Doctor Who review: The Fourth Doctor meets old monsters in Planet of the Drashigs!

The Fourth Doctor and his new companion Ann arrive on the Planet of the Drashigs…and of course, that’s when the monsters are suddenly unleashed!

The Drashigs, who originally appeared in the Third Doctor story Carnival of Monsters, are a bit of a popular monster with Classic Whovians. Perhaps not on the same level as the Daleks or the Cybermen. After all, they’re a rather basic kind of monster. One that’s more interesting in hunting and feasting on flesh than on taking over the universe.

But I think that’s part of their appeal. They’re a rather simple but effective monster: giant carnivores that could rip you to shreds. What more could you ask for?

By the way, if that simple description of them reminds you a little of dinosaurs, then you’re not the only one. At least, not if Phil Mulryne’s story Planet of the Drashigs is anything to go by.

The basic gist of the plot is the Fourth Doctor, his new companion Ann, and the newly built K9 Mark II have arrived on a planet called “Drashigworld”. And it’s exactly what it sounds like: a huge theme park containing many different sorts of Drashigs as a viewing attraction. The park’s owner believes that nothing could go wrong. Of course, once the Fourth Doctor arrives…look, you already know where this is going, don’t you?

Does Planet of the Drashigs pay homage to a certain classic film? And if so, does it work well for the story?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Drashig Park

As you have probably guessed, Planet of the Drashigs takes a fair bit of inspiration from Jurassic Park. Not completely – the story has a couple of neat little twists to make it stand out, for example. But the overall feel of the story is very reminiscent of that classic film.

Not that that’s a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s a good way of giving the story structure, and making the most effective use of the Drashigs. Like I said, while they certainly look very different to your standard T-Rex, they have echoes of your basic carnviorous dinosaur. So taking inspiration from Jurassic Park is a great way of making the monsters work in their very own story.

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We’ve also got some great performances. Jeremy Clyde is fantastic as the naive Lord Braye, and Lizzie Roper is fun as the classic tough-girl Trencher.

Fenella Woolgar is great as Vanessa Seaborne, a woman who’s facing her own set of problems on top of running away from the Drashigs. As ever, Woolgar gives a fantastic performance, and shows us just why Big Finish have used her several times. (Woolgar was also in the recent spin-off box set The Diary of River Song: Series Four).

But unsurprisingly, it’s the main heroes that really stand out in this story. Ann’s still new to the TARDIS life, but we’re already getting plenty of great banter between her and the Doctor. Jane Slavin continues to give a great performance as the new companion, and Tom Baker is as brilliant as ever. His Doctor has a nice balance between having fun and being deadly serious in Planet of the Drashigs, and Tom Baker plays it exactly right.

Straightforward, but fun, Planet of the Drashigs is another decent entry in the current series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures.

Are you a fan of the Drashigs? Do you think they should return to the TV series somehow? Let us know in the comments below.