The Doctor arrives on the planet Tasak in search of refreshment, armed with nothing more than a kettle. But this is a time of crisis for a civilisation about to enter an industrial age. Mindful that a devastating war is only recently over, the wise and revered Magus Riga will do almost anything to save his people from the follies of the past. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Tasak is host to ancient powers buried deep and long forgotten. Can visitors from another world avert disaster or will their intervention drag this innocent world into the Orion War...?

Scripted by James Swallow, the three-part Kingdom of Silver features possibly the most original use of the recurring foes the Cybermen since The Harvest. Here the people of the planet Tasak uncover Mondasian relics that influence their culture and technology, not realising the dangers inherent in these devices. However, unlike The Harvest, the presence of the Cybermen is revealed by the cover illustration. The cliffhanger ending of Part One would have had much more impact if I hadn’t already known that these old monsters were going to be in it.

Nevertheless, the story remains intriguing, thanks to neat tie-ins with Big Finish’s Cyberman series, including references to the Orion War between humans and androids; one of Sylvester McCoy’s best performances ever as the solo Seventh Doctor; and an effective guest-starring role for Davros actor Terry Molloy, who plays a good guy for a change in the guise of Magus Riga.

This double CD sees the very busy Nicholas Briggs handing the reins of his Cyberman series to others. Here Briggs delegates the bulk of the directorial duties to Ken Bentley, and interviews among the special features at the end of each disc reveal that seeds are sown here for the forthcoming Cyberman 2, which will also be written by Swallow.

Kingdom might not be gold standard, but it’s definitely silver.

8

 

Sifting through the technological flotsam and jetsam of Reclaim Platform Juliet-November-Kilo, the Doctor discovers evidence of a personal tragedy involving some friends of his. Where will the story of their fate lead...?

The single-part companion episode Keepsake is a coda to Kingdom of Silver, featuring many of the same actors, some of them playing the same characters.

Unfortunately Molloy, in his role here as Examiner 2, doesn’t sound sufficiently different from Magus Riga in Kingdom. This is surprising, as he is a very experienced radio actor. Neil Roberts, on the other hand, sounds completely different from his Kingdom of Silver character Temeter as Two’Mark, the amusing alien proprietor of a futuristic junkyard.

Overall, Keepsake is a decent little episode, which also sets up situations for Cyberman 2. It’s a keeper.

8

Richard McGinlay