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The Fourth Doctor Adventures #3.2
Doctor Who: White Ghosts
A close encounter with a stray missile leads the Doctor to materialise his TARDIS on a planet that hangs in the dark at the edge of the known universe. A planet so dark that it exists in near-permanent night. A planet that enjoys just a single day’s light once every thousand years…
Exactly what happens on the planet in its rare daylight hours – that’s what a geographical survey headed by Senior Tutor Bengel is stationed here to establish. They, the Doctor and Leela are about to discover that when daylight comes, the White Ghosts rise…
So don’t be afraid of the dark. The cover of night is a mercy.
Exactly what happens on the planet in its rare daylight hours – that’s what a geographical survey headed by Senior Tutor Bengel is stationed here to establish. They, the Doctor and Leela are about to discover that when daylight comes, the White Ghosts rise…
So don’t be afraid of the dark. The cover of night is a mercy.
Audio CD
First published February 28, 2014
60 people want to read
About the author
Alan Barnes
99 books15 followersAlan Barnes is a British writer and editor, particularly noted for work in the field of cult film and television. Barnes served as the editor of Judge Dredd Megazine from 2001 until December 2005, during which time the title saw a considerable increase in the number of new strip pages. Among other strips, Barnes originally commissioned The Simping Detective. He also wrote a handful of Judge Dredd stories involving alternate universes or featuring a young Dredd.
He worked for five years at Doctor Who Magazine and progressed from writing strips to becoming joint editor in 1998 and sole editor from 2000 until 2002. He subsequently contributed the ongoing Fact of Fiction series of articles to the magazine. Barnes has also written or co-written a number of Doctor Who audio plays for Big Finish Productions.
He has written a number of books on cult films (including James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and Sherlock Holmes) and his book The Hammer Story, co-written with Marcus Hearn, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1997.
He worked for five years at Doctor Who Magazine and progressed from writing strips to becoming joint editor in 1998 and sole editor from 2000 until 2002. He subsequently contributed the ongoing Fact of Fiction series of articles to the magazine. Barnes has also written or co-written a number of Doctor Who audio plays for Big Finish Productions.
He has written a number of books on cult films (including James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and Sherlock Holmes) and his book The Hammer Story, co-written with Marcus Hearn, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 6, 2023
The fourth doctor and Leela arrive on a dark planet, wanting to warn anyone who lives there that a missile is coming their way. They stumble upon a group of scientists who are there for research purposes. As this is a planet that lives in a near-permanent darkness. Except for one day every thousand years. And they want to find out what happens when the planet welcomes the light. Unfortunately, they’re about to find out that that is the day the white ghosts rise.
While a lot of stories center around a fear for the dark, this story flips it around and makes you scared of the light. So the unique selling point of this story is that it mostly takes place in the safety of the dark. Which is something that simply wouldn’t work so well on TV for obvious reasons, but works pretty well in audio. Though I think there was potential for more, it just feels like this story could have been expanded a little bit. It’s an atmospheric base under siege story and yet it’s also quite fast-paced and full of suspense as the clock is mercilessly ticking away from the start.
While a lot of stories center around a fear for the dark, this story flips it around and makes you scared of the light. So the unique selling point of this story is that it mostly takes place in the safety of the dark. Which is something that simply wouldn’t work so well on TV for obvious reasons, but works pretty well in audio. Though I think there was potential for more, it just feels like this story could have been expanded a little bit. It’s an atmospheric base under siege story and yet it’s also quite fast-paced and full of suspense as the clock is mercilessly ticking away from the start.
March 4, 2023
This one drew my attention because of the presence of Virginia Hey (who I absolutely adored as Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan from Farscape), otherwise I might have skipped this one. It was certainly fun, but I was quite happy it was only two parts (an hour long). The variation on the concept of vampires was interesting. A solid (Fourth) Doctor adventure.
October 25, 2018
Loved this one. What really propels this particular episode and this entire season is the growing character of Lela the doctor’s companion. This is a companion we got for only one season, and she was a fascinating character which could have been explored for so much more. So it is great that we are getting it now through this series.
March 15, 2014
This was completely and utterly fantastic. Some of the best dialogue I've ever heard from Leela and the Doctor, they were SO witty. The story was great and a wonderful host of women characters. One I'd very highly recommend.
May 7, 2018
This is reminiscent of the film Pitch Black, only the other way around, featuring a planet that is (for some unexplained reason) in almost-but-not-quite permanent eclipse, so that it only experiences sunlight for twelve hours or so every thousand years. Which, since that's when things become dangerous, means that, not for the first time in a Big Finish audio, much of the story takes place in the darkness.
Given that premise, it's hardly surprising that this is a base-under-siege story, with the titular "white ghosts" as the aggressors. The tone as a whole is unusually grim, much more towards the horror end of the spectrum than action adventure, and is peppered with references to the darker aspects of common fairy tales. The one-hour length does mean that there isn't much room for plot development, although the full story behind the base and the planet it is on is more complex than it first appears, so there is more depth to it than merely the siege itself.
The mostly female cast is notable for including Virginia Hey, who played Zhaan, the blue-skinned plant-woman in Farscape. However, it's Leela's portrayal that's more significant, playing up the fact that, while she may come from a primitive society, she is nonetheless quite intelligent and not merely the "savage" she's sometimes written as. On the other hand, the apparent character development plot arc started off at the end of the previous episode is dealt with here, but seems to fizzle out rather quickly. Which there's a certain logic to, given that this story has to be inserted within the TV show's continuity, but does illustrate a limitation of writing "past Doctor" stories in general.
The ending feels rather rushed, and doesn't make a lot of sense, and there's a weird point where we switch to voice-over narration for no particular reason. The former detracts more than the latter, which is just one brief scene, but is offset by an original foe, and the strength of the Leela/Doctor interaction. Nonetheless, I'm giving this 3.5 stars, rounded down.
Given that premise, it's hardly surprising that this is a base-under-siege story, with the titular "white ghosts" as the aggressors. The tone as a whole is unusually grim, much more towards the horror end of the spectrum than action adventure, and is peppered with references to the darker aspects of common fairy tales. The one-hour length does mean that there isn't much room for plot development, although the full story behind the base and the planet it is on is more complex than it first appears, so there is more depth to it than merely the siege itself.
The mostly female cast is notable for including Virginia Hey, who played Zhaan, the blue-skinned plant-woman in Farscape. However, it's Leela's portrayal that's more significant, playing up the fact that, while she may come from a primitive society, she is nonetheless quite intelligent and not merely the "savage" she's sometimes written as. On the other hand, the apparent character development plot arc started off at the end of the previous episode is dealt with here, but seems to fizzle out rather quickly. Which there's a certain logic to, given that this story has to be inserted within the TV show's continuity, but does illustrate a limitation of writing "past Doctor" stories in general.
The ending feels rather rushed, and doesn't make a lot of sense, and there's a weird point where we switch to voice-over narration for no particular reason. The former detracts more than the latter, which is just one brief scene, but is offset by an original foe, and the strength of the Leela/Doctor interaction. Nonetheless, I'm giving this 3.5 stars, rounded down.
March 16, 2020
Whilst the core concept of this story is exceptionally enticing, as the reversal of genre conventions is always interesting, this story executes it in the most mundane way it can.
The plot in itself isn't the most complex, but with the idea "What if you shouldn't be afraid of the dark, but the light?", this really intrigued me.
I adore horror, despite how recycled it can get, and this did seem really fresh at first, but it seems Alan Barnes couldn't think of a good way to use this idea, so the plot devolved into a overused base under siege archetype, and the main antagonists turned out to be these burly alien farmers.
Even the cover set this up for a let down, as the artwork has this very well realised, with an evocative design of this Little Shop of Horrors come Cthulhu monster, but in the story it just failed to captivate me.
By the end, all of the wonderful ambiguity this story had set up got boiled down to the least interesting thing imaginable.
"The weird alien plants are actually bring cultivated by these alien warriors/farmers, so they can eat them". Wow.
This feels really bland, considering how much potential this has, and it's a shame.
The acting is inoffensive, but the dialogue seemed a bit unrefined. There was a scene where Leela almost broke the fourth wall with her less than subtle description of the mutated human, and it really stuck out.
The plot in itself isn't the most complex, but with the idea "What if you shouldn't be afraid of the dark, but the light?", this really intrigued me.
I adore horror, despite how recycled it can get, and this did seem really fresh at first, but it seems Alan Barnes couldn't think of a good way to use this idea, so the plot devolved into a overused base under siege archetype, and the main antagonists turned out to be these burly alien farmers.
Even the cover set this up for a let down, as the artwork has this very well realised, with an evocative design of this Little Shop of Horrors come Cthulhu monster, but in the story it just failed to captivate me.
By the end, all of the wonderful ambiguity this story had set up got boiled down to the least interesting thing imaginable.
"The weird alien plants are actually bring cultivated by these alien warriors/farmers, so they can eat them". Wow.
This feels really bland, considering how much potential this has, and it's a shame.
The acting is inoffensive, but the dialogue seemed a bit unrefined. There was a scene where Leela almost broke the fourth wall with her less than subtle description of the mutated human, and it really stuck out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2023
"White Ghosts" has many elements that we know well from the long history of Doctor Who. Doctor 4 and Leela find themselves way way out where even the TARDIS has trouble navigating. There, a scientific station studying a strange planetoid is more than just a scientific study. There are shades of "Planet of Evil" here. Tied to the plot is an environmentalist message and an interesting way to revisit The Doctor's ethics. It doesn't break new ground, and does get dragged by a few bits of preposterousness, but overall "White Ghosts" is pretty entertaining.
September 13, 2023
I liked the concept of the white ghost plants that are rarely active because their planet is mostly in darkness. And the banter between the Doctor and Leela was spot on. But toward the end, it lost it for me. Nevertheless, the fantastic performances and the writer's clear understanding of these characters is a winning combination.
September 12, 2018
HOLY SCHNIKES, THIS IS A TOP TEN BIG FINISH STORY!!! Okay, with the hype out of the way, yes, it is that good. What starts as a base under siege story is filled with more twists and turns, reveals, betrayals, misdirection and fantastic plotting than a Doctor Who story deserves. Once again, Baker and Jameson bring their vocal A game, and the result is one of the most satisfying tales I've yet to hear. For our full (FULL OF SPOILERS!) review, visit http://travelingthevortex.com/?p=8576
May 21, 2018
Alan Barnes never fails to write a classic Leela story with gothic, fairy tales mixed in. Great Leela focused story and I loved the music/sound effects.
July 19, 2023
This was certainly one of the stories of all time.
May 16, 2014
After the promising ending to "The Kings of Sontar" I'll admit I had high expectations for the next fourth Doctor adventure.
And I'll admit upon first blush, I was a bit disappointed by how easily it seemed certain developments from "Sontar" were swept aside. But pondering it further and taking the opportunity to listen to the story again, I feel like my first feelings of disappointment were misplaced and that maybe, must maybe I'd missed what this series of audio stories are trying to do in terms of the fourth Doctor and Leela. And if the stories can pay this off (and if that pay off can come without the Daleks being involved), I could see myself being a lot more pleased than I was after my initial assessment.
Avoiding a close run-in with a missile, the TARDIS materializes on board a planet that is kept in perpetual darkness. A scientific research team is there, studying a newly created species of plant life. But there's a reason the team is doing so on a planet where there is little or no light -- a secret that quickly comes to light (pun not intended, but it works). Before you know it, the story unfolds as a fast-paced, two-part base-under-siege story as the Doctor struggles to understand the implications of what's going on and Leela fights to defend herself and the rapidly dwindling supporting cast from becoming what plant vampires.
Barnes' story works well enough on the surface. Like another story I recently listened to, the ending comes a bit out of left field and feels a bit too rushed and like Barnes is trying to wrap things up too quickly or within the time constraints placed upon him. It's a shame because had the story been given another five minutes to breath, it might have worked a lot better.
And there are some interesting implications to the philosophical disagreement that came up between the Doctor and Leela in the last story and the role the Time Lords play in sending the Doctor on this mission. If this season of stories is about exploring Leela's reaction to how the Time Lords use the Doctor to do their dirty work, this could be a very interesting turn of events.
And I'll admit upon first blush, I was a bit disappointed by how easily it seemed certain developments from "Sontar" were swept aside. But pondering it further and taking the opportunity to listen to the story again, I feel like my first feelings of disappointment were misplaced and that maybe, must maybe I'd missed what this series of audio stories are trying to do in terms of the fourth Doctor and Leela. And if the stories can pay this off (and if that pay off can come without the Daleks being involved), I could see myself being a lot more pleased than I was after my initial assessment.
Avoiding a close run-in with a missile, the TARDIS materializes on board a planet that is kept in perpetual darkness. A scientific research team is there, studying a newly created species of plant life. But there's a reason the team is doing so on a planet where there is little or no light -- a secret that quickly comes to light (pun not intended, but it works). Before you know it, the story unfolds as a fast-paced, two-part base-under-siege story as the Doctor struggles to understand the implications of what's going on and Leela fights to defend herself and the rapidly dwindling supporting cast from becoming what plant vampires.
Barnes' story works well enough on the surface. Like another story I recently listened to, the ending comes a bit out of left field and feels a bit too rushed and like Barnes is trying to wrap things up too quickly or within the time constraints placed upon him. It's a shame because had the story been given another five minutes to breath, it might have worked a lot better.
And there are some interesting implications to the philosophical disagreement that came up between the Doctor and Leela in the last story and the role the Time Lords play in sending the Doctor on this mission. If this season of stories is about exploring Leela's reaction to how the Time Lords use the Doctor to do their dirty work, this could be a very interesting turn of events.
January 19, 2024
When the Doctor and Leela arrive on a dark world at the edge of known space, they come face-to-face with a missle headed toward the planet. The planet is home to a research base studying the planet's flora which uses any instance of light to grow. When the missile arrives on contains a massive light source, the Doctor and Leela have to work with the base to keep the plants from taking over. It's a good story. Not outstanding, but decent. I did like the argument at the end of the previous story Doctor Who: The King of Sontar wasn't abandoned in this story. Anyway, a decent addition to the Fourth Doctor Adventures.
February 1, 2016
The 4th Doctor and Leela aspects of this were delightful, especially Leela's concern about googly eyes, and the story was an interesting premise. I very much liked 'Senior Tutor' and 'Star Pupil'. But it was a noisy thing with lots of roaring and hissing of "Hungry!" and "Blood!" which I found strangely dull.
August 24, 2014
A twist on the monsters lurk in the dark set-up. In this one they don't. I liked the dialogue between 4 and Leela, and the tension between them at the beginning after the events of the previous story. An interesting look at the dangers of genetic manipulation and manipulation in general.
February 21, 2015
This is easily one of my favorite 4th Doctor audios. It is scary as hell and has all the humor you'd except from Tom Baker, plus the gravitas that Leela/Louise Jameson has perfected in the audio adventures. I'm so happy the character of Leela has been fleshed out in the way it has. Just fantastic.
June 27, 2016
The Doctor and Leela land on a planet where the plants attack the people for food.
January 23, 2025
Visceral and creepy.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews