Lungbarrow (TV Story)

Leela

K9

***Lungbarrow*** was the fourth and final serial of Season 28 of *Doctor Who*. It was written by Marc Platt, directed by Michael Kerrigan, and starred Richard Griffiths as the Eighth Doctor and Julia Sawalha as Raine Cunningham.

## Synopsis

All is not well on Gallifrey. Raine is having someone else's nightmares. K9 is talking to himself. Leela has stumbled on a murderous family conspiracy. And the beleaguered Lady President, Romanadvoratrelundar, foresees one of the most tumultuous events in her planet's history.

At the root of all is an ancient and terrible place, the House of Lungbarrow in the southern mountains of Gallifrey. Something momentous is happening there. But the House has inexplicably gone missing.

673 years ago the Doctor left his family in that forgotten House. Abandoned, disgraced and resentful, they have waited. And now he's home at last, facing a threat that could uncover the greatest secret of them all.

## Cast

* The Doctor - Richard Griffiths
* Raine - Julia Sawalha
* Leela - Louise Jameson
* Romana - Lalla Ward
* Voice of K9 - John Leeson
* Andred - Christopher Tranchell
* Rodan - Hilary Ryan
* Lord Ferain - John Franklyn-Robbins
* Glospin - Stephen Fry
* Innocet - Frances de la Tour
* Satthralope -  Margot Van der Burgh
* Arkhew - Andrew Sachs
* Quences - Derren Nesbitt
* Badger -  David John Pope

## Worldbuilding

### Books

* Lord Ferain kept a book called *An Alternative History of Skaro: The Daleks without Davros*.
* The books *The Triumphs of Rassilon*, *The Book of Rassilon* and *The Record of Rassilon* are books that contain interpretations of Rassilon, Omega and the Other.

### The Doctor

* Before leaving Gallifrey the Doctor worked in the Bureau of Possible Events as a Scrutationary Archivist.
* He left his post in the Prydonian Chapterhouse's Bureau of Possibility "after disagreements about his overzealous political involvements".
* When he was leaving Gallifrey, the Doctor nearly stole a Type 53, but dismissed this TARDIS as "new fangled" and went with his Type 40.

### Gallifreyan culture

* Sepulchasm is a Time Lord game, and quite possibly a profanity.
* The play *Mystery of the New Time* is usually conducted during Otherstide.

### Gallifreyan lifeforms

* Gallifreyan forests have striped pig-bears in them.

### Gallifreyan locations

* The Doctor returns to his house, the House of Lungbarrow.

### Gallifreyan technology

* Looms create new Gallifreyans.
* The Hand of Omega befriended the Doctor because it sensed the Other's essence in him.

### Gallifreyan organisations

* An organisation called Space-Time Accessions Bureau exists.
* The Ordinal-General does not allow members of the House of Redlooms into the Bureau of Temporal Anomalies.

### Individual Gallifreyans

* Andred belongs to the House of Redlooms.
* Pythia threw herself into the Crevice of Memories That Will Be.
* Omega was lost in the constellation of Ao.

### Species

* President Romana is successfully negotiating with the Tharils.
* Fledershrews are present in the House of Lungbarrow.

## Notes

* This serial was largely concerned with concluding what was known as the "Cartmel Masterplan". During seasons 25 and 26 of *Doctor Who*, the then script editor Andrew Cartmel introduced new elements of mystery into the character of the Doctor. Suggestions of dark secrets that the Doctor might be more than just a Time Lord were inserted into scripts of stories such as Ben Aaronovitch's *Remembrance of the Daleks* and Kevin Clarke's *Silver Nemesis*.
* Elements of Platt's *Lungbarrow* instead became part of the Season 26 serial *Ghost Light*.
* Along the way to this resolution, *Lungbarrow* ultimately reveals much new information about the Doctor's home world and race.
* The claim that Time Lords are born fully mature, never having a physical childhood, has been contradicted by several pieces of media:
	+ In the television story *The Time Monster*, the Third Doctor tells Jo Grant a story regarding when he was a "little boy".
	+ In all versions and adaptations of *Shada,* Romana II recalls having owned a Gallifreyan nursery book when she was "a time tot".

## Continuity

* The hermit that lived on the mountain near the Doctor's home was first mentioned in TV: *The Time Monster*, and later featured in TV: *Planet of the Spiders*.
* The Sisterhood of Karn first appeared in TV: *The Brain of Morbius*.
* Leela met Andred in TV: *The Invasion of Time*.
* Romana returned from E-Space, having last been seen in the gateway in TV: *Warrior's Gate*.
* Romana briefly gives the Doctor her sonic screwdriver. (TV: *The Horns of Nimon*)
* The Doctor used the Hand of Omega in TV: *Remembrance of the Daleks*.

## Home Video and DVD Releases

### VHS

* This story was first released on VHS in 2000.

### DVD

* This story along with the other stories in Season 28 were released as *Doctor Who: The Complete Twenty-Eighth Season* in 2007.

### Blu-ray

* This story along with the other stories in Season 28 were upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and were released as *Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 28* in the UK.