Parts: 4
Writer: Ian Stuart Black
Airdates: 28 May 1966 - 18 June 1966
Production Code: AA

Doctor: first
Companions: Steven, Dodo

Story: The TARDIS lands on a planet that the Doctor believes to be a technological paradise. He goes off to explore, and soon Dodo persuades Steven to do the same. But Dodo catches a glimpse of a primitive-looking man, which seems to suggest that the world on which they have arrived is far from an idyllic future.

However, the Doctor was more or less correct - not only has the planet made great scientific advances, but its inhabitants, the Elders, have followed the Doctor's travels and practically revere him. The Doctor, naturally, is most pleased. But as wonderful as the planet seems, something is clearly amiss. Dodo finds the Elders' city to be quite dull, and the Doctor begins to suspect that they have used their technology for a truly horrendous purpose.

The Doctor's suspicions are confirmed when Dodo, slipping away from her tour group in order to get behind some of the mysteries, stumbles upon one of the Elders' inventions - a system called transference, which drains the life from the planet's more primitive people for use by the Elders. The Doctor is enraged to learn of this practice, but Jano, leader of the Elders, has the perfect solution - the Doctor will be the next victim...