Doctor Who: The Masters of Luxor

The Lost Stories #3.7

by Anthony Coburn, Nigel Robinson (Adapted By), William Russell (Narrator)

The TARDIS is drawn to a mysterious signal emanating from a seemingly dead world. Trapped within a crystalline structure, the Doctor and his friends inadvertently wake a vast army of robots that have lain dormant for many, many years. Waiting… for the Masters of Luxor.

The Perfect One wants to become more than just a mockery of a man, and will stop at nothing to achieve it. But will the cost prove too great?

The travellers are about to uncover a horrifying tragedy. A tragedy that threatens to engulf them all.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Artificial Intelligence, Science Fiction

4 pages, Audio CD

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

The TARDIS is drawn to a mysterious signal from a seemingly dead world that has a huge pyramid-like structure on it. When they investigate, they awake an army of robots. The robots have been waiting there for many years, waiting to be awoken by their masters.


The Masters of Luxor was a script that was considered for the second story of the very first season of Doctor Who. It was rejected in favor of The Daleks, the story that turned the show into a success story. It’s really cool that we’re able to experience the “what if” scenario through this audio adventure. What if they had chosen to film this story instead of The Daleks.


I get why they picked The Daleks over this one and I think it was the right choice. But I do want to point out that it’s not necessarily because one story is better than the other. Considering the limited budget and technology available at the time, The Daleks was from a practical standpoint simply a better choice. And for Doctor Who in the long run, The Daleks was also definitely the better choice. Because the Daleks are easier to bring back as antagonists in other stories.


Still, I can’t help but feel that it’s a bit of a shame The Masters of Luxor never got filmed later on. Because it’s so ambitious and also a bit ahead of its time. The core of this story is a robot who basically wants to have a soul, who wants to become human like its masters. Since women are known as creators of life, the robot thinks they could be the key to unlocking the mystery. In tackling this core theme, this story also explores some other themes. It asks some very interesting questions and even serves us moral dilemmas about survival, the meaning of life, slavery, artificial intelligence and overreliance on machines.


The surviving members of the original cast deliver an excellent performance here. William Russell voices his own character Ian and the first doctor. Carole Ann Ford voices her own character Susan and Barbara. And they switch narration duties quite smoothly, never distracting us from enjoying the story at hand.


I’m surprised this story grabbed me as much as it did. The pacing is rather slow. It’s quite philosophical, which isn’t always easy for me to fully understand or appreciate in audio format. And the ending isn’t what I was hoping for. But I honestly really enjoyed this one.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 2 out of 5]

Indeed this is a not to so good story of doctor who as other reviewers said. It's pretty straightforward story. The Tardis which was going to Ian & Barbara's time got stuck on a devoid planet. It became stuck of some sorts. Ian & Susan went to a strange building and found out some machines. After some investigation they learn that the power of the Tardis is being sucked into the building making the machines alive.

In the tower they find out several machines (all with their orders) and one machine that look more like an android... the Perfect One.

The Perfect one is trying to suck their life so he can became alive as his creator wanted. Ian and The Doctor escape and found out a man who had created the first machines but said that the Perfect One was not his creation but the creation of the machines.

Afterwards the Perfect One commited somekind of suicide because he could not conceive the idea not being created by his creator but by other machines (it's a bit strange)...

This tale is read by William Russell (who portrayed Ian in the series) and Carole Ann Ford (who portrayed Susan).

This story is nothing spectacular or good. It has some interesting points that thinking about it in 1960's were new. The Robots making other Robots. The Robots trying to have IA, The robots trying to make other robots. Fun questions...

[Daniel Cork · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost Stories range is one as I've said often enough already I'm very fond of, it's a range despite the stories being good or bad that brings to life scripts or ideas that were meant for television but were never made for one reason or another. I'm nearing the end of my journey through this range, so I've decided to give The Masters of Luxor a try.

The Doctor attempts to get Ian and Barbara back to their own time and finds The Tardis getting dragged down onto a seemingly dead world. When they arrive they find a city waiting for them, but the power of said city has drained The Tardis of all its energy, they must head on inside to hopefully leave again. Inside lies an army of robots and their so-called 'Perfect One'.

I'm rather glad we got The Daleks instead of The Masters of Luxor mainly due to how important it became to the show's survival and its legacy. But it's also a shame this story never happened because Anthony Coburn's previous story 'An Unearthly Child' isn't very popular with fans. This on the other hand is actually very good, so it's sad they didn't find a place for this one.

Nigel Robinson has done a terrific job adapting Anthony Coburn's scripts, it's an atmospheric story with very imaginative world-building and some pretty dark ideas, and an interesting moral dilemma. The idea of a robot trying to achieve 'life' is a fascinating one and it's actually very well-executed. I will say however the story is somewhat dragged down by the sexism of the '60s that could easily have been removed, it's just uncomfortable. Luckily everything else is a lot of fun.

Overall: An underrated lost story that whilst I wish had happened on TV in some compacity, I'm glad Big Finish has managed to bring to life in some form on audio. 9/10

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had really been looking forward to this audio adaptation of what was originally supposed to have been Doctor Who's second-ever adventure. Unfortunately, I ended up being largely disappointed. Although it's always fun to have a "new" Hartnell adventure - voiced by two of the original actors, no less - the script was the major weakness, and I can see why it was rejected (unlike the stellar "Farewell, Great Macedon", another recent Big Finish adaptation of a lost script, and which absolutely should have been made). Coburn really doesn't seem to have understood the narrative pacing of a six-parter, and the plot is both all over the place and interminably slow. There are a bunch of great philosophical ideas being explored, but they're not executed very well; it really does seem like a very, very early stab at sci-fi.

An additional oddity: The writer & crew mention that one of the changes made in adapting the original piece was to downplay or remove the religious subtext, as they felt this would be "inappropriate" for a modern audience. I think that's a bit of a shame; as a "Lost Story" it's already an artifact out of its time, and would have been interested in seeing that how such a theme was casually layered in as well. Ah well!

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another nice production from Big Finish with an “enhanced” audiobook based off an original 6-episode script commissioned during the early years of the television series but left un-produced and un-filmed. Unfortunately I was not as captivated or enchanted with this one as I was with Doctor Who: Farewell, Great Macedon. Interestingly, this was intended as what would have been the 2 or 3 (depending on how you count them) story of the series, but was beaten out by what would have become the arc featuring the first appearance of the Daleks. And you can see (or rather hear) that this story bears some similarities in terms of the robots and the Daleks. And even further there are hints of the Cybermen, which wouldn’t come along until several years later in the series. So there is a lot of interesting aspects to this story. Alas it is still limited in scope and with only three cast members, there is more in common with the Companion Chronicles than the full-cast productions (and I definitely prefer the latter).
This also includes about twenty minutes of interviews with the cast and crews a bonus feature.

[TheTimeScales · Rating 4 out of 5]

PREFACE
Like the Early Adventure Domain of the Voord, The Masters of Luxor is another lengthy favorite – and a good value, very good value with a lasting impression. The Masters of Luxor is simply a spectacular audioplay. I imagine a sort of 1st Doctor Silver Screen giant Monolith building with cold sparse and polished marble interiors mixed with a touch of super eerie [removed, don’t want a spoiler]- the sort of enigmatic claustrophobic paranoia thing going on. It did in fact strike a sense of awe and strong imaginative quality for me and that is high praise. The story was simply good evoking strong points that also made some episodes or rather alien or robotic characters of the odder 3rd/4th Doctor special, but I leave the explanation here cryptic. Russell and Ford again were superb. Total treasures and I really can’t say enough how much I appreciate such quality releases like this. That said, regardless of my refraining objectively from issuing the ultimate rating, this is another all-too-rare masterclass Big Finish audio.

PASTED BELOW, LIGHTLY EDITED RAW NOTES AFTER FIRST LISTEN

Solid, enjoyable space adventure on a mysterious planet of odd civilization and robots. Coldly atmospheric and intriguing, which is its strongest asset.The environment, characters and story I think could fit comfortably and aesthetically in multiple classic Doctor eras, but perhaps best fitting in a steely metallic silver-screened 1st Doctors akin to Season 1’s wonderful science-fiction stories, notably with the First Act atmospherics and imagining.

The writing is strong enough to convey this, yet it’s tone and characterization flexible to match a few eras of the original series, meaning it is very successfully identifies as classic in style and panache.

The team of Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian given the story and is well-performed. The story is both dialogue driven with doses of narration to explain and visualize the action and quickly settles in with a perfectly natural flow, which I liked a lot and in latter episodes it seemed highly interactive with increased dialogue, tension and action.

The wonderful ambiance and world-building descriptions in early episodes form an intriguing stage that holds up to the end and secures an alien atmosphere. The balance is there with much more banter and stresa (edit: typo from notes, stresa? stress??) in the second half.

For science-fiction comparisons, you could mix together Metropolis, The Daleks with a strong early dose of Forbidden Planet. It’s a lengthy tale, which is perhaps listened to in two sessions (mid-way point, hint wine [scene]). The writing and acting really bring this too life and up to par as if it were an existing TV story to the great credit of Big Finish direction, sound, the episodic writing structure, excellent descriptive narration mixed with action — fantastic abilities of actors.

Voice acting and handling of Doctor/Ian and Barbara/Susan are handled by Russell and Ford and fitting firmly in the groove of the story, all perfectly aided by the structure of writing.

There are very few and some very minor overlap of voice similarity at times but to no real detriment. Familiarity and proper use of inflections soon resolves any issue. I think the combined acting and writing styles employed were simply great and optimized the configuration.

This last point is an example of a quality audioplay that sets the bar to a very high standard. As far as the catalytic command and consequence in the ending, it is actually accurate in concept (as compared to so many contemporary writers who fail badly). This exact ending actually happened recently in a well-known mass-retailer warehouse AND also a certain dying tech firm’s manufactured synthetic leader! Zz. There’s something to be said for classic science-fiction or even sci-fi. Buffer overflow. Extra point awarded for various variables.
This was 4/5.

Director: Lisa Bowerman
Source: Anthony Coburn (source script/story)
Writer: Nigel Robinson (adaptation/writing)

[Ray Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the Doctor Who range from Big Finish, The Lost Stories (2009-2013, revived 2019) are audio adaptions of scripts that were generally considered pretty good, but for some reason never made it to production. The Masters of Luxor is a sci-fi story that was originally intended to be the second story of the First Doctor. It was eventually replaced by The Daleks, and the rest is history. It does share some themes with the Daleks, not least a dead planet, inhabited only by robotic creatures, but is much more philosophical, dealing with an android (The Perfect One) who wants to be human.

This version has been adapted for audiobook, rather than a full cast drama, with Carole Ann Ford (original Susan) and William Russell (original Ian) providing the dialogue and narration for their own characters, as well as for The Doctor and Barbara. And doing a brilliant job of the different pitches of voice. They are joined by Joseph Kloska, who plays the Perfect One, Tabon, and the various androids (who are all somewhat related anyway). Nigel Robinson has adapted Anthony Coburn's original script to an audiobook format, and in doing so has removed some of the religious content (which probably would have been removed from the original anyway, had it gone to production). He has also moved it from its early first season slot to some point prior to Susan's departure, but after Moris Farhi's Doctor Who: Farewell, Great Macedon, an earlier release in the Lost Stories. Anthony Coburn's complete original script was published back in the 90s as part of the short-lived Titan series, Doctor Who: The Scripts The Masters of Luxor.

A somewhat dated story, but a really superb adaptation.

[DrAshleyWho · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different story from An Unearthly Child which took on the form of survival horror, Anthony Coburn goes for a far more philosophical science-fiction parable about spirituality, creationism, identity and free will mostly revolving about a robot who wishes to become human to gain affection from his parent. But if you’re all thinking Steven Spielberg’s AI: Artificial Intelligence when I mention that plot, Luxor executes it in a far more intellectual manner; the end result is slow-paced for sure and not nearly as memorable as the masters of Skaro that dominated television screens but this is one I wish had been made at some point just for its thought-provoking and gentle nature alone.

Of course, if it had been made then Stef Coburn would've ended up holding TWO stories hostage from being put on BBC iPlayer (akin to Robert Banks Stewart's estate making sure his duology aren't on there either) so thank God he wasn't allowed to get his hands on any more.

[Jamieson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the Lost Stories range, The Masters of Luxor was intended to be the second ever Doctor Who story before it was replaced by "The Daleks". It's an interesting story about the nature of life as the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara are drawn into the clutches of "The Perfect One", an advanced robot who wishes to be alive as humans are. At it's heart, it's an interesting concept reminiscent of the modern trope of AI sentience. However, the way things are described, I can see that this couldn't have been made terribly well on Doctor Who's budget at the time. It also doesn't help that the first episode especially is terribly boring. I almost gave up after that. There are some interesting ideas, but it takes a while to get there. An interesting artifact, but not a story I'll probably ever listen to again.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan are forced down on a desolate planet. The only building an empty tower that seems automated. This is really well done, and you feel like you're listening to a 60s story. The concepts are clever, and the characterisation is spot on. This story was originally going to be made instead of the Daleks. I think that it looks at quite dark and complicated issues, that may have been the reason for it never being made. A very good listen.

[Debra Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good old adventure. Might have made a good episode visually if it had been made.

[Steven Poore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been the story you saw on TV instead of the first Daleks serial. On balance, I think we got the better deal - this is a fairly straight-forward "I want to be human" tale, with the alleged Perfect One draining the energy of allcomers (including the titular Masters of Luxor, which isn't in Egypt) in order to continue its experiments and become a Real Boy.
The philosophical and religious arguments have been tuned down for this adaptation but are still thrumming away in the background. Back in 1963, this could have been an exciting science fiction story, but like The Perfect One, it doesn't have the same heart that the replacement Daleks story had.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The voice acting is solid and the premise with the TARDIS having problems is interesting, but it's all stretched out into too long of a serial that perhaps didn't have enough to it.