In the fourth Doctor Who Magazine comic story, a mysterious spacecraft crashes into the town of Blackcastle, with schoolchildren Sharon and Fudge Higgins investigating and discovering a Ridiculously Cute Critter known as the Meep. But in space, the Doctor comes across a group known as the Wrarth Warriors, who intend the Meep’s death, and assume the Doctor is an agent who will meet up with the Meep, so they can use him as a human bomb.
Notable for introducing the first companion of colour to the Whoniverse, in the form of Sharon. Was later adapted twice - first in 2018 as a Big Finish Doctor Who full-cast audio drama, and again in 2023 as a special episode of the same name for the show's 60th anniversary, featuring David Tennant.
- Aborted Arc: The Doctor’s attempts to get to Benidorm end here, replaced with a new arc about returning Sharon to Earth.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: The Meep is revealed to be The Sociopath not long after he starts speaking English.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Anyone exposed to black starlight becomes a slave of the Meep.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: The newsreader reporting on the Meep’s crash is modelled after contemporary newscaster Angela Rippon. When Big Finish adapted the story, they managed to get the real Angela Rippon for the part!
- Continuity Nod: The Doctor’s attempts to repair K9 end up initially giving the robot dog Leela’s personality.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: K9 is damaged in the first part, and subsequently repaired with the personality of a cat, preventing the Doctor from relying on him through the bulk of the proceedings.
- Faux Horrific: The Doctor finds the idea of having a mortgage more terrifying than the Black Guardian.
- Good All Along: The Wrarth Warriors are revealed to be officers of the law pursuing the Meep the instalment after his true colours are revealed.
- In-Universe, the Wrarth assume the the Doctor and the children to be agents of the Meep, until the Doctor presents a medal that proves he once defeated the Cybermen, which even the Wrarth recognise as proof of heroism.
- Oop North: Blackcastle would later be canonically placed in Yorkshire. In the original, it's not explicitly Yorkshire, but still clearly the North.
- Put on a Bus: Fudge and his mother are left at their house when the Doctor goes to confront the Meep.
- Red Shirt: The third Wrarth accompanying the two named ones, who is unceremoniously murdered when the Meep reveals his true colours.
- Trash the Set: The Blackcastle steel mill gets destroyed by the force of the Meep’s takeoff.
