Doctor Who: The Zygon Who Fell to Earth

The Eighth Doctor Adventures #2.6

by Paul Magrs, Paul McGann (Narrator), Sheridan Smith (Narrator)

There are no monsters this time... are there?

Ten years later and Aunty Pat is in her prime. She's snagged herself an ex rock star at the Kendal Folk Festival and now, in the brave new world of the early 1980s they manage together a snazzy hotel on the poetic and shingly shore of Lake Grasmere. However, still waters run deep and friends from the past are returning, intent on milking the old cash-cow...

Featuring the song "Falling Star" sung by Steven Pacey with music by Tim Sutton and lyrics by Barnaby Edwards.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Time Travel, Media Tie In

Audio CD

First published June 1, 2008

Reviews

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Zygon Who fell to Earth is a loose sequel to The Horror of Glam Rock where we meet Auntie Pat again and find out that Uncle Trevor is in fact a Zygon who has gone native.

This one's ok. Great voice performances from Stephen Pacey (Blake's 7) and Tim Brooke-Taylor. The story just didn't grab me as much as many of the others in the series. Still McGann and Smith work so well together that this one's well worth a listen and kept my attention, its just never amazing.

[Emilija · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 52 Book Challenge - September Mini Challenge - 2) Includes Foreshadowing

I quite liked the story coming back to Auntie Pat and elaborating on her life, and her Zygon husband.

By far the best moment of this audiobook is the Doctor reciting poetry while sitting on a balcony with a cup of tea and the sun setting in the background. I could imagine that with ease.

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoops, I forgot to update it on the 17th. Been busy since then.

Enjoyable story featuring a huge twist in relation to Lucie's Aunt. Ironically enough, after this, I watched Day of the Doctor so it was a Zygon filled day!

[Kathryn Houghton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight quoting Wordsworth 🥺 and Lucie calling him a romantic as he sits on the balcony with his tea watching the sunset 🥺

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasantly small-scale invasion story with a focus on relationships, humbugged somewhat by overtly manipulative, aggressively heart-rending incidental music. Steven Pacey is a welcome addition to the voice cast, as is Tim Brooke-Taylor in his one, gloriously understated appearance for Big Finish.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this one.

[Nicholas Whyte]

My favourite of the second season plays: we have the return of Lucie's aunt Pat, but also Stephen Pacey (Tarrant from Blake's Seven) as her husband Trevor, the eponymous Zygon Who Fell To Earth, and Tim Brooke-Taylor of the Goodies as the Zygon second-in-command. It's a really fun tale of nostalgia both for and in the 1980s; I loved every minute of it.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In questo sequel di “Horror of Glam Rock”, Lucie torna a trovare sua zia Pat dieci anni dopo (ma ancora molto prima che lei fosse nata), trovandola felicemente sposata e con un lavoro ben avviato, cosa che poco concorda con quello che Lucie sapeva riguardo alla sua vita. Ma Pat è anche un po' sfortunata, e si ritrova nuovamente circondata da alieni, in questo caso gli Zygon, che si intrufolano nella sua tranquilla vita.
Gli Zygon descritti qui hanno sì molto in comune con quelli presentati nel serial classico “Terror of the Zygon”, senza dimenticarsi ad esempio della vitale funzione degli Skarasen, ma hanno anche un risvolto più simile a quello dato molto più avanti nella serie TV nuova, introducendo il concetto che alcuni di loro vogliono solo integrarsi nella società umana. In questo senso funge anche da anello di congiunzione per il Dottore, il quale, memore della sua precedente esperienza con gli Zygon, parte con parecchi pregiudizi per poi doversi ricredere, andando a creare, in maniera più o meno consapevole, un'ottima base per il rapporto che avrà con la loro specie nell'era di Moffat.
Se finora in questa stagione abbiamo avuto episodi molto autoconclusivi e indipendenti l'uno dall'altro, con solo qualche accenno di personaggi ricorrenti nell'episodio precedente, questo è molto più collegato alla trama generale e in particolare con la storyline di Lucie. Con la sua dirompente personalità, Lucie sembra un personaggio a tutto tondo, ma, al contrario delle companion della serie nuova, è molto distaccata dal suo contesto originario: non abbiamo mai visto la sua famiglia o i suoi amici, e non ci sono ancora stati episodi ambientati nella sua stessa città e anno di appartenenza. Sua zia Pat è per ora l'unica eccezione, il solo collegamento con la sua vita precedente che abbiamo visto, il che aiuta a rendere il personaggio un po' più reale, e con i risvolti avvenuti in questo episodio, immagino ci saranno conseguenze rilevanti in futuro.
L'episodio parte in maniera leggera, quasi in maniera simile alla maggior parte degli episodi di questa stagione, molto spensierati e con pochissime conseguenze (basti pensare che in 4 episodi su 5 non c'è stato alcun morto, neanche tra i “cattivi”), tuttavia sul finale acquista molto più pathos, con anche momenti tragici e commoventi che possono colpire di sorpresa.
Un buon episodio quindi, forse il migliore finora tra quelli della seconda stagione, anche se spero che il doppio finale abbia ancora più mordente.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

BookOpoly 2025 - Listen to an AUDIO BOOK
( Given various BF titles are on Audible, and BF themselves call their releases Audiobooks on their website, I’m counting it ! 😃)

I just listened to this for the first time today. It’s enjoyable. Not for everyone, but enjoyable. The plot island the Zygons’ plan feels like something the show would do ( in either New or Classic) , there are some tense moments, and it’s always good to have more Eight and Lucie. :)



I will not spoil the twist with Lucie’s aunt but if you’ve heard “ Death in Blackpool… “ it explains a lot.


Also, there’s an absolutely beautiful scene of Tge Doctor reciting poetry on a balcony while watching the sunrise.

[John Parungao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zygons are shape-shifting aliens, which doesn't necessarily translate well to an audio format. It does however give Sheridan Smith the opportunity to play to different roles; Lucie Miller and her Zygon duplicate and it makes the story less about the visual gag of bodyswaps and more about the Zygon characters and their motives. What does the Zygon masquerading as Trevor really want? What does it mean for him that he's spent decades living as a human? Has it changed him? Perhaps, and that's the point of this story.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough story, but one thing that particularly bugged me at the end was how the Zygon could simply transform into Aunt Pat after we were told repeatedly that a body-print machine was needed to do so. Especially since the Zygon had been Trevor beforehand, had never taken the form of Pat, and had no body to use as a template since she was dead and gone. Also, they met at the 1979 folk festival (apparently that needed to be repeated again and again for some reason).

[David Layton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paul Magrs loves his retro kitsch. This time, it's the 1980s. Doctor 8 and Lucie Miller find themselves once more bothering Lucie's Aunty Pat, who is none-too-pleased to see them. Pat has marries a Zygon who has decided to keep his human form and be "human." However, his semi-incompetent former underlings want him back so they can do more Zygon stuff. It's moderately amusing, but Magrs strives to hard to make more of it than is actually there.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Doctor and Lucie arrive in the 80s and end up bumping into Aunty Pat (from Horror of Glam Rock). She’s married a Zygon!? Aunty Pat, despite Lucie knowing her in the future, is murdered by the Zygons so they can use the crystal that fused to her skin to detonate the warheads on Earth. Trevor the Zygon Warlord, angered by the murder of his wife takes out his entire species and takes the form of his dead wife so that Lucie can still meet Aunty Pat in the future.

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Zygons aren't necessarily my favorite (I get stressed out by the dramatic irony of their body-snatching, but that's me), but this was a good story. The Eighth Doctor is a romantic in many cases, but there are bits (like at the end of this story) that reveal some of his icier, "I know best" traits.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

ルーシーのパット叔母さんはミュージシャンのトレバーと結婚し民宿を営んでいた。トレバーがザイゴンであると気がついたドクター。しかしパットはトレバーの正体を知っていて本当に愛し合ったから結婚したといいルーシーはショックを受ける。

パットと恋に落ちザイゴンであることをやめたトレバー。
自分がプレゼントしたブレスレットが宇宙船を動かす鍵でもあったため、それが他のザイゴンにパットが狙われ殺されてしまう原因となってしまった。

トレバーはルーシーにパットの死を知らせないためにその後に一生をパットとして過ごすことに決める。

思いがけず切ないラストでビックリ。でもなぜパット叔母さんがルーシーの記憶にある叔母さんとなったく雰囲気が違うのか説明がつく。

ザイゴンでこういう切ない話がくるとは思っていなかったのでちょっと涙腺にきてしまった。

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a better story than Zygon Hunt. With the possibility of a Zygon having changed its ways, The Doctor confronts his prejudices regarding the species. I feel that it is sometimes glossed over that The Doctor makes assumptions about entire species. There's also a nice '80s song.

[Isiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually am not really a fan of Zygon stories, but by the end this one had me fully invested. It has family, star crossed love, and a great twist on a classic monster. Plus, the commentary on global warming and capitalism was perfection. Some great characterization of the 8th Doctor too.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one - and not just because it's one of the few stories so far that has perfectly fit the shorter format typical of this line. I didn't expect to feel so emotional about a Zygon, but here we are.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was interesting and made an alien I have never really cared for actually interesting. The Doctor's decision at the end was wild and I hope it has consequences later on that we get to see.

[SuperPiggy5000 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great followup to the classic who Zygon serials. Was also quite sad, too. 

3.5/5

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved listening to this one and the Zygon sound effects took me back to listening to Terror of the Zygons. A fun listen and ahead of its time.

[Axel Kloen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit seizoen was teleurstellend maar deze was wel goed.

[Kelsey Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty simple premise with a simple story and a simple conclusion! But good fun all the same and I’m continuing to enjoy Lucie Miller.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - fine story but better since it sets up good plot elements for later.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to Horror of Glam Rock, this story sees the Doctor and Lucie once again meeting up with the latter's aunt, now running a hotel in the Lake District. The title of the play gives away the nature of the enemy, but you'd have worked that out pretty much immediately anyway - the mystery is more about what they're up to.

Nu Who style, the story has a fair focus on the relationship between Lucie and her aunt, and, indeed, the eponymous Zygon. There's a good mix of humour and drama, making this an entertaining story, if not a stand-out one. If nothing else, the thought of Tim Brooke-Taylor playing a Zygon is just kind of cool.

And the ending is nicely bittersweet, without overdoing things.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite good. I liked the return of Auntie Pat. I liked her relationship with her husband. The episode was an odd mixture of paradoy and tragedy. It felt a bit disjointed. I think it would have been a better tale if it had just been more serious. It was a nice take on the zygons, though their use of bodies seemed really obvious. The fake-Bowie, folk star thing though just felt really unnecsary. I don't think it worked nearly as well as the first Pat episode.

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the last book we saw recurring characters but it felt a little cheap to do it again so soon. However, I love a good Zygon story and it's difficult to do one well. I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The resolution to the story made sense, and you're left happy and sad all at the same time. Definitely worth a listen.

[Shaun Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thoroughly enjoyable yarn that puts a fun spin on the classic Zygon tale. Works exceptionally well with the Capaldi 2 parter Zygon Invasion/Zygon Inversion. It also features the closure story ark of Lucie's Auntie Pat, who returns from last seasons Horror of Glam Rock. For a more detailed review, visit www.travelingthevortex.com

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better ones in this season.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite liked this one . . .