State of Decay ( TV story ) State of Decay was the fourth story in the eighteenth season of " Doctor Who " and the second story of the E - Space trilogy . It was based on a script written by Terrance Dicks three years earlier . " State of Decay " followed " Full Circle " as the second part of the E - Space trilogy . Originally drafted in 1977 , " The Vampire Mutation " — as it was then titled — was put on hold after the BBC commissioned an adaptation of Bram Stoker ' s . The script was kept by Nathan - Turner alongside a number of other unproduced serials . " Decay " was the only one he liked and he later suggested that it be redrafted for the trilogy ; Dicks accepted . The serial ' s title changed many times before becoming " State of Decay " at the suggestion of Christopher H . Bidmead . The original script was seen by director Peter Moffatt and , as Nathan - Turner had predicted , he loved it . However , when he was handed the script in Bidmead ' s adapted form , he found it completely different . It no longer had the Gothic atmosphere that had drawn him to the original . Moffatt told Nathan - Turner that he no longer wanted to direct it and so , in order to have him complete the job , the original was reinstated . ( DOC : " The Vampire Lovers " ) Unusually , there are three versions of this story which have been made available commercially : this one , an audio adaptation and the Target print novelisation . Synopsis . Still trapped in E - Space , the Doctor ' s TARDIS materialises on a medieval planet . The townsfolk live in fear of the Three Who Rule , who govern from their mighty castle . Investigating , the Fourth Doctor discovers that the Three Who Rule are ancient astronaut s who became vampires long ago , and their castle is actually their spaceship . When Romana and Adric are kidnapped , the Doctor must ally himself with a band of renegade peasants to stop the resurrection of one of Gallifrey ' s greatest enemies : the King Vampire itself . Plot . Part one . A castle sits on a rocky peak . Inside , Captain of the Guard Habris reports to the Three Who Rule that it is again the time of selection . They instruct him to choose well and he leaves . Next morning , in the surrounding village , leader of the villagers Ivo collects the residents for the selection . Habris picks out various villagers , including Ivo and Marta ' s son Karl . Ivo protests , but Habris will not change his mind . He tells Ivo he will do his best to help Karl become a guard . Ivo and Marta know that if Karl goes on to serve the Lords directly , he will end up like all those who went before him , never to be seen or heard from again . . . On board the TARDIS , the Fourth Doctor and Romana sight an isolated planet . K9 scans the world , finding it has one isolated settlement , which has high technology readings even though the people are primitive . The TARDIS lands in a forest near the settlement . The Doctor and Romana set off to explore , leaving K9 behind . Adric has stowed away on the TARDIS and tries to leave . K9 confronts him , but Adric tells him that as he is a stowaway , it ' s best that he leaves . He follows the Doctor and Romana . The Doctor and Romana arrive at the settlement as Ivo and Habris are arguing . The Doctor asks to speak to a scientist . His request is met with alarm . Habris mistakes them for lords and tries to serve them . After the travellers and Habris leave , Ivo opens a podium and takes out a rusting radio transmitter . He calls Kalmar and tells him of the two strangers and their unusual request . In the throne room , Habris is berated for not taking action against the Doctor and Romana . Aukon summons his bats to hunt down the two . Travelling through the forest , Romana and the Doctor are surrounded by men . They surrender and are taken to a hidden cave , where they meet the rebels led by Kalmar . Kalmar is trying to get an old computer system working . The Doctor helps him to repair it and Romana identifies the equipment as a data bank of Earth origin , from the cargo vessel " Hydrax " . Images flash up of three officers , Captain Sharky , Navigation Officer Lauren MacMillan and Science Officer Anthony O ' Connor . Kalmar ' s deputy Tarak immediately recognises their pictures as the Three Who Rule . The Doctor and Romana are then allowed to leave , heading to visit the three . In the village , Adric attempts to steal some food . Marta catches him and alerts Ivo . They pity him and offer him sanctuary because the outside world is evil at night . The Doctor and Romana are making their way through the forest when they are attacked by bats . They look up to see a swarm descending upon them . Part two . The bats retreat as Habris arrives and escorts the pair to an audience at the tower . They are taken to the throne room , where the Doctor remarks on the absence of windows . Zargo and Camilla welcome them . Zargo orders wine and they toast . Romana ' s glass shatters , cutting her finger . She licks the blood . Camilla wants to look at the cut but Romana pulls away . It becomes apparent the rulers are responsible for the lack of technology . In the village , Adric is making preparations for dinner with the others when Habris enters . He tells them there will be another selection and that Aukon himself is coming to direct it . Aukon walks down the line of youths , stopping when he comes to Adric , declaring him a chosen one . Using his powers , he takes the entranced Adric to the castle . The Doctor mentions the " Hydrax " . This disturbs Zargo and Camilla . Habris enters with news from Aukon : the Time of Arising is at hand . Left alone , the Doctor takes a look around . He pulls aside a drape to reveal a circular hatchway in a metal bulkhead . The castle is the " Hydrax " . Back at the caves , some of the outlaws want to make a rescue attempt for the Doctor . Kalmar is reluctant without more technological knowledge , and the majority back him up . Tarak decides he will go alone , taking on the disguise of a guard . The Doctor and Romana arrive at the top of the tower , where they see the " Hydrax " three scout ship s . They hear a thumping voice and descend . At the cargo bay they find a group of corpses drained of blood , all adolescents . The Doctor finds the blood stored in a fuel tank . The thumping is the sound of a creature feeding on the blood through tubes . The Doctor notes there are vampire legends on many planets . Dropping out of the Hydrax through an engine nacelle , they arrive in a large cave , the floor of which is moving with the sound of a heartbeat . A voice from the shadows tells them this is the Resting Place . Spinning round the Doctor and Romana are confronted by Aukon . The vampire greets them . " I am Aukon . Welcome to my domain ! " Part three . Aukon tries to persuade the Doctor to join them , to help at the Time of Arising . He says the Great One will reveal how to leave this universe ; if the Doctor is wise , he will join them just like his companion . The Time Lords are distraught to hear that Adric is there , as they thought they had left him on Alzarius . Aukon uses all his psychic powers to make the Doctor bend to his will , but Romana picks up a piece of the cave wall and throws it at Aukon , who quickly turns around and destroys it . The Doctor tells him they are Time Lord s and his powers won ' t work on them . Aukon reacts strongly , calling them the ancient enemies . They try to escape but Zargo and Camilla stop them . Camilla is eager to feed on them , but Aukon listens to the Great One , who says they will be a sacrifice , and so they got put in jail . Tarak has gained entry to the tower disguised as a guard and searches for the Doctor . The Doctor recounts to Romana how a hermit from the south of Gallifrey told him of a war between the Time Lords and the Great Vampire s ; their King escaped , and Time Lords are obliged to destroy him if ever they find him . They tracked him across the universe but the trail went dead . He had disappeared . Tarak attacks the guards and rescues the Doctor and Romana , but Romana refuses to leave until she has found Adric . The Doctor asks Tarak to stay with her while he goes back to the TARDIS . In the rebels ' cave , Kalmar has discovered a scanner for viewing the territory around their base . It shows Ivo . He knows his son is dead , taken for his blood , and asks for help in an attack on the tower . Kalmar is undecided . Tarak and Romana arrive at the inner sanctum . Zargo and Camilla are asleep and Adric is hypnotised . Romana wakes him as the sun sets and Zargo and Camilla awake and kill Tarak . They close in on the others . Part four . Aukon prevents the pair killing them , proclaiming them sacrifices . After the arising , they will travel the universe and drain it of its life . The Doctor lands the TARDIS in the rebels ' cave and tells them that he needs their help in an assault on the tower . They are mostly ready to follow him , but Kalmar is still reluctant . The Doctor uses the scanners to show them the King Vampire below the tower , and Kalmar finally agrees to the plan . In the throne room , Adric tells Aukon that he is willing to join him and is taken to be initiated . The Doctor puts K9 in control of leading the raid . K9 quickly disables the guards with his laser . Romana is hypnotised and led to an altar for sacrifice . Bats swoop and bite her . Ivo confronts Habris and takes his revenge for the death of his son , killing him . The Doctor makes his way to the tower top and launches a scout ship . K9 hears the sound and tells his force to evacuate . The noise distracts the Three Who Rule , and Adric helps Romana escape . The Doctor arrives as a giant hand bursts through the ground . The scout ship plummets , its steel frontage impaling the king . The three advance on the Doctor , but without the link to the Great One they crumble and die . The Doctor installs Kalmar ' s computer with technological data and leaves in the TARDIS . He must return Adric home . Notes :