Black Archive #80: Mawdryn Undead

The next issue in the Black Archive series will look at the 5th Doctor story Mawdryn Undead

Mawdryn Undead, first broadcast in 1983, was an ambitious serial, weaving familiar elements of Doctor Who together with myth and legend. Balancing two Brigadiers, a murderous new companion, and a crew of hubristic mutated scientists is no mean feat, resulting in divided opinion across viewers.

Four decades on, Kara Dennison re-examines the first instalment in the Black Guardian trilogy as a story potentially before its time. What makes a ‘good’ companion? What truly makes immortality a curse? And what does it mean to trust a hero who will never stop changing?

Kara Dennison is one of the range editors of The Black Archive and a contributing author to many online and print genre outlets. She is the author of Black Archive #22: Hell Bent.

Mawdryn Undead is available now in paperback and electronic formats, direct from Obverse Books and from selected online retailers.