An Ordinary Life (audio story)

 was the fourth and final story of the first series of The Early Adventures, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Matt Fitton, narrated by Peter Purves and Jean Marsh and featured the First Doctor, Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom.

In this adventure, the Doctor, Steven, and Sara were on the run trying to prevent Daleks from getting back the Taranium that the Doctor managed to steal in the television story The Daleks' Master Plan to prevent a catastrophe. After their ordinary life in this adventure was over, however, the Doctor knew that he would have to return to Kembel after all, leading the TARDIS crew back into the events of Master Plan.

Publisher's summary
1950s London: newcomers arrive daily on British shores seeking a fresh start, new opportunities, or simply the chance of a different life. However, some are from much further afield than India or Jamaica...

After an emergency landing, the TARDIS crew must make the best of it, and look to their new neighbours for help. But the Newman family has more than the prejudices of the time to contend with. A sinister force grows in strength amid the pubs, docks and backstreets of London...

And without the Doctor, marooned in a time and place as alien as anything they've ever encountered, Steven and Sara may well face their greatest challenge yet. To live an ordinary life.

An Ordinary Life (1)
1950s London, winter. From the window of their house in the quarters of the poor, Joseph Roberts, a Jamaican immigrant, and his nephew's wife, Audrey, watch the snow falling. Audrey and her husband, Michael, have just arrived in London with her new-born baby, Josetta. Audrey is worried about his husband, since he seems to be much changed after his arrival. Joseph tries to comfort her, saying Michael is only having trouble to adjust to his new habitat. He, too, had difficulty when he arrived here years ago. They then hear a strange noise outside, which Audrey mistakes for the wind.

Instead, it is the TARDIS landing in the nearby park. Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom come out, carrying the Doctor, confused and almost delirious after being attacked by something. At the same time he was attacked, the life support of the TARDIS system started to malfunction, thus forcing all of them out. As the door of the TARDIS close, the Doctor mutters to Steven, he "must keep it safe." Sara thinks he means the taranium, and Steven checks the Doctor's coat to make sure he is still there.

Joseph sees them from the window and invites them in to shelter them from the cold. They enter the house and are welcomed by Joseph and a slightly suspicious Audrey. Steven and Sara put the Doctor on the sofa near the fire of Joseph's living room, as he still mutters about them having to stay safe. Steven thanks Joseph, and the old man invites Steven to put the Doctor sleep in his bed: they have all the floor for themselves. As Sara and Audrey introduce themselves to each other, Audrey's husband, Michael, comes home. Audrey tells him what happened, but that seems to let Michael unfazed; he hurriedly says his wife good night and goes to bed, despite her attempts of having him stay. Joseph is angry at Michael's behaviour, and intends to talk to him soon. He then makes arrangements for the night: Sara and Audrey will sleep on the sofa, he and Steven on the chairs, and the Doctor will have the bed. Sara insists Joseph take the couch since he has a limp, but the man just laughs at his war injury, which granted him an army pension.

A window is smashed downstairs. Joseph orders Michael to come and take a look, but to no good. Steven goes and stumbles across three young men throwing snowballs at the window. As they see him, the boys target him because he "mixed with that lot" and then run away; Steven tries to follow them but loses them. He manages yet to see something glowing in the nearby park, near to where they left the TARDIS.

Sara asks Joseph and Audrey what the trouble was with those people. They explain they are immigrants from Jamaica, and those boys represent people thinking they don't belong in England. Joseph, who has been living in England for ten years, insists they should just ignore them. Steven comes back and, while Joseph takes a hammer to fix the window, he tells Sara he checked on the TARDIS: it is still alive and working, but the keyhole for the key has vanished. As Sara goes to repair the window, Audrey asks Steven again what they were doing outside; he replies they "lost our home, and now we're locked out." Hearing that, Joseph says they could ask the next day to their landlord, Mr. Figgis, for a room to rent.

During the night, while Steven, Sara, and Joseph sleep in the living room, Audrey reproaches her husband for not welcoming the strangers. Michael brushes her off, keeping repeating he must provide for his family since they are coming.

The next morning, the inhabitants of the house are awakened by someone knocking: it's the landlord, Mr. Figgis. He is not too pleased to see broken windows and strangers in his property. Joseph takes a chance of asking him a room for the strangers, but Figgis asks for security. Steven rummages through the Doctor's coat and gives Figgis a silver watch, which the landlord takes as security for their rent. Steven and Sara (who now pretend to be brother and sister) go to take a look at the room upstairs, as Joseph checks on the Doctor. Even though the apartment is in terrible shape, Steven and Sara take it, thinking they won't stay there for long.

Joseph tries to wake the Doctor, only to find out that the bed is empty. He informs Steven and Sara, and they run to the TARDIS, thinking he would be here. But the TARDIS is gone too.

The Unalike (2)
Ten days passed since the Doctor disappeared. Steven and Sara had to adapt to ordinary life in 1950s London. With the help of the Newmans, Steven found a job as a dock worker, and Michael even shared his salary with him until Steven was able to repay him. This, however, put Steven in a bad light with other workers, who disapprove of Steven’s friendship with the immigrants.

Meanwhile, Sara has befriended Audrey, who is helping her adjust. The two women grew so much in confidence that Audrey tells Sara that Michael was different when she knew him, more light-hearted and jovial. She is worried that he is changed because now he is worried about providing for her and Josetta, and wonders whether they made a mistake coming here. Sara suggests Steven may talk to Michael, but Audrey refuses, saying that husband and wife must sort out their own troubles.

That evening, while eating fish and chips after an unsuccessful attempt at cooking, Steven and Sara discuss their situation. Steven too noticed that Michael, hard-working as he is, still seems to be somewhat distracted. They think the Doctor left because he felt he had better chances alone against the Daleks. Steven then asks Sara whether she ever thought of stopping somewhere, living a quiet, ordinary life in time. He personally is somewhat intrigued by the idea; Sara instead wishes she could do something useful.

Some days later, Steven witnesses some of his co-workers, led by Billy Flint, attacking Michael to nail it into a crane. Steven intervenes and stops them, but the ensuing fight results in him and Michael being fired because of it. Since someone needs to work, Sara takes her chance to enlist as an agent to the local police station. When the constables try to dismiss her, she forcefully insists, to the point that she ends up attacking the entire force at the station, just to prove them she is capable. Eventually, however, she is subdued and locked in a detention cell for a night.

That night, as the Newmans have dinner, the three teenagers who threw snowballs at their house come back together with Billy Flint (the brother of one of them) and start touting them. After reproaching Michael for not doing anything, Joseph comes out to face them. He is joined by Steven, who heard the noise, and finally, Michael, who for all evening, kept repeating: “They are coming.” Steven arrives just in time to help Joseph as he is the victim of a heart attack, and to see Michael coming out of the house, pointing at a crowd advancing towards them. To their amazement, Billy Flint and the other attackers see that the new arrivals are identical to them. They tried to run, but they are stopped and attacked by their doubles. Michael tells Steven that soon it will be his turn, as the twins surround him and Joseph while repeating: “We are coming. We are here.”

The Sleeping Army (3)
to be added

The Enemy Without (4)
to be added

Cast

 * Steven Taylor/Narrator/The Doctor - Peter Purves
 * Sara Kingdom - Jean Marsh
 * Joseph Roberts - Ram John Holder
 * Michael Newman - Damian Lynch
 * Audrey Newman - Sara Powell
 * Billy Flint - Stephen Critchlow

Continuity

 * When asked by Audrey whether she really has a brother, Sara mentions the death of her brother Bret Vyon. (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan)
 * While speaking with Sara, Steven says that in the following decade the Doctor will arrive on Earth. (TV: An Unearthly Child). He also mentions other two companions of the Doctor, Ian and Barbara, which he previously met (TV: The Chase), but refused to go and meet them not to create a time paradox.
 * The Doctor starts to sing a Venusian lullaby. (TV: The Curse of Peladon)