The Secrets of Det-Sen (audio story)

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[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Abominable Snowmen (1)[[edit] | [edit source]]

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 the Monastery of the Second Dharma King. 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)[[edit] | [edit source]]

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)[[edit] | [edit source]]

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)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Pema explains to Steven that Norbu is holding her father prisoner in order to blackmail her into assisting him, but Steven does not believe that this excuses her actions. He persuades the monks to feign illness to attract the attention of the bandit guarding them, giving him the opportunity to subdue him and go in search of the Doctor. When he bumps into Pema again, he apologises to her for not understanding and they kiss.

Oddiyāna confirms the Doctor's suspicion that he is a reincarnation of Padmasambhava and that he was drawn to the monastery as Padmasambhava subdued a demonic influence on behalf of Trisong Detsen. The pilgrims fight the bandits and the Doctor asks Norbu to return the Holy Ghanta, but he refuses and runs away with it. The Doctor goes after him and lures him into the chortan. The Yeti arrive and Dodo, who led them to the monastery in the hopes that they would scare the bandits away rather than kill them, is reunited with the Doctor. Norbu threatens her life, but a Yeti comes to her rescue and kills him.

Steven says farewell to Pema, who goes to save her father. Oddiyāna and Dorje Lingpa complete the translation of the text on the casket, which reveals a path to the astral plane, and Oddiyāna embraces the name of Padmasambhava and the role as lama of the monastery. He gives the Holy Ghanta to the Doctor to be returned at a later date and the three travellers begin the long walk back to the TARDIS.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Steven Taylor / The Doctor/The Narrator - Peter Purves
Dodo Chaplet - Lauren Cornelius
Norbu - Jeremy Ang Jones
Oddiyāna - Paul Courtenay Hyu
Pema Tsering - Kerry Gooderson
Dorje Lingpa - Jamie Zubairi

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

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[[edit] | [edit source]]

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[[edit] | [edit source]]

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)