Melanie and The Doctor

On an unnamed planet a Chimeron queen, called Delta, takes refuge in a spaceship that belongs to the attacking Bannermen in order to escape from them. The evil Gavrok, leader of the Bannermen, ambushes her there, but is shot by another Chimeron, and falls outside. The wounded Chimeron gives Delta a box and tells her to keep it with her. He then dies, leaving her as the last survivor of her race.

Meanwhile the TARDIS arrives at Tollport G715 where The Doctor, and his travelling companion Melanie Bush, meet the Tollmaster who informs them that they are the ten billionth customers and have therefore won a trip to Disneyland, Earth in 1959. They are to travel with Nostalgia Trips, a specialist company run by the Navarinos, in a spaceship that looks like an old bus. Melanie agrees to board the bus with the other holidaymakers, but The Doctor opts to follow in the TARDIS. However, just before they leave, Delta arrives in the stolen Bannerman spaceship, and also boards the bus which then departs followed by the TARDIS. Soon afterwards Gavrok arrives at the Tollport, in his pursuit of Delta, and threatens, and then kills, the Tollmaster before heading to Earth in search of the bus.

In space, the bus crashes into a satellite recently launched from Cape Canaveral and plunges to Earth. The Doctor, by using the TARDIS’s vortex drive to create an anti-gravity spiral, manages to ensure it has a safe landing. Instead of Disneyland, however, it arrives at Shangri-La, a Welsh holiday camp in 1959. The holidaymakers are greeted by Burton, the camp manager, who introduces Billy, a mechanic who will help fix the bus, and Ray, a girl who fancies Billy and who lends him some tools. The Doctor though discovers that the power crystal, that powers the bus, is damaged and a spare, which The Doctor retrieves from the TARDIS, is accidentally broken by the driver, Murray. The Doctor informs them that it will take twenty-four hours to grow another replacement and so Burton agrees that they can all use the facilities at the holiday camp until the bus is mended.

Delta

As the alien holidaymakers settle in the camp Melanie finds herself sharing a room with Delta. Later that evening, at a ‘get to know you’ dance, Billy, who is also a singer, dedicates a song to Delta, whom he has taken a shine to. This though results in Ray leaving in tears. The Doctor follows and comforts Ray in a laundry room, but they are interrupted by one of the alien holidaymakers, Keillor, who uses a transmitter device to contact Gavrok and tell him of the Chimeron Queen’s location. Gavrok is pleased, but kills Keillor by blowing up his transmitter. The explosion also knocks out The Doctor and Ray who had been listening to Keillor and Gavrok’s conversation.

In the following morning it is revealed that Delta’s box contains a large egg and before Melanie’s horrified eyes, this hatches to reveal a green baby. Billy arrives with flowers for Delta and she explains everything to him and Melanie – that she, and the newly hatched baby, who is a Chimeron princess, are the last of the Chimeron race and that Gavrok will do anything to kill them both so as to wipe out the whole of the Chimeron race. Overwhelmed by this Melanie falls asleep so allowing Billy to take Delta, and the rapidly growing baby, off for a trip in the sidecar of his Vincent motorbike.

Meeting The Tollmaster

The Doctor recovers from the explosion in the laundry room and tries to convince Burton that they are in danger from a Bannerman attack. Burton is sceptical, so The Doctor shows him around the TARDIS in order to convince him that he is speaking the truth. Melanie rouses Murray who helps wake everyone and get them on board the bus even though the power crystal needs another half hour to finish growing. The Doctor and Ray meanwhile head off to find Billy and Delta.

Gavrok and the Bannermen arrive near the holiday camp, having homed in on a transmitter owned by American secret service agents Hawk and Weismuller, who are in the area to track down the missing satellite. Gavrok reaches the holiday camp before the bus can leave and destroys it, killing everyone on board. The Doctor and Ray return with Billy, Delta and the Chimeron child but on discovering that Gavrok and the Bannermen have arrived they manage to escape. Gavrok however, takes Melanie and Burton hostage to use as bait to obtain Delta.

Delta and her fast growing child are summoned by bees owned by Goronwy, an old Welsh bee-keeper. They stay with him in his cottage while The Doctor goes to rescue Melanie and Burton. The Doctor is able to bluster his way past Gavrok and leaves with the former hostages unscathed. Back at the cottage, and because earlier Goronwy had explained to Billy the purpose of royal jelly in the lifecycle of the honeybee, Billy takes a pack of the Chimeron child’s special food, in the hope that it will result in him metamorphosing into a Chimeron.

Gavrok and the Bannermen

Gavrok finds the TARDIS and places, on top of its roof, a sonic cone that will destroy anything that comes close. At the same time The Doctor sets a trap for Gavrok and the Bannermen at Goronwy’s cottage before leaving the place empty. The Bannermen manage to track The Doctor’s party to Goronwy’s cottage and they alert Gavrok that Delta has been located at the cottage. Gavrok arrives and they make a raid but find themselves caught in The Doctor’s trap and covered with honey. They are then attacked by the bees.

Back at the holiday camp The Doctor discovers the sonic trap left by Gavrok on his TARDIS. He then enlists Billy’s help to set up a powerful amplifier device that he hopes to use to defend the holiday camp against the Bannermen, who are susceptible to shrill noises. Delta discovers that Billy has been eating the Chimeron food so that he will change into a Chimeron and be able to leave with her.

Gavrok and the Bannermen return to the holiday camp in their spaceship. The Doctor’s device though is not finished and the Bannermen destroy it. But as an alternative measure the screams of the Chimeron child are transmitted via the holiday camp’s public address system. This causes the Bannermen to collapse in pain and Gavrok, who is near the TARDIS, is similarly affected by the sound and accidentally falls into the sonic cone’s field and is vaporised.

With Gavrok and the Bannermen dealt with Delta, Billy and the Chimeron princess depart in the Bannermen’s spaceship, so they can start a new life and so ensure the continuation of the Chimeron race. The Doctor is also now able to enter the TARDIS, as Gavrok’s death drained the power from the sonic cone. Therefore when Burton becomes distracted by the arrival of the next bus of holidaymakers, this time human, The Doctor and Melanie quietly slip away. Hawk and Weismuller are astonished by the TARDIS’s dematerialisation, but Goronwy glances up at the sky and gives a knowing smile and a wink.