The Moonbase (TV story): Difference between revisions

The TARDIS makes a bumpy landing after the Doctor manages to control its descent. The travellers observe the scanner and Polly says that they have landed on Mars after all. Ben disagrees and says it must be the Moon. The Doctor agrees. Annoyed that he failed to control the ship, he wants to move on straight away but is overruled by Ben and Polly, who want to explore. The Doctor reluctantly agrees and decks them out in space suits.

Inside the Moonbase a staff of workers are operating a series of consoles. One of the workers collapses, leaving marks on his face. Hobson, the controller, sends the man to sick bay to join the others who have come down with this virus — who include the base's doctor. Ben, Polly and the Doctor are led in. Hobson allows Polly to go and look after Jamie in the sick bay but keeps the Doctor and Ben with him. Hobson explains that the Moonbase is a weather control station that keeps Earth's weather in check. They are using a gravity machine called the gravitron to control the weather. As this is being explained another worker falls ill. The Doctor offers his services. The Moonbase contacts Space Control to inform them; Space Control reacts by quarantining the Moonbase. One of the crew informs Hobson that their latest communication with Space Control was listened in on by someone close to the base.

Down in the sick bay Polly is looking after Jamie, who is hallucinating about the phantom piper, his clan's variant of the Grim Reaper. The Doctor sends Ben back up to the control room as he needs someone to be keeping an eye on the goings on up there. He does so and is allocated to work with Ralph in the storeroom. Once he gets there he discovers that someone has been stealing food. He is sent to do a job and while he is away Ralph is attacked by a metal hand. By the time Ben returns Ralph's body is gone.

Back in the sick bay Polly discovers the Doctor investigating some silver paper. They are interrupted by Dr Evans, the base's previous doctor, who wakes up and screams something about the silver hand before collapsing dead. The Doctor wonders what he might have meant and goes to report the death to Hobson.

In the sick bay Polly is helping Jamie to drink some water. He wakes up to see a figure behind Polly. She turns and sees it disappear through the door. She screams, alerting the Doctor and others. On exploration there is found to be nothing there. Hobson puts this down to Polly's nerves. Hobson goes over to Dr Evans' bed and finds the body gone. He asks the Doctor if he is playing a sick joke but the Doctor assures he isn't. Hobson is informed of another crew member going down with the virus and leaves, telling the Doctor that he will be kicked out if he can't find Evans' body. The Doctor goes to explore whilst Polly leaves to fetch Jamie some water. He awakes to see a Cyberman approaching him — convinced that it is the phantom piper, he collapses.