The final episode of Prisoners of the Lake, by Justin Richards, sees the adventure end in a suitably explosive climax.  The savage alien race are emerging from their suspended animation, and they’re ready to conquer Earth and enslave humanity!

THE THIRD DOCTOR ADVENTURES, VOL. 1

From the airlock, Mike Yates is able to warn Jo and the others of the impending threat, whilst the Doctor is trapped and trying to negotiate with a race that really has no intention of negotiating.

Jo calls for help from the Brigadier who sends in troops that are ready to blow up the ship, but Jo knows that the Doctor and Mike are still in there.

The Doctor attempts to repurpose the suspended animation units to send the aliens back to sleep before they can remote-control the infected diving suit to prepare the ship for launch.  The Doctor’s plan doesn’t work due to corroded ship’s components.  The leader of the aliens learn that the damaged ship can’t surface, but the hyperdrive does still work.  They can use this to escape their watery prison, and return to freedom in the stars.

The Doctor warns them that using the hyperdrive in an atmosphere will result in devastation on a global level, but the savages aren’t concerned with the humans.  They just need their freedom.

Mike attempts to stop the diving suit from leaving the airlock.  It overpowers him, but not before he’s able to insert a grenade into a critical area of the suit.  The suit explodes into a million pieces, but the explosion ruptures the outer hull and water seeps in.  The seep increases to a gush, and Mike rushes back to warn the Doctor.

Mike is able to save the Doctor from the clutches of the aliens, and the Doctor surmises that if the hyperdrive is activated whilst flooded, the ship will explode.  The aliens don’t believe him.

The Doctor and Mike rush back to the airlock, but their diving suits have no air left in them.  They have no choice but to risk it.  Fortunately, Jo and the UNIT divers have arrived with fresh air tanks and they escape just before the ship explodes.

The final episode is a solid resolution to the story, but is also a little bit unsatisfying.  When looking at what the Doctor contributes to the story, it’s apparent that he doesn’t particularly need to be there.  His plan to stop the aliens fails.  Mike is the one to stop the infected diving suit.  Mike is the one who, indirectly, initiates the downfall of the aliens.  The aliens themselves bring about their own destruction.  And it’s Jo who saves the Doctor and Mike.  Remove the Doctor from the story, and it would play out just the same.

Fortunately, the journey is more fulfilling than the eventual destination.  Largely as a credit to the vocal talent of Tim Treloar, plus the story-building skill of Justin Richards, Prisoners of the Lake successfully transports the listener back to the 70s.  They make it easy to fall back into the comfy world of the third Doctor’s era.  That, in itself, justifies its asking price and is why I would definitely recommend it.