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)
London, 1950s, during winter. From the window of their house in the quarters of the poor, Joseph Roberts, a Jamaican immigrant, and her niece, Audrey, watch the snow falling. Audrey and her husband, Michael, have arrived in London just recently together with her new-born baby, Josetta. Audrey is worried about his husband, who seems to be much changed; Joseph tries to comfort her saying he is only having trouble to adjust to his new habitat. He himself, he said, had trouble 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 a confused, almost delirious Doctor. The Doctor had been attacked by something while standing at the controls, and neither Sara or Steven know precisely what happened; at the same time, the life support system stark to malfuction, thus forcing all of them outside. 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. They then start to move towards the houses.

Joseph sees them from the window, and invites them in to shelter them from the cold. Sara is suspicious, but Steven cuts her off: they have no time, the Doctor is getting 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: now he has been rude, he says. He then makes arrangement 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 sofa, 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 stumbled 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 is with that 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 from 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, he says, but the keyhole for the key has vanished. As Sara goes to repair the window, Audrey asks again Steven 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, as Steven, Sara and Joseph sleep in the living room, Audrey reproaches her husband for not welcoming the strangers, and try invain to stir upt a conversation with him: Michael keeps repeating he must provide for his family, since they are coming. Audrey gives up, missing the times when they talked about everything.

The next morning, the inhabitants of the house are awakened by someone knocking: it's the landlord, and he is not too pleased to see the window broken or strangers in his property. Joseph takes a chance of asking Figgis for a room for the strangers, but Figgis asks for a 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 very bad shape, Steven and Sara take it, thinking they won't be here 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)
to be added

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

 * Sara mentions the death of her brother Bret Vyon. (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan)
 * The Doctor starts to sing a Venusian lullaby. (TV: The Curse of Peladon)