'The Curse of Fenric' (4 Parts) Story Code '7M' by Ian Briggs

The Doctor and Ace arrive at a top-secret naval base off the coast of Northumberland in England, towards the end of World War II. Here they meet Dr Judson, who has built the Ultima machine, an early computer designed to crack the codes of the enemy Germans. After Ace befriends two local girls, Jean and Phyllis, she and the Doctor goes to the tomb of the nearby church of St. Judes, where Judson is attempting to translate some ancient runes. Back at the base, the time travellers meet a group of Wrens, including Kathleen Dudman and her baby, who are working on deciphering German messages. Later, on the beach, they meet a group of Russian soldiers, led by Captain Sorin, who have arrived on a secret mission. Back at the base, Ace shows Judson how to use the Ultima Machine to solve the runes, but this act releases Fenric, an evil entity from the dawn of time, whom the Doctor once beat in a game of chess and trapped inside a Chinese flask seventeen centuries ago. However, the flask was later stolen by Vikings, and buried with their treasure at the church. Summoned by Fenric, vampire creatures known as Haemovores rise from the depths of the sea; Jean and Phyllis are attacked and turned into the creatures. The Doctor and Ace return to the base and discover that the commander, Millington, is allowing the Russians to steal the core of the Ultima machine as he has secretly booby trapped it with a deadly toxin, which will be released when the Russians first use the machine. Judson is possessed by Fenric, who challenges the Doctor to a game of chess; it then summons the Ancient Haemovore - a vampiric creature who is the last survivor of a pollution-ravaged Earth - back through time, and commands it to release the toxin into the planet's oceans. Ace unwittingly helps Fenric to win the chess game when she tells Sorin the winning move, not realising that the Russian soldier is now the container for Fenric's being. Fenric reveals that Ace has been its pawn all along; it arranged for her to be transported to Iceworld in order for her to meet the Doctor, purely to bring her to this moment, to help in it's release. Fenric also reveals that Kathleen's baby, whom Ace has fallen in love with, is actually the mother that she hated throughout her childhood. The Doctor convinces the Ancient Haemavore that Fenric's plan will bring about the immediate destruction of Earth, and so prevent its own creation. The vampire forces Fenric/Sorin into a sealed chamber, where it opens a flask of toxin, killing them both. Ace is now at peace with her inner demons, and the two time travellers leave in the TARDIS.

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Dinsdale Landen (Dr Judson), Alfred Lynch (Commander Millington), Nicholas Parsons (The Rev. Mr Wainwright), Janet Henfrey (Miss Hardaker), Tomek Bork (Captain Sorin), Peter Czajkowski (Sgt Prozorov), Mark Anton (Vershinin), Mark Conrad (Petrossian), Joann Kenny (Jean), Joanne Bell (Phyllis), Anne Reid (Nurse Crane), Cory Pulman (Kathleen Dudman), Aaron Hanley (Baby), Stevan Rimkus (Captain Bates), Marcus Hutton (Sgt Leigh), Christien Anholt (Perkins), Raymond Trickett (Ancient Haemovore)

Produced by John Nathan-Turner
Directed by Nicholas Mallett

TX:
Part 1 - 25th October, 1989 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm
Part 2 - 1st November, 1989 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm
Part 3 - 8th November, 1989 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm
Part 4 - 15th November, 1989 @ 7.35pm - 8.00pm

Notes:
*Featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace

*Working titles: 'Wolf Time', 'The Wolves of Fenric'

*An extended version of this story was made available on VHS in 1991, reinserting 7 minutes of cut material; a re-edited, feature-length edition was later released on DVD in 2003

*This story was repackaged in 2023 in omnibus format under the banner of 'Tales of the TARDIS'; it was released on the BBC's iPlayer in the UK only, and had linking scenes featuring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred portraying 'memory versions' of their original roles: 'The Doctor and Ace meet again and remember their battle against an ancient evil in World War Two where a Viking curse is bringing the dead back to life.' [Note: I don't consider this canon, so have not included it in the main story timelines]