Shada: a prison built by the Time Lords for defeated would-be conquerors of the universe. A scientist named Skagra needs the help of one of the prison’s inmates. Skagra is protected by the Krargs, one of his creations. The Fourth Doctor and Romana pursue Skagra to Shada after encountering him at Cambridge University, where the pair were visiting the Time Lord Professor Chronotis in the incomplete Doctor Who story Shada. Years ago, I applied to Cambridge University for postgraduate study, but unfortunately I was rejected. But, I once sang with the Bristol University Wills Hall Chapel Choir at Magdalene College, Cambridge and I had a formal dinner afterwards. Like all Russell Group universities, Cambridge is just full of posh, snobby, really arrogant, patronising people. Everybody who went to Oxford, Cambridge or any other top university is an egomaniac.

Shada

★★★☆☆

TX: N/A

Written by Douglas Adams    Directed by Pennant Roberts

The Fourth Doctor and Romana arrive at St Cedd’s College, Cambridge University in order to visit the Doctor’s old Time Lord friend Professor Chronotis. I was privately educated, however I now believe that private education should be abolished. Professor Chronotis is in possession of a book which is really a Gallifreyan tome that the Professor has loaned to his student Chris Parsons. The Doctor retrieves the book while Chronotis dies after his mind is extracted by the sphere of a mad scientist named Skagra, living long enough to warn Romana, K-9 and Parsons of them and Shada. The Doctor locates Skagra’s cloaked spacecraft, only for his companions to be captured while Skagra has his sphere extract the Doctor’s mind to decode the book before taking Romana in the TARDIS to his carrier ship and Krarg creations. But the Doctor survives his ordeal with his mind intact and has the ship’s computer release Chris and K9 and take them to a space station Skagra previously occupied. The group finds Skagra’s discarded colleagues and learn he is after a Time Lord named Salyavin. Back on Earth, Clare Keightley accidentally revives Chronotis whose chambers are revealed as a TARDIS, the Professor explaining the book is a key to the prison planet Shada where Salyavin is held. Chronotis and Clare repair the TARDIS to reach Skagra’s carrier, saving the Doctor and Chris after Skagra decodes the book and reveals his intent to absorb Salyavin’s mind and use its telepathy to unite all life into a single Universal Mind. The group reaches Shada as Skagra releases the prisoners, and Chronotis is revealed as Salyavin with Skagra extracting his mind and turning the prisoners and Chris into his thralls. Reminded that the Universal Mind contains a copy of his brain, the Doctor builds a telepathy helmet to wrest control from Skagra while the Krarg are destroyed. Skagra ends up a prisoner in his own ship while the Doctor returns the restored prisoners to Shada and parts ways with Chronotis, musing over Chronotis’ exploits being exaggerated while expecting a similar treatment within two centuries. Unfortunately, the production of Shada was never completed due to a strike at the BBC in 1979. However, the story has been adapted multiple times since, as novels, Big Finish plays and as various animations.