"Others may have greater intelligence; stronger, more adaptable forms, but none has a greater will to survive..."

The Creed of the Kromon (Philip Martin)

 The second story, in this four part audio season for the Eighth Doctor, is "The Creed of the Kromon". Written by Philip Martin, who wrote the two Sixth Doctor television stories “Vengeance on Varos” and “Mindwarp”, this is his first Big Finish Doctor Who Audio story. It is directed by Gary Russell and was recorded 13th and 14th May 2003.

 It stars Paul McGann, as the Eighth Doctor, India Fisher, as his companion Charley Pollard, and introduces new companion C’rizz, played by Conrad Westmaas. C'rizz has been billed as the first truly alien companion to The Doctor.

 Making a welcome return is Stephen Perring whose last significant part in an Eighth Doctor production was as the memorable Sebastian Grayle from “Seasons of Fear”. Also starring are: Brian Cobby, Jane Hills and Daniel Hogarth.

 According to Producer/Director Gary Russell:

"Philip Martin is a writer I have greatly admired since his ground-breaking 1970s TV series Gangsters. I asked him for a straightforward, four-part Doctor Who romp with insectoid aliens. My only other criteria was that I didn't want it to feature Sil. Philip was overjoyed - so he told me at the start of his writing - to be back working with Doctor. Hopefully by the end of the writing process, I hadn't put him off for life!

"It was good fun recording this one - we were joined by Brian Cobby, who for the last fifteen or more years has been the voice you hear when dialling the Speaking Clock here in Britain. We thought getting in the man who talks about time ("sponsored by Accurist", obviously) into Doctor Who was a great idea. We then learned that Brian also went "5-4-3-2-1 - Thunderbirds Are Go!" for however many episodes of Thunderbirds there were. The man's a cultural icon!

"On top of this, it gave me the chance (like I really needed one) to be thoroughly evil to Steve Perring and Dan Hogarth whilst they were being the Kromon characters. The Kromon drink a lot of water, so we thought it'd be a good idea to get a wildtrack of them slurping, burping, and generally drinking water in the most unattractive ways possible. They thought I wanted about fifteen seconds' worth (which indeed I did). We kept them doing it for at least four minutes.

They were both very wet and very fed up of water by the end. But we got our wildtracks. Well, all right, you had to be there, I suppose. But at least neither of them wore eyepatches!"

 Finding themselves within a new Universe, and without the TARDIS, The Doctor and his companion enter the Interzone - a fearsome nether-world protecting a zone ruled by the Kromon who are insect-like creatures that are so adaptable that they can thrive wherever there is the water to sustain them.

Eighth Doctor

 There they find a landscape covered in spheres that look like giant anthills. In there search for the lost TARDIS The Doctor believes that within one of these structures lie the clues that will lead him to his lost time machine.

 However, they soon come across, and help, an alien creature called C'rizz who turns out to be a chameleon. C'rizz though turns out to be an escaped prisoner which could explain why he is being fired upon by the Kromon. In playing the good Samaritan our travelling companions find themselves being captured, along with C’rizz, and taken inside Alphasphere – one of the Kromon’s biospheres.

 Who created the Interzone structure and why, who are the Kro'ka working for, and who were behind the Company that the Kromon based their creed upon? The Kromon control everything and everyone. Worse than that they are everyones nightmare – these insect like creatures have big heads with antennae and mouths that could tear you apart. More than that as The Doctor and especially Charlie are about to find out. Who will be turned into fertiliser, and who will suffer a far worse fate?

India Fisher

 Within the Kromon’s biosphere The Doctor, Charlie and their new found companion C’rizz are interrogated and it is then when they are classified as being of no threat, and maybe with The Doctor’s influence, they will be able to track down the TARDIS and make their escape. Kro'ka, the leading Kromon, then begins torturing the intruders to discover their knowledge which it seems even The Doctor cannot escape his malign influence.

 Then C'rizz, who has been separated from his female companion L'da, discovers that she has been transformed into Kromon breeding stock. This shocking discovery results in not only C'rizz carrying out L'da's plea to kill her but also the retribution of the Kromon which ends in Charley taking L'da's place and being impregnated with Kromon eggs and larvae and so turned into a hybrid-insect breeding Queen herself.

 The Doctor tries to play along with the Kromon until he can find a means of escape but time is running out for all of them and especially for Charley whose transformation is well underway. To save his companion, The Doctor must barter his knowledge of space-travel technology, all the while knowing that he risks opening up all the realms of space to a rapacious race whose creed is not to create, only to plunder.

India Fisher and Conrad Westmaas

 Charlie meanwhile loses all control over her own body, and her own destiny, as her grotesque transformation takes full hold. Surely The Doctor has not allowed things to go so far and that he is not too late to rescue her?

 But The Doctor may be in no fit state to help her as it looks as if he has been conditioned into acting against his nature and seemingly heading for the same fate as the other Kromon slaves. Put to work in whatever capacity they are most suited to or if they have no useful function then converted into fertiliser to assist the growing conditions of the Kromon's food.

 With Charlie in deep trouble and The Doctor preoccupied the true nature of C’rizz’s actions may have been overlooked as there may be more to The Doctor’s new companion than meets the eye. Something that maybe The Doctor and Charlie will deduce for themselves if all three of them can escape the wrath of the Kromon.