Doctor Who: Monsters on Earth
BBC Audio Book

This audiobook on CD is a real Doctor Who collector’s version featuring three tales totalling 17 episodes, with Jon Pertwee as the Doctor’s third incarnation. Doctor Who fans all have their personal favourites in the leading role of the Doctor, with Tom Baker producing one of the most idiosyncratic and recognisable portrayals. Yet few actors can claim to eclipse Pertwee’s finely judged delivery, balancing the fear and tension of each story without sending kids behind the nearest settee.

Most early Doctor Who films were disposed of by the BBC through lack of storage space but thankfully the soundtracks were all saved, including these three digitally remastered stories: Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Sea Devils, and Warriors of the Deep. All three stories involve clashes with the Silurians, intelligent but hostile reptilian creatures from Earth’s distant past that are reawakened from caves in Derbyshire with dramatic consequences.

The Sea Devils involves deep-sea cousins of the Silurians responding to the evil Master while the third story, Warriors of the Deep, has the whole reptilian alliance attacking humans in the future.

Peter Davison gets an early outing in his highly successful TV career long before becoming the Doctor himself, with further support from Caroline John, Katy Manning and Janet Fielding. To top this off, there are also interviews with the narrators who recall their experiences of making the original series.