It's almost over.

IAN: Yes, we're almost there.

VICKI: (Pointing) Look!

(From out of the swampy forest, Daleks come into view from all directions, as they make their way towards the time travellers.)

IAN: They're coming at us from all sides, Doctor.

DOCTOR: Quick, back inside.

(The time travellers all hurry back into the cave and press up against the side of the wall, joining Barbara who is holding the Doctor's device.)

IAN: Well, what do we do now?

DOCTOR: We must clear this cave as soon as possible, otherwise we can't work that device.

PRINCESS: But how? That's the only way out and there are Daleks everywhere.

VICKI: What if we climb up from in here? Look, there's light getting in from somewhere above us.

IAN: No, it's impossible. It's too smooth. Anyway, they'd pick us off like flies once they got in here.

VICKI: Well, what else can we do?!

IAN: I've got it! The Doctor will have to go out there as the robot. He could put them off the scent.

PRINCESS: No.

BARBARA: Are you mad?!

IAN: Why not?

BARBARA: The Daleks must know that the robot's dead. They controlled it.

IAN: Why? You can't be sure of that.

VICKI: It might confuse them long enough to let us to get away.

PRINCESS: And what about the Doctor? They're hardly going to let him walk off. Besides, there are Daleks all around, there's no way we can sneak past all of them without being spotted.

BARBARA: It would be sheer suicide.

IAN: Perhaps you're both right… Well, Doctor, what–?

(The Doctor has disappeared from the cave…and gone outside to face the Daleks.)

IAN: Doctor!

BARBARA: Doctor!

PRINCESS: Oh, that stupid old fool!

DALEK: (From outside) Halt! You will be exterminated!

DOCTOR: (From outside) I have infiltrated and killed. We may now return to Skaro.

DALEK: You lie. You are not the robot!

(The Daleks fire their weapons.)

VICKI: Doctor!

(The Doctor comes running back into the cave, where Ian pulls him back behind the safety of the wall.)

IAN: Doctor!

PRINCESS: What were you thinking?!

BARBARA: Doctor, that was a foolish thing to do!

DOCTOR: It would appear they do know, who's who. I thought I might have been able to…

PRINCESS: Oh…it doesn't matter now. Are you all right?

DOCTOR: Yes, yes, I'm fine. They didn't get me.

VICKI: What are we going to do now?

DOCTOR: There's only one option left to us. Barbara, give me the device. (The Doctor takes the device from Barbara) I'm going to use it.

BARBARA: But you said–

DOCTOR: Yes, I know, but we're out of time. Now, all of you, get back against the wall.

(The Princess, Ian, Barbara and Vicki go to the back of the cave.)

DOCTOR: I'm going to try and focus the disruption outside the cave. But even if I succeed, we will most likely still feel the effects. And it is imperative that once I activate this, that we remain together, understand?

(The other time travellers all nod their heads. The Doctor then puts down the device in front of the cave entrance, and is about to start working on it, when a wall of the cave slides away – revealing a lift, with a large spherical creature inside, a Mechanoid.)

MECHANOID: Eight-hundred-and-thirty, Mechanoid. English input. Enter.

(The Doctor backs up, having picked up his device, to join the other time travellers, all of whom stare in shock at the Mechanoid. Meanwhile…)

DALEKS: (From outside) Advance and attack! Attack and destroy! Destroy and exterminate!

IAN: Well, you heard what the gentleman said. Let's go.

(The time travellers all cautiously approach the lift, squeezing in next to the Mechanoid. All look uncertain, as the lift door closes…)


Next Episode – The Planet of Decision