Gallifrey to Trenzalore #11: Urrozdinee by Mark Gatiss

Doctor Who Yearbook 1995
"Urrozdinee"
Written by Mark Gatiss
Published: September 1994
Read: 17th February 2016

"Urrozdinee"

In "Urrozdinee" and we have Mark Gatiss' first of many stories within the marathon, and he actually succeeds in crafting an interesting and entertaining tale in just four pages of the Doctor Who Yearbook. The TARDIS lands in a bizarre city, it's buildings displaying many different architectural styles and it is dominated by a huge white castle and a monorail system. Naturally, the Doctor and Susan are keen to investigate and brazenly knock on the door of the castle and are held at gunpoint by the Minister of Poverty.

Dragged to a small prison cell, the Doctor and Susan learn that they are in the city of Urrozdinee, somewhere in Europe, in 2134. The Minister comes up with a few threats but ultimately descends into boasting about the fact that he is going to assassinate the ruler of Urrozdinee, the Eminence and assumes his role. Following this, the Doctor and Susan manage to escape and use the monorail to get back to the TARDIS and abruptly leave. As the TARDIS dematerializes, behind it appears the logo of a mouse's head and fireworks erupt into words spelling "when you wish upon a star".

Immediately after the traveller's departure, the Minister of Poverty is preparing for his role of Eminence as the Dutch assassins that were hired are about to strike. Of course, he can't resist entering the Eminence's chambers and try on the ceremonial robes which he would be wearing for good the very next day. Unfortunately, he is soon shot at point blank range by the assassins as the Dutch had been given no picture to identify the Eminence. Just a description of what he'd be wearing that day.

Having just watched Marco Polo, it's impossible not to make comparisons between Tegana and the Minister of Poverty, and they actually have a lot in common. They both border on being a pantomime villain, they both have a penchant for killing underlings, they are both out to kill the king and, ultimately, both make a hash of things. Obviously, Tegana feels like a more rounded villain, but that is because his story played out over seven 25-minute episodes as opposed to a four-page story.

Looking at the Doctor and Susan and there isn't much to be gleaned here than what we've already seen (or heard). They are both curious to explore the strange city and are equally as keen to bugger off back to the TARDIS when things get nasty which is very much in keeping with their early personas. There is a strong hint that 1960s London is going to be their next stop as the Doctor speaks about setting down roots.

A very slight story with a predictable twist, yet I still found it an enjoyable piece. The history of Urrozdinee is quite fascinating, having started off as Euro Disney, the city became home to thousands of refugees and by the early 22nd century it had grown to engulf the city of Paris itself. The throwing around of titles such as the Minister of Poverty and the Minister of Death suits only to add to the mystery, yet very little is explained. Ultimately, it's a four-page story so one can hardly criticize it for being a four or six part television story. Gatiss did a great job, crafting a story that intrigued me and, more importantly, made me laugh.

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Quinnis

Continuity Corner

• The TARDIS' chameleon circuit is still functioning as the ship takes the form of a shed upon arrival in Urrozdinee.