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The play starts with the TARDIS materialising in London in 1969, following
a collision with an unknown timeship. The Doctor (played by Bob Pugh)
and his companion Gwen, a historian from the 21st century (Rachel Greaves)
find that they are in Londinium starport, and that London is ruled by Rome, in
the person of the immortal God-Empress, who has ruled for 2,000 years. The pair
are captured by Roman soldiers, armed with laser rifles, and are incarcerated
behind a forcefield in the security suite (pictured left). After
interrogation, their captors become intrigued that they are listed as "most
wanted" on the Roman computers. |
| The pair are rescued by rebels, British Celts who oppose the Romans. The
rebels plan to use the Londinium starport laser defences to blow up the
God-Empress's shuttle. Unfortunately, Rhiannon, (Ruth Cooper) one of the
rebels, is actually a Roman agent, and betrays them. Siobhann, another rebel,
(Bethan Pugh), sacrifices herself to enable Gwen and the remaining
rebels, Rhodri (Bob Kretowicz)and Cormac (Andy Kibbey), to
escape. The Doctor is left behind, apparently killed in the explosion. |
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The rebels hide in the tunnels around the starport, unsure what to do now
their plan is destroyed. Gwen persuades them to go back to rescue the Doctor:
she is confident that he is still alive, which of course he is. He is a captive
of the Romans again. The God-Empress Livia herself (Maggie Redgrave)
arrives, and comes to gloat over him. |
| She clearly knows the Doctor, and she recounts how the TARDIS collided with
a cyberman timeship and knocked it into the past. She made the cybermen
partially cyberise her, and then she poisoned them with gold, using knowledge
from the Doctor himself. He had travelled into the past, too, chasing the
cybership, and she had him executed. She has ruled ever since. She has been
waiting for him to arrive, to complete the course of time. After having her
gloat, she leaves to inaugurate the new laser defence network, and tells the
Doctor she'll be back to talk some more later. |
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The Doctor is spared this fate by the rebels and Gwen, who rescue him. They
study the computer history database, and work out that the cybership is in 9AD.
Rhodri remains behind to buy the others time, and the Doctor, Gwen and Cormac
fight their way to the TARDIS, and flee back into the past. Livia is not
worried, however.... she is confident that she knows what happened in 9
AD..... |
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Act Two opens in Ancient Rome. The TARDIS arrives; Cormac is suitably
non-plussed at time travel. The trio meet Emperor Augustus, and learn that two
silver Gods have arrived from Olympus in a flaming chariot. The Gods are, of
course, two cybermen (Adam Greaves & Paul Sweeney). They are
demanding worship and assistance. Augustus is happy to oblige. A friend of the
Emperor, Maecenas (Gerry Davison), is more suspicious of these Gods, but
Augustus is thoroughly impressed. |
| The Doctor, however, tries to interrogate the cybermen about what they
want, and comes to the conclusion that their timeship is incapacitated. Augustus
is angry at his "insolence", and throws him out; only Gwen fluttering
her eyes at Augustus persuades him not to throw the Doctor to the lions
immediately. Augustus takes the cybermen to see his court. Livia, First Lady of
Rome, discusses with General Varus (Adrian Rigelsford), her sidekick,
how she can take control of the power of the Gods. |
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Meanwhile, the Doctor and Gwen talk to Maecenas, looking for support
against the cybermen. They tell him to get some gold dust, and he agrees. Cormac
chats to Julia (Debbie Mather), Augustus's niece, and gains another
ally. Livia becomes suspicious of the Doctor, as the cybermen return. Maecenas,
alarmed at the "Gods" and their intentions, tries to throw his gold
dust over them. They react by killing him with their laser guns. The Doctor
tries to stop this, revealing that he was behind the plot against the Gods. He
and Gwen are arrested and flung into prison to await execution. |
| Cormac persuades Julia to help him to rescue them. Livia has by now worked
out a lot about the "Gods", and also about the Doctor (mainly due to
judicious eavesdropping). She comes to the cells and talks to the Doctor,
offering to spare Gwen if the Doctor tells her all that he knows about the
cybermen. The Doctor refuses, telling Gwen that he cannot risk the damage to the
timeline. Livia sweeps out, telling him he has little time. |
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Fortunately, Cormac and Julia turn up, and rescue the other two. The Doctor
is by now very worried about the cybermen, and what they intend. He insists that
the group go to the cybermen's workshop, where the cybermen have built something
from the bits of their wrecked timeship. A careful study of the cybertechnology
reveals that the silver giants intend to generate a doubletalk time field so
massive that it will fling the entire world through an unstable time vortex,
destroying it, and thus saving their own world, Mondas, in the future. |
| Before the Doctor can do anything about this, Livia turns up. She has
stolen a critical part of the cyber hardware, and bargains with the cybermen for
immortality in return for their gizmo. The cybermen have used a cyber-control
system on Livia's son, Tiberius (Ivan Mahon); she is ruthless, and
unworried about her son's wellbeing. The cybermen accede to her demands,
intending to doublecross her later. |
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Cormac intervenes to prevent Livia being cyberised, by smashing the
cyberiser: the cybermen shoot him dead. Livia is placed under cyber control, and
forced to assist the cybermen. Tiberius is left on guard while the cybermen go
to get the missing bits they need. While they are out of the chamber, the
Doctor tries to break Tiberius's programming and enable him to get to the
hardware. Gwen eventually knocks Tiberius out, and the Doctor starts to tamper
with the timefield generator. |
| The cybermen return, and capture him in mid-sabotage, but assume he could
not have done any real damage. Augustus enters, to find out what is going on,
and belatedly realises that he has been taken for a ride. The cybermen activate
the time field generator; there is a rising roar from the system, and a gigantic
explosion. The lights come back up: the cybermen are gone. The Doctor had
reduced the area of effect of the time field, so that it only affected the
cybermen, not the entire world. In the ensuing relief and wonderment, the Doctor
and Gwen sneak off quietly, knowing that history is back on track..... |
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