Equilibrium (Matt Fitton)

The release for February 2015 is "Equilibrium" which has been written by Matt Fitton and directed by Ken Bentley.

This Fifth Doctor story stars Peter Davison. He is travelling with his three companions: Nyssa, played by Sarah Sutton; Tegan Jovanka, played by Janet Fielding, and Turlough, played by Mark Strickson.

Playing the part of Queen Karlina is Annette Badland who played the part of Margaret Blaine in "Aliens of London/World War Three" and "Boom Town". She also played the part of Ursula Crowe in Wizards vs. Aliens.

Also starring are: Nickolas Grace, Joanna Kirkland, John Albasiny and Ella Kennion.

Trapped in E-Space, following the events of "Mistfall", the Fifth Doctor and his companions visit Isenfel, where they encounter a society as ruthless as its environment.

Fifth Doctor

'Alan asked me to come up with a story that would fit between the marshy world of "Mistfall" and the shanty-town of the third story', Matt Fitton has revealed, 'and suggested something snowy. I took that away and thought about it, and came up with the idea of a snowglobe, very enclosed, where nothing would change'.

'The other part of the brief was to make it fit with that feel of the original E-Space trilogy. One world Alan used was "a realm" rather than "a planet". Taking that fairytale aspect, setting it in a snowscape, and sticking in an ice castle, all inside a snowglobe. Frozen came out while I was writing it, so that helped me visualise things as well! Once you have that setting, the idea that everyone has to obey the rules of this world without really knowing why, just because it's always been done like that... It is kind of a fairytale, but one set in E-Space'.

In this story the people of Isenfel have taken concepts established during the original E-Space trilogy to an extreme. 'The idea of equilibrium, and maintaining a constant state, is something that's been talked about in the previous E-Space trilogy, and leading into "Logopolis" - it's all about entropy and matter decaying. I thought at some point people in E-Space would have realised what was going on, and start investigating how to escape the imminent collapse of the universe'.

Two of the main characters, the Queen and the Balancer, are trapped, in a way. 'They're monsters, but they don't realise they're monsters. It's a tricky one for The Doctor - these people are doing horrible things, but The Doctor's going "I can kind of see why you've done it", which is putting him in an almost impossible position'.

'On the light side, I really enjoyed writing Turlough. This team is brilliant - it is tempting to just start a scene with The Doctor, Tegan, Turlough, and Nyssa, and not have anyone else, because you can have them bantering away for ages! So hopefully, they lend it some lightness. Even though it is quite bleak and depressing, it will make people think about where there sympathies lie, with what are not traditional villainous characters. Hopefully it's a world that will envelop the listener'.

On the Back Cover:

Still looking for a way out of E-Space, the TARDIS crashes to Isenfel - a realm of snow and ice. Snarling beasts stalk the frozen plains, a feisty princess leads the hunt, and a queen in an ice palace rules over her loyal subjects.

But this is no fairytale kingdom, and everyone in Isenfel knows the price of survival. While Nyssa and Tegan uncover deadly secrets hidden in the palace, Turlough flees for his life across the tundra.

And as for the Doctor... he only ever wants to change things for the better. But in a world such as Isenfel, such a hope may not even be possible.

What I like most about Matt Fitton's writing is that it always scratches below the surface. Yes his plays are entertaining but - more than that - time and again he manages to tap into those things about human nature that are life affirming as well as those things that are unsettling. And in the world of Doctor Who it takes great skill to get the balance right.

First and foremost Doctor Who should be fun, and Equilibrium is great fun. A rollercoaster of a romp that gives this most energetic and prickly of TARDIS teams lots to get their teeth into. It's a story world rich in detail, springing instantly and recognisably to life. But it's the tougher questions Matt raises that will remain with you long after the final episode is over.

And isn't that the acid test of drama? Whether it resonates? Whether it stays with you after it's been consumed? We all have a favourite story that - for whatever reason, ever since the first day we read, saw or heard it -just sticks. For me, Equilibrium is one of those. Since my first read of the script the story has stuck. I hope we've done it justice and that the final production stays with you too.

KEN BENTLEY


Writer’s Notes

I've written a few Doctor Who's. But there's an itch to scratch. One more to check off the list - and now, at last, I've got him.

I was heading into teenhood when the young pretender stepped into Tom Baker's shoes (or were they boots?) and I was at first concerned by the idea of a youthful Doctor. But from the start of Castrovalva, Peter Davison's performance won me over. His little nods to previous selves, his inability to count to three... By the time we reached Kinda- and quite possibly my all-time favourite cliffhanger (not even my dad shouting Take the money' in response to Hindle's 'Open the box' could diminish its power) - by the time he offers Todd an apple in that other Eden, I was certain this was the same Time Lord I'd always been watching.

So it was a delight to write for this very human and fallible Doctor. Things aren't always as simple as they were for his predecessor: he struggles to find a better way, often exasperated by companions thrust upon him - though kindred spirit Nyssa offers a beacon of sympathy.

It's a fantastic team to play with, and by stranding them in an impossible world of ice and death, I hope I've done them justice.

MATT FITTON