I never watched 'Doctor Who and the Silurians'. I became a Doctor Who fan when Tom Baker had the role. This Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) adventure is a good one, though. Caroline John, the actress who played scientist and companion Liz Shaw, describes the action for us between the dialog of the original soundtrack.

UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) has been called to the Wenley Moor Nuclear Research Facility, which is located in an extensive cave system under fictional Wenley Moor, in England's Derbyshire. There have been unexplained power outages going on. Oh, and incidentally, the staff are experiencing a higher rate than normal of psychological problems. Shall we toss in the mysterious death of a staff member who was also a potholer and the subsequent insanity of the staff member who was with him? ('Potholer' is British English for 'spelunker,' or cave explorer.)

We lucky listeners learn early on that two of the staff at the facility, Dr. Quinn and Miss Dawson, know the cause of the power outages. Dr. Quinn has his reasons for not telling and Miss Dawson does what Dr. Quinn tells her to do.

The two most sensible persons in this story are the Doctor and the elderly leader of the Silurians. The Doctor comes up with an excellent solution to the Silurians' problem and their leader endorses it. Unfortunately, they are undermined by several other characters: a young Silurian, Dr. Lawrence (head of the research facility), Major Baker (facility security chief), Dr. Quinn (who got impatient), Dr. Lawrence's friend, Masters (Permanent Under Secretary in charge), Dr. Meredith (local physician), and UNIT's UK commander, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.

Named characters who are killed generally brought their own deaths on themselves. I feel sorriest for the innocents who were also killed because of foolish or bigoted decisions.

An ancient plague will be unleashed before this is over. Ignore what it says on the back cover. It isn't a deadly virus, it's a deadly bacterium. Now the use of antibiotics, which was foolish in the novelization, Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters, makes sense. (It was a virus in the novelization, and antibiotics are useless against viruses.)

The Doctor and Liz must race against time to cure the plague, which has escaped the facility thanks to Dr. Meredith and Masters. Of course the young Silurian has no intention of letting our heroes succeed.

The interview with Ms. Jones at the end of the third CD is quite interesting for illuminating working conditions at the BBC during 1969-1970. She also talks about what it was like working with Jon Pertwee. (There's a section at the end of CD 2 that talks about British cave art.)

It's a good story. ( )