As Doctor Who: Adventures was ordered for two series, during the production of the first, Series 2 went into production straight after Series 1 wrapped. In actuality the ten episodes in the series were completed long before the January release, due to this, but it was decided to hold back the episodes until this time, but from a production standpoint the first two seasons of Doctor Who: Adventures was far simillar to the format of a Series 1: Part One and a Series 1: Part Two.
As the production was continuous, not much changed between Series 1 and 2. The main thing different was the logo fully changing to the new unified brand logo, and this time the title cards changed as well – to the newly introduced unified brand title cards, which from here on were rolled out across the entirety of Doctor Who‘s television output.
So without further ado, let’s have a look at Doctor Who: Adventures Series Two!
THE SMUGGLER OF DOOM
Series 2, Episode 1
Written by PHIL FORD
Directed by CHRIS CHATTERTON
TX Date – 11 January 2021
Unlike Series 1, which opened with a big Dalek story, the second series opens with a pretty standard story which could really fit anywhere in the series. The plot takes place entirely on a starship, which is on a smuggling run to get a container of diamonds from one place to another. The Doctor, Erin and Kyle land on this starship and thus a fun 25-minute adventure ensues. As this is Doctor Who: Adventures, a monster is thrown in, as it’s revealed that the ship also has a stowaway, a Dreuonian, which is a monster which feeds upon diamonds. Closer to the end, there’s a plot twist, where the Doctor discovers that the Dreuonian is actually what the ship is smuggling, as they are very valuable on the black market, but highly illegal. The Doctor, Erin and Kyle end up saving the Dreuonian and giving it a new home on a far off planet.
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE
Series 2, Episode 2
Written by ED HIME
Directed by Austen Atkinson
TX Date – 18 January 2021
This episode takes us to Earth whereby this week the show decides to teach children about racism and neo-fascism, in a science-fiction setting. Essentially a load of Ood refugees find their way to Earth and UNIT filter them into the population, by using advanced perception filters, by the time the Doctor, Erin and Kyle arrive 3 months later to find a fascistic organisation called the Earth Defense Force in operation, hunting down suspected Oods, and revealing their true identities, before they get lynch mobbed.
This episode is probably the darkest Adventures goes, telling an important message and teaching children about treating everyone equally and fairly, no matter who they are, what they believe in, where they come from or the colour of their skin etc… This episode is also the only episode in Adventures where the “monster” of the episode is actually portrayed as the good guy, with the humans and the Earth Defense Force portrayed as the bad guys.
THE INFINITE QUEST
Series 2, Episode 3
Written by ALAN BARNES
Directed by BARRY J. KELLY
TX Date – 25 January 2021
This story sees the Doctor, Erin and Kyle fight a new monster called Baltazar who is a rogue space pirate, escaped from a prison planet. The plan, which the Doctor and her companions foil, is for Baltazar to compress Earth into a diamond, which Baltazar uses only as bait to get the Doctor to do his bidding as while they deal with this, Baltazar uses the trio to help him search for a lost ship, the Infinite, which had the secret to it’s location scattered across the universe. When the four of them arrive on the Infinite, they discover that it shows everyone’s hearts’ desire, including untold riches for Baltazar. The Doctor, Erin and Kyle manage to destroy the Infinite, and they send Baltazar back to prison.
THE STONE AGE
Series 2, Episode 4
Written by TONI GRAPHIA
Directed by CHRIS CHATTERTON
TX Date – 1 February 2021
This episode sees the TARDIS trio arrive in the Stone Age, and it essentially re-treads the plot of An Unearthly Child, just with a different group of cave men, and an added monster, the Firmoun, which feeds on the energy of combustion and fire. So that whenever the cavemen try to create fire, the Firmoun immediately feeds upon it, putting it out. Alongside other hijinks, not to dissimilar to An Unearthly Child, the TARDIS trio defeat the Firmoun in the end, allowing the cavemen to make fire.
EYE OF THE GORGON
Series 2, Episode 5
Written by PHIL FORD
Directed by BARRY J. KELLY
TX Date – 8 February 2021
This episode sees the show take a step into mythology. The TARDIS trio land back in 1978, meeting up with Danielle and Roger once more. Roger tells the Doctor of his elderly mother, who is in a nursing home, and how she’s speaking of seeing a mysterious nun, who vanishes like a ghost. The trio go to meet Lavender Stevenson, at her nursing home, where she reiterates the story – however, Kyle wonders off, and meets another older lady called Bea, who is suffering from quite severe Alzheimer’s, she tells Kyle to “beware the Gorgon” and hands him an ancient talisman. Kyle goes to show this to the Doctor and Erin, who bid goodbye to Lavender, before going to see Bea. Due to Bea’s condition, she makes little sense, and the nurses insist the trio must leave, but the Doctor manages to spark a memory in Bea, whereby she explains that she and her husband Edgar were archaeologists, mentioning the meeting the Sontarans once – whereby the Doctor jokes with Bea about their appearance. They manage to find out that, according to Bea, the Gorgon is located at “St Agnes”.
The trio visit the St Agnes Abbey, where a group of nuns, who have already prepared for their arrival, trap them inside. They say they simply want the talisman back – the Doctor refuses. The nuns frequently refer to the “Abbess”, who the Doctor works out is a Gorgon, who they are protecting. The nuns bring the Abbess forward, threating to lift it’s veil, if the Doctor does not hand over the talisman. The Doctor does so, thinking more about her companions’ welfare. The nuns’ walk off with the talisman. The trio briefly have a look around the garden of the abbey, seeing hundreds of stone statues, which the Doctor says were all “poor victims of the Gorgon”.
The final act of the episode begins as the nuns place the talisman at the side of a stone altar, as they chant “Serve the Gorgon” several times. A green energy begins to swirl out of a portal, as the process of the Gorgon home world, coming through to Earth, begins. It’s revealed the Abbess’s body is dying, and the Gorgon needs a new host – the nuns choose the Doctor. With the Doctor held in front of the portal, Erin and Kyle manage to slip out of the room, and into the garden, whereby they find Bea wondering about – having escaped from the Nursing Home – she gives Erin and Kyle a mirror, and says that “this is how me and Edgar defeated the last one”. The two enter into the room again, just as the Gorgon lifts it’s veil to transfer into the Doctor – Erin holds up the mirror, and reflects the energy back at the Gorgon, as the Doctor grabs the talisman and closes the portal – leaving the Gorgon petrified itself and turned to stone. The episode ends with the trio returning Bea to the nursing home as the Doctor gives her mirror and the talisman back. Bea rejects the talisman, telling the Doctor to destroy it.
THE SALE OF THE CENTURY
Series 2, Episode 6
Written by SASHA HAILS
Directed by AUSTEN ATKINSON
TX Date – 15 February 2021
This episode takes us back into outer-space onto a SpaceHub in the 52nd Century. It’s the very generic space grunge aesthetic with loads of aliens everywhere and unbridled capitalism. After a few hijinks, the trio get split up and Erin finds herself captured by a slave trader. The story which follows sees the Doctor and Kyle having to rescue Erin, and also interfering enough to close down the Slave Market on the SpaceHub and freeing all the other slaves on the market.
PUBLIC ENEMY ONE
Series 2, Episode 7
Written by SARAH DOLLARD
Directed by AUSTEN ATKINSON
TX Date – 22 February 2021
This episode sees the TARDIS arriving in 1929 New York and focuses on the Doctor, Erin and Kyle getting wrapped up into the exploits of Al Capone and teaching children about the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, which it does so in more of an emotional sense than graphically showing everything, leading up to the events of the massacre. The monster of the episode, comes in the form of the return of the Kroakets, who themselves were based upon people like Al Capone – as they try to infiltrate the North Side Gang, and change history in order to change the outcome of the massacre. To help balance things out, and ensure history runs to it’s correct path, the Doctor, Erin and Kyle notably all get dressed up as 1920s American-Italian style gangsters complete with the suits and hats, and join the South Side Gang. This image worked so well, it was used prominently during the promotion of Series 2. However, things don’t get all the way up to the Kroakets and the TARDIS team fighting in the massacre, as the Doctor manages to send the Kroakets back to their correct time, beforehand – as the trio then leave… and the massacre goes ahead (off-screen).
REST & RECREATION
Series 2, Episode 8
Written by SASHA HAILS
Directed by CHRIS CHATTERTON
TX Date – 1 March 2021
The TARDIS arrives in the 1950s at a amusement park in America (clearly based on Disneyland, but bearing the name Mountain World) and this episode sees the Doctor, Erin and Kyle just have a holiday in the 1950s… but with an alien twist, because in true Doctor Who fashion – the Slitheen are back – having slipped into the skins of many of the controllers of the rides, and other staff around the site, intending to continue killing and replacing people who come to the park, during their time inside the rides – so they go in as themselves, and come out as Slitheen. With a lot of fun and comedy along the way, the Doctor, Erin and Kyle foil the plan and save the park and the human race!
FEAR HER
Series 2, Episode 9
Written by ALAN BARNES
Directed by BARRY J. KELLY
TX Date – 8 March 2021
Don’t be fooled by the title – this episode sees the Doctor, Erin and Kyle arriving on an alien planet in the far future, where they enter a futuristic city – however the Doctor is immediately arrested without given cause or reason. It turns out that security camera footage of the Doctor (or someone that resembles her) assassinating the former President of the planet was taken 18 months ago, and since then had been plastered all over the news, so everyone was aware of the face of the assassin. The Doctor tries to prove her innocence, saying she’s never even set foot on the planet before, but her story isn’t believed and the Doctor is sentenced to life imprisonment.
Most of the episode follows Erin and Kyle as they try to prove her innocence, in a world where everyone essentially wants to lynch mob the Doctor. It’s not an easy task, but eventually Erin and Kyle discover a frame of holographic interference on the footage, and continue investigating until they get to the conclusion that someone has a hologram of the Doctor. They then discover the person behind it – the Master (as played by Murray Melvin, returning to the role). With the evidence they need, while trying to evade the Master’s clutches, Erin and Kyle get the Doctor freed, and the Master is thus arrested by the authorities. The Doctor looks worriedly, saying that the Master will be back for revenge, and they have to be ready.
the prisoner
Series 2, Episode 10
Written by PHIL FORD
Directed by CHRIS CHATTERTON
TX Date – 15 March 2021
The finale begins with the Doctor, Erin and Kyle having tea with Danielle, Roger and Lavender (on a visit) back in the Stevenson household. However, they are interrupted when they hear a very loud sound come from outside – where they see a spaceship crashing through the sky. Leaving the others, the trio go off to investigate where they find the crashed spaceship (capable of holding just two people), abandoned. They soon come across a Tivoli security officer, called Krennét, who apologetically asks the trio if they’ve seen a thin old humanoid running away anywhere…. The Doctor’s eyes widen as she realises the Master is on the loose. Meanwhile the Master, all bloodied and bruised, arrives at the Stevenson household, and soon holds Danielle, Roger and Lavender hostage. Eventually, after searching the surrounding area, the trio and Krennét arrive back at the Stevenson’s house, where they come across the Master, with a gun pointed at the others. It turns into a showdown between the Doctor and the Master, whereby he asks very politely for the Doctor to take him to a planet very far away, to safety. The Doctor says no and that the Master must suffer for his numerous crimes. The Master frowns and presses a button on a device he has. The building is stormed by UNIT soldiers, led by Benton, who arrest the Doctor, Erin and Kyle – as the Master says the Doctor is a hologram controlled by the Master and claims that she’s trying to murder the Stevenson family.
Once the Doctor, Erin and Kyle are safely back at UNIT HQ, Benton tells her that he knows she’s real and the old fellow was the Master… but that was the plan. The Doctor smiles, as Benton shows her the Tivoli space pod, repaired by UNIT. The rest of the episode sees the TARDIS trio and UNIT lure the Master back into the pod, sending him back into outer-space and to space jail with Krennét. The episode concludes how it began with everyone, now including Benton, having a cup of tea.
And that’s the second season of Doctor Who: Adventures. Unlike the first season, this premiered on Nickelodeon in the US, and was a much bigger success than the first, which was a CBS All Access Exclusive to begin with. Nickelodeon pulled out all the stops for the broadcast of this season, and it paid off with Adventures Season 2 being one of the most popular children’s programmes of 2021 in the US. Likewise, in the UK, the series performed slightly better than the first, and was a massive hit on BBC iPlayer.
WIDWWA 