Home Truths was the fifth story of the third series of The Companion Chronicles, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Simon Guerrier, natrrated by Jean Marsh and featured the First Doctor, Steven Taylor, Sara Kingdom and introduced Niall MacGregor as Robert.
It was the first piece of performed Doctor Who to feature Sara Kingdom since the character's death in The Daleks' Master Plan in January 1966. It began a trilogy later continued in The Drowned World and The Guardian of the Solar System.
Publisher's summary[]
There's a house across the waters at Ely where an old woman tells a strange story.
About a kind of night constable called Sara Kingdom. And her friends, the Doctor and Steven. About a journey they made to a young couple's home, and the nightmarish things that were found there. About the follies of youth and selfishness. And the terrible things even the most well-meaning of us can inflict on each other.
Hear the old woman's story. Then decide her fate.
Plot[]
Dream Home (1)[]
On a stormy night, a man named Robert arrives at a large old house, which is reputed to be a resting place for travellers. He is greeted by someone who speaks with the voice of an elderly Sara Kingdom, whom he asks to tell him a story – a ghost story, which is said to have taken place in this house years ago. The man is sceptical, but he is still interested in learning the truth. Sara begins by summarising her life in the Space Security Service, how as a young woman she was convinced she knew more than others, and how this led her to blindly obey the orders she was given, to the point of even killing her brother, thinking he was a traitor. Everything changed when she met Steven and the Doctor, with whom she began to travel, fleeing from the Daleks and experiencing various adventures, including one in which she saw a boy die on the surface of Mars and old people imprisoned inside a clock. And then they arrived at the house.
The TARDIS lands in the kitchen of the house, which is sumptuously furnished and clean as if it were brand new; on the walls are photos of a happy young couple in their wedding clothes. Both Sara and the Doctor sense that they are not alone, there is someone or something with them. A full glass of water materialises as soon as Sara thinks about wanting something to drink, the tap opens and closes according to Steven's wishes, but the kitchen door does not open for the moment, until the Doctor and Steven concentrate on opening it. Free to explore the house, the travellers find the body of the woman in the photos, dead but with no signs of injury or decomposition, as if she had died shortly before without realising it. The same happens shortly afterwards with the man's body, found in a similar condition wearing a jacket that is too big for him but perfect for Steven. Meanwhile, Sara continues to sense a presence around them; she hears deep breathing and even faints at one point when she receives some kind of shock.
In the present, Robert tends to dismiss her story, saying that the mind and memory play tricks, and insists on knowing the facts, the bare facts, like the scientist he is.
The travellers attempt to leave the house but discover that all the exits are sealed. Steven insists that they return to the TARDIS and leave, but both Sara and the Doctor are determined to discover the truth and solve the mystery. They are still arguing when suddenly Steven disappears, taken away to who knows where.
Home Truths (2)[]
In the present, Sara asks Robert if he needs anything else, but he replies that he does not; in fact, he admits that he is not used to being served in this way. From their dialogue, we learn that Robert is some kind of policeman who has come to investigate the house and its occupant because there are rumours that the house is haunted. He is sceptical, but nevertheless intends to listen to the whole story, which Sara continues to tell.
The Doctor reassures Sara: he does not believe Steven is dead. If the killer of the couple in the photos (Richard and Alex) had wanted to harm them, they would already be dead; it is likely that Steven has simply been taken elsewhere, and that they could bring him back once they understand how the mechanism works. They retrace their steps and continue to investigate, with the Doctor seeming particularly intrigued by one phenomenon: when they first found Richard's body, his eyes were open; when they returned to the room, his eyes were closed, as if someone had wanted to show him some sort of belated respect - but why? Why would the killer have retraced his steps? Sara remembers thinking that the corpse deserved a little more attention, and suddenly the two realise: the house is programmed to fulfil every desire of its occupants, even those just thought of, even those not formulated. Robert, in the present, also senses the truth: the couple was killed by the house, which picked up on one of them's momentary desire for the other's death (due to a brief argument or passing annoyance) and did not understand that it was not a real desire; the other then asked to die (Sara likes to think it was Alex).
Following this logic, the Doctor and Sara then try to concentrate to bring Steven back, but unexpectedly, the house refuses to grant their wish. They return to the TARDIS, where the Doctor intends to take out some devices or equipment to capture the house's consciousness and deactivate it, but Sara's police mind makes her perceive the Doctor's action as unfair, the equivalent of cheating to win a game: the house's riddle must be solved correctly. The house senses the desire, and the Doctor finds himself locked in a glass cabin that begins to shrink, threatening to kill him. Desperate, Sara thinks it through and finally understands everything. The house has connected with her, with her desires, because it has recognised in Sara, almost instinctively, a kindred spirit: although it is not sentient, the house feels guilty for killing the couple without thinking, just as Sara feels guilty for killing her brother Bret without giving him a chance to explain himself. From that moment on, it has granted Sara's every wish, from a glass of water to Steven's disappearance so that they would stay there to investigate, from Robert's larger jacket (so that Steven could wear it) to stopping the Doctor; all so that Sara would listen to it and give it what it desires, namely a conscience, the ability to distinguish good from evil.
And that is exactly what happened: Robert is in fact talking to the house itself, which, following its encounter with Sara, took her mind and memories, inheriting her sense of justice, many millennia ago. After the Doctor, Steven and Sara left, the house buried Richard and Alex, and then became a place of hospitality, capable of granting the rightful wishes of its guests, throwing out those who behave badly. It is the latter who spread rumours about the haunted house, which prompted many investigations, including those of Robert, sent from Cambridge to try to understand whether the house is evil and dangerous, and if so, to destroy it. It's up to Robert now.
Cast[]
Crew[]
- Cover Art - Simon Holub
- Director - Lisa Bowerman
- Executive Producers - Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
- Music and Sound Design - Richard Fox and Lauren Yason @ FoxYason Studios
- Producer - David Richardson
- Script Editors - Alan Barnes and Jacqueline Rayner
- Writer - Simon Guerrier
- Sara Kingdom created by Terry Nation
Worldbuilding[]
- In the far future, Hollywood has been forgotten.
Textless cover art
Notes[]
- This story was originally entitled Dream Home.[1]
- Dialogue within the story calls into question how trustworthy the narrator actually is. Thus, it is difficult to know just how accurately the Doctor, Sara and Steven are portrayed.
- This story has some commonality with both the comic story Funhouse and the audio story The Chimes of Midnight in that the key antagonist is an intelligent house.
- This is an unusual Companion Chronicle in that the returning actor from Doctor Who portrays the nominal villain of the piece.
- This audio drama was recorded on 8 September 2008 at the Moat Studios.
- This story is set between episodes seven and eight of The Daleks' Master Plan.
- This story is told from Sara's perspective.
Continuity[]
- Sara recalls being convinced the Doctor, Steven and Bret Vyon were criminals and killing Bret. (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan)
- Sara tells Robert that during her travels with the Doctor and Steven, she encountered invisible creatures, arrived in polluted Liverpool and visited Hollywood in 1921 where a film director tried to hire her to replace the leading lady, (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan) that a small boy, who was also named Robert, died in her arms on Mars (PROSE: The Little Drummer Boy) and that she encountered a withered old man who was trapped in the workings of a clock. (AUDIO: The Guardian of the Solar System)
Footnotes[]
External links[]
- Official Home Truths page at bigfinish.com
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