Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space (2nd Doctor TV Soundtrack)

By: David Whitaker

Narrated by: Patrick Troughton, Full Cast

Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

Taking drastic measures to escape a Tardis malfunction, the Doctor and Jamie arrive on a rocket, apparently deserted in space, and soon encounter its aggressive robot guard. When a blow to the head then renders the Doctor unconscious, Jamie's only hope of rescue lies in contacting the Wheel space station which is orbiting nearby. In fact the rocket has other occupants, who are sending out mysterious egg-like spheres to penetrate the Wheel's outer surface.

What dangerous cargo do the spheres bring to the human crew of the Wheel, and what is the intention of those who are sending them? It's not long before the Doctor and Jamie realise that their old adversaries, the Cybermen, are seeking to invade first the Wheel and then Earth itself...

Patrick Troughton's Doctor once more confronts the Cybermen in this exclusive recording of a 'lost' television adventure, with linking narration by Wendy Padbury, who played the Doctor's companion Zoe.

©2013 AudioGO Ltd (P)2013 AudioGO Ltd

Doctor Who

The soundtrack is a good represention of the T v series with Patrick Troughton a good buy

Lots of action

The second Doctor and Jamie are forced out of the TARDIS and get caught up in a battle as Cybermen attack a vital space station. The TV soundtracks are enhanced with narration to tell thus action packed story. Introduces new companion Zoe.

Classic Troughton and well worth a listen

What made the experience of listening to Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space (2nd Doctor TV Soundtrack) the most enjoyable?

Wendy Padbury provides a helpful but unobtrusive narration to the story that she made her Doctor Who debut in. The story itself is a typical Troughton romp where he had fully settled into the role and was captivating to listen to. Since only Episodes 3 and 6 exist in the archives, we only have the audio for all 6 episodes which provides a greater interest in the goings on in the story.

What other book might you compare Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space (2nd Doctor TV Soundtrack) to, and why?

It's hard to compare stories in the Doctor Who genre as they are of a genre of their own. Maybe The Moonbase, the previous Cybermen story set in space?

Which character – as performed by Patrick Troughton and Full Cast – was your favourite?

It was good to hear Zoe Herriot hit the ground running in her character when you know she will become a great companion to the second doctor.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There are definitely some amusing moments. Especially when you hear the doctor refer to 'sexual air supply' instead of 'sectional air supply' in episode 6. I wonder if that was a joke in rehearsal that slipped in to the final recording?

Any additional comments?

There are some horrible plot holes and some formulaic set pieces in the story (such was why the robot in the 'Silver Carrier' weld the door shut then cut open the door when opening and closing it would have sufficed on an empty ship?) but I have a soft spot for the story. It's a comfort listen when I want to hear a second doctor story. Not Troughton's best but certainly a favourite of mine. With it being one of the many stories massacred by the BBC policy of destroying recordings in the 1970s, it's something any true fan should make a point of listening to as it's currently the only way you can follow the complete story.