Doctor Who – The Ark In Space

Tom Baker’s second outing as the renegade Time Lord is a solid entry in the Doctor Who saga. Fan favourite Robert Holmes penned “The Ark in Space”, which places the Doctor and his companions Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry (Ian Marter) on a seemingly deserted space station many years in the future. Station Nerva is not as empty as it appears, though, since on board are the cryogenically preserved survivors of Earth’s destruction, as well as an insect-like alien race, the Wirrin, determined to use the humans–and the Doctor–as hosts to grow their monstrous larvae. Holmes’ well-paced script (which, like Alien, bears a resemblance to the AE van Vogt story “Black Destroyer”) allows Baker to flesh out his well-loved take on the Doctor, as well as considerable suspense.