The Secrets of Det-Sen (audio story)
The Secrets of Det-Sen was the second and final story of the seventh series of The Early Adventures, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Andy Frankham-Allen and featured Peter Purves as the First Doctor and Steven Taylor and was the first time Lauren Cornelius voiced Dodo Chaplet.
Publisher's summary
When the Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive in the Himalayas, they have no idea that they are about to set off a chain of events that will haunt the Doctor throughout his many lives.
Joining a pilgrimage to the nearby Det-Sen monastery, the travellers discover everything isn’t as it seems. As the situation grows increasingly dire, they will have to uncover the secrets of Det-Sen before it’s too late.
Plot
The Abominable Snowmen (1)
The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive in the Himalayas and, after seeing a Yeti in the distance, they head to a camp where they meet Buddhists making a pilgrimage to Det-Sen Monastery. They are welcomed by Oddiyāna and introduced to the other pilgrims; whilst the Doctor learns about Oddiyāna's beliefs, Dodo speaks with a girl who gives her a scarf and Steven strikes up a friendship with Pema.
Pema explains to Steven that she is hoping that the monks will be able to help her ailing father pass on peacefully and asks him to return home with her after the journey to become her husband, an offer which he declines. After Dodo heads to bed, the Doctor tells Oddiyāna that he reminds him of his old teacher and that he is hiding a secret, which Oddiyāna confirms is the case. The Doctor then spots a light which Oddiyāna believes belong to more pilgrims but, unbeknownst to the two of them, actually belongs to Norbu and his bandits.
In the morning, Dodo wakes up first and wanders off towards a cave where she sees multiple Yeti. The Doctor, having followed her, keeps her from screaming and attempts to quietly return to camp with her, but the Yeti hear their whispers and turn to face the intruders, raising their arms menacingly.
Guru Rinpoche Day (2)
Dodo tries to run, but the Doctor keeps her still and Oddiyāna joins them, singing a peace mantra which soothes the Yeti with its vibrations and allows him and Dodo to feed them fruit. Hours later, the group arrives at Det-Sen and are welcomed by the monks, who welcome them to join in their celebrations. After the feast, Steven shares his and Pema's suspicions of Oddiyāna with the Doctor, but he dismisses them.
Having been taught the peace mantra by Oddiyāna, Dodo helps him and the monks feed the Yeti and tells him that she intends to stay with the Doctor out of a duty to keep him company should Steven, who has been growing close to Pema, decide to leave. She admits that she wishes to find a home of her own, however, and Oddiyāna assures her that some people are meant to settle rather than travel and that the Doctor will understand her decision should she choose to leave him.
The Doctor goes looking for Oddiyāna and finds a hidden door behind a tapestry which leads to a chorten, where Oddiyāna has been taken to see a casket with text that has not yet been translated. Steven, Dodo and Pema see Norbu and his bandits and raise the alarm, interrupting the Doctor and Oddiyāna.
The Bandits (3)
The monks prepare for the bandits' attack with Steven's help, but Norbu somehow sneaks in and, holding Pema hostage, blackmails the monks into letting them in. The bandits round almost everybody up in the banqueting hall and Steven deduces that Pema, who is on first name terms with Norbu, was the one who helped the bandits get into the monastery, but she insists that there is more to the story. The Doctor protects Oddiyāna from a bandit using his walking stick, allowing him to escape before the Doctor is overpowered.
Having escaped from Norbu when he took Pema hostage, Dodo searches the monastery for the Doctor and, suspecting that he might have taken refuge with the abbot, heads to the ransacked sanctum. There, she finds Oddiyāna, whom she accuses of abandoning the Doctor, and goes with him to the plinth which was once home to the Holy Ghanta of Yeshe Tsogyal, a bell now hidden in the chorten, before he sends her through a secret passage out of the monastery to get help. He visits the Doctor in captivity and shows him the Holy Ghanta that he is protecting, but Norbu knocks him out and takes the bell from him.
The Ghanta of Det-Sen (4)
The Monks are on the verge of failing to contain the bandits when the Yeti arrives. The Yeti flung the bandits to their deaths and they met a grisly end. The Monks think that the Yeti are friendly and thus trust them to protect the monastery in the future. Meanwhile, the ghanta is handed over to the Doctor for safekeeping and Oddiyāna embraces his destiny.
Cast
- Steven Taylor / The Doctor - Peter Purves
- Dodo Chaplet - Lauren Cornelius
- Norbu - Jeremy Ang Jones
- Oddiyāna - Paul Courtenay Hyu
- Pema Tsering - Kerry Gooderson
- Dorje Lingpa - Jamie Zubairi
References
- Oddiyāna is the latest reincarnation of Padmasambhava and retains some memories of the original incarnation.
- Oddiyāna comes from Shigatse.
- The monastery contains a chorten built by Trisong Detsen to house his treasures and relics.
- 1630 is equivalent to 1757 by the Tibetan calendar. It is the male iron horse year of the elevenths rabjyung cycle.
- Steven Taylor's grandmother died when Steven was a teenager.
- Tibet is in the midst of a civil war.
Notes
- This was Dodo Chaplet's first appearance in The Early Adventures range, having previously been represented by narration in The Companion Chronicles and Short Trips ranges. Previously portrayed by Jackie Lane (who passed away two months before the story's release and had previously declined to reprise the role), Lauren Cornelius was cast to recreate the role.
- This story served as a prequel to The Abominable Snowmen. John Dorney, as script editor, expressed particular fondness for this as Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen was the first Target novelisation he owned. (BFX: The Secrets of Det-Sen)
- Following the death of original Dodo actress Jackie Lane, Big Finish announced that this story would be dedicated to her memory.[1]
- Lisa Bowerman claimed the story is set relatively early during Dodo's travels in the TARDIS, to account for time for her accent to change as it did during her TV series tenure. (BFX: The Secrets of Det-Sen)
- Dorney watched a number of episodes featuring Dodo to get a feel for the character, taking inspiration from The Gunfighters in particular. (BFX: The Secrets of Det-Sen)
Continuity
- The Doctor recalls one of his teachers being a hermit. (TV: The Time Monster, Planet of the Spiders)
- This story takes place in 1630, three hundred years before the Doctor's next visit to Det-Sen, and a hundred years before the Great Intelligence comes to Det-Sen (TV: The Abominable Snowmen)
- Dodo previously having a cold and it causing trouble is mentioned. (TV: The Ark)
External links
- Official The Secrets of Det-Sen page at bigfinish.com
