Original subtitles

(DOCTOR WHO THEME PLAYING)

It's weird. I don't understand... (GASPING)

DOCTOR: Nasty little booby trap, that. That is, if it is a booby trap.

Still, there's certainly no way forward.

- Is it a well? - One way to find out.

That eye! I've seen it before, uh...

Of course, it was on the kites at the entrance hall.

(GASPS) Fascinating!

Somehow, somewhere, down there is the answer to all that's going on

in the Psychic Circus.

- Ahem. - (GASPS)

Awfully sorry to butt in like this, old boy,

but I'm afraid you're wanted.

You're the next one due on in the ring.

Why did you bring them here?

Survival of the fittest, old girl.

Don't tell me you never came across that on the planet Vulpana?

But we were on the edge of discovering the secret of the Psychic Circus.

Doesn't that interest you at all?

Frankly, no, old chap.

Anyway, what's going on seems pretty clear to me.

Anybody dumb enough to get into the ring gets killed.

(CHUCKLES)

(SNAPS FINGERS)

Shall we be going?

Just because I said I don't like clowns doesn't mean I'm scared of clowns, okay?

Got that, tinhead?

I said, got that, tinhead?

(SHRILL BEEPING)

Oh! Oh, I'm sorry.

That shouldn't have...

I must have fallen asleep.

We've met before. Don't you remember me?

Oh... Oh, yes.

Flowerchild.

(MAGS GROWLING)

Mags, now, please. Not now. Not yet!

(GROWLING)

I don't think much of this, Father.

- Nothing's happening, is it? - Not that I can see.

- Mum? Mum? - What is it?

I'm bored.

There's no point in going on, dear. We're all bored.

Something has to happen soon.

What's been happening? Has the Doctor escaped too?

Hey, hey, hey, easy, Morgana.

Look, the Doctor and the girl, I like them.

But he's trouble for us. I can see it out there.

Look, you're taking your crystal ball act a little too seriously.

- No! - They will be back.

I've taken care of the girl Ace.

Are you sure the other two will be recaptured?

Yeah, and if anything goes wrong, the Captain's a dead man.

- You let him escape? - To go find the others! Look,

- trust me, huh? - Look, you do realize

there's no act in the ring.

I had noticed.

And you know what happens if we don't get someone out there very soon.

RINGMASTER: Easy, easy!

Anyway...

There's always him.

I'd rather the Doctor was put through it first.

Hello, erm... you're the Chief Clown, aren't you?

I knew you immediately.

You see, I've got pictures of you all right back to the very early days.

- (CHUCKLES) Oh, you do? - In fact, I've got a poster

of your very first show

- on planet Tarkriz. - No.

Oh, could you sign this, please?

And you too, Morgana.

Thank you.

And after all I've done for you, the Doctor gets away

and you and I are going back to the guardroom.

- You were lucky. - Yes, I suppose you're right.

I'm still in one piece. You would have given us the full works.

Still, the old team of Mags and the Captain stuck together as usual.

(CHUCKLES)

As a matter of fact, it reminded me of that time on Fagiros,

when the Architrave of Batgeld

was showing me his early collection of Ganglion pottery...

Of course, of course.

Things are beginning to get out of control quicker than I expected.

(APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS)

(SIGHING) No. No!

Fun for all the family?

I don't know how they got the nerve.

Oh, Flowerchild.

They murdered you with a robot I made.

You're sure that's what happened?

Oh, there can be no doubt.

Every robot, every clown in the circus I made and maintained. For this...

And even now they won't let me die. They need me.

You mean, you're the only one who knows how?

Each of us, each of us in the circus,

we all had one circus skill we learned and mine was this.

This control unit's brill.

- Have it. - Really?

Yes. It controls that and the full-scale version I made.

- (BEEPING) - BELLBOY: Careful!

That activates the laser eyes.

It was to have been my masterpiece, but like everything else, it was...

It was abused and went wrong.

We had such high ideals when we started.

We shared everything and we enjoyed making people happy.

If we had a problem, we'd...

We'd all just sit round and... and talk it through.

Oh, we were so happy.

At least, I think we were.

Until you came here.

Yes.

And even then, at first we thought...

- What? - We thought...

(BREATHING HEAVILY) It's so hard to remember.

But we knew once why we came here,

and it was an important place for us.

(HYPERVENTILATING)

I can hardly think.

I'm sorry.

Oh, Flowerchild.

(GRUNTS)

Hello, Deadbeat. Fancy meeting you here.

Small world, isn't it?

It frightened you to see that eye, didn't it?

It means the powers behind it are on the move again.

Something happened to you here. You haven't always been like this.

Did you try and find something out? Were you punished?

Can you understand anything I'm saying?

(SIGHING)

Well, there's one thing I do know, Deadbeat,

you're not going to give me away to the others, are you?

(LAUGHS)

Follow. Follow the track...

Lead on, Deadbeat.

You know, I could get quite cross about this.

Ah, er... stay cool, please.

The next performance will start in a few minutes.

(CHUCKLES)

Well!

Oh, wow, is that Captain Cook? The famous intergalactic explorer and...

Quiet! Where's the Doctor?

- He gave us the slip. - He did what?

He gave us the slip.

A similar thing happened to me in the Bay of Paranoia on Golobus.

- I don't care what happened on Golobus! - Your loss, old boy.

- Anyway, it was all her fault. - Hang on a minute!

I imagine you'll have to put her into the ring next

as some sort of punishment.

- No. - Oh, found someone else, have you?

- Yes. - Really? May I inquire who?

You.

Excuse me, but you are Captain Cook, the famous intergalactic explorer.

I've got maps at home

showing all your journeys and a piece of one of your old shoes

- I bought in a souvenir shop... - Will you leave me alone!

Hey, hey, Morgana, Morgana.

- Hey, baby, you were long gone. - Look, it's here, now.

- What do you mean? - What we found. What we serve.

It'll always be here now, waiting for us to fail...

- Don't come with all that now, right. - Don't pretend you don't see it!

Look, I've got an empty circus tent in there right now.

I don't want to talk about anything else!

Well, send in another act.

I will, baby, just as soon as I can!

The Doctor's escaped. Your idiot of a Captain failed us.

All right, send him in the ring.

It's arranged already, but I'm more worried about the Doctor.

- He's dangerous. - Well, let's go find him, then.

I'll go find him. You get back in the ring.

- Hey, just a minute, man... - Quiet, both of you!

Look, it's showing him to us.

And he's with Deadbeat.

Then he must be stopped at once.

This isn't the way to the stone chamber.

Oh, I do hope you're not leading me somewhere I don't want to go.

Oh, kites she made, beautiful kites.

Every colour of the rainbow. All different shapes and sizes.

And they use them to watch us and trap us and keep us here.

So, they destroyed her work

and... and then they destroyed her.

It'll be all right, Bellboy. I'll get you out of here.

Why should I want to get out of here? It's gone!

The fun, freedom of being what you want to be, all of it.

Don't you understand?

Yes.

Look, I'm sorry. We can't stay here forever, can we?

I've got to find the Doctor, for a start.

They took everything that was bright and good about what we had

and buried it where it will never be found again.

I don't understand. Who's "they"?

Oh, the ones who run the circus.

The ones you've met.

There wasn't just them, there was some...

There was, uh...

Flowerchild and...

and Peacepipe and Juniper Berry and... and Deadbeat.

No. No, he wasn't Deadbeat then, he was, er, he was...

He was...

It's gone.

But he, he was, he was our brightest and our best, I remember that.

There's nothing I want now.

The dream's over.

They're coming to take me off to the ring, Bellboy.

They may need you to repair the robots, but I'm just trouble.

(DOORKNOB RATTLING)

Making a bit of a mess of opening the door, aren't they?

It can't be that difficult!

Oh, maybe...

Maybe it is the end after all.

Doctor!

(CHUCKLES) Deadbeat, I take it all back.

You're absolutely right. Clowns can be creepy.

(GASPS)

Sift the dreams in your mind...

- King... - You'll be amazed...

Kingpin. Kingpin! That was your name. Kingpin.

So you've always been interested in the Psychic Circus, have you?

- Sit down. - Yes, of course.

I've never been able to visit it before now,

but I've got all sorts of souvenirs. Copies of all the advertising satellites

that have ever been sent out. All the posters.

I had a long correspondence

with one of the founder members, too, soon after it started.

Although I never got to see the early days,

I know it's not as good as it used to be, but I'm still terribly interested.

(CAPTAIN LAUGHS)

- Two minutes, Captain. - Thank you, Ringmaster.

No doubt you dream of having

the ultimate Psychic Circus experience as soon as possible.

- Sorry? - You ache for the moment

when you can do your own act within that sawdust-covered magic circle.

Oh, yes, of course.

I mean, there's no real danger, is there, really?

Only for those without resource or imagination or panache.

I'm sure you have all those qualities.

- Well, I really don't know. - Come, come, dear boy,

- don't be so absurdly modest. - Don't listen to him.

But this is one of my heroes,

Captain Cook, the intergalactic space explorer.

Exactly. And shall I tell you what I'm prepared

- to do for you as a special favour? - What?

Postpone my brief moment of glory in the ring

so that you may enjoy the unforgettable experience before me,

far beyond the bouncing Upas trees of Boromeo

or the singing squids of Anagonia.

Are you sure you can bear to let me go in first?

It is a sacrifice I am prepared to make.

Ringmaster, I think you'll find

this young man wishes to take my place in the ring.

Are you sure?

Yours be the glory.

It's useless, Mags, he'll never believe you.

I don't believe I've ever met anyone quite so gullible since I...

You know,

I don't think I've ever met anyone quite so gullible.

The dreams. Sift the dreams.

When the mind's divided, the body screams.

Yes, some of it's coming back now. Not all of it.

But when he was Kingpin, he was the one who persuaded us to come here.

There was something he wanted, something he knew about.

- And we all trusted him and... - Something went wrong?

Yes. Something went very wrong. It's this place, you see.

It does things to you.

And a friendly hippie circus was turned into a trap for killing people?

Yes. Even our own kind.

That was after Kingpin was no longer Kingpin.

Something went. Something went with him.

- And... - And a well?

What well?

You don't know anything about a well with an eye peering out from inside?

An eye, like the one on Flowerchild's... Like the ones on the kites.

No, not any more.

Don't look in the well

The eye gives you promises of heaven or hell

He's off, he's gone. I knew people like him in Perivale.

- Listen, Ace. - What to?

The answers.

You know what happened, don't you, Deadbeat?

Please don't be angry with us.

More acts are on the way.

(CIRCUS MUSIC PLAYS)

At last!

Now welcome, folks, I'm sure you'd like to know

We've got a brand new act for your circus show

Now welcome, please, with all the warmth you can

The Psychic Circus' greatest fan!

(APPLAUSE)

This is the most exciting day of my life.

My dream come true.

I'm standing in the ring of the Psychic Circus.

You've sent that poor boy out to his death.

Nonsense! He may be a great success.

And remember, in the sacred games of Muskarail...

(CROWD JEERING AND BOOING)

(WHIP CRACKING)

...s0 it just goes to show, you never can be certain.

(WHIZZKID SCREAMING)

As I said,

survival of the fittest.

(WHIP CRACKS)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Poor Deadbeat.

He thought he could control the powers that lurk here,

but they destroyed him instead.

Perhaps it's safer being the ringmaster

and just taking orders.

Deadbeat...

Deadbeat, if we take you to the well,

can you show us what it did?

How do you know it's not all a con, Professor?

Well, he brought me here to you and Bellboy.

He must have done that for a purpose.

- Not if your brains are that scrambled. - Ah, now there's something there, Ace.

I saw it when he looked into the crystal ball.

You're just an ageing hippie, Professor.

There might be something in that, yes. Anyway, we'd better be going.

- Bellboy? - Er, no.

- Come on, Bellboy. - No.

I think the Chief Clown will be here after you

and I could delay him for a while.

I'd be pleased to make myself useful.

But Bellboy...

You still don't understand, do you?

Everything I loved has gone.

There's no point in living on to do work I hate.

So be it, then, Bellboy.

Come on, Deadbeat.

Or should I call you Kingpin? We've got work to do.

Bye, now, Bellboy. All the best.

Oh, and, er, thanks for this.

Oh...

Bye, Ace. Goodbye, Kingpin,

Doctor.

The acts will keep on coming now, we promise,

and no one will ever go near the bus again.

Those who remain are your servants to do with as you wish.

No, I never wanted to resist your power.

- You see those moon symbols? - Yeah.

They really frightened Mags...

Where are they?

I don't know. I don't care.

It's all destroyed, you know that.

Oh, you were a wonderful clown once. Funny, inventive.

Quiet!

I'm not helping you any more, you see?

(BEEPING)

Don't be a fool, Bellboy.

Come on.

Come on!

Deal with me as you dealt with Flowerchild.

You've gone crazy!

Come on. Come on!

Come on!

- No. I can't do it. - Come on, Kingpin. Nearly there.

Hold on, please.

Now, Kingpin, show us what you did when you first saw the eye.

(GROANS)

Great stuff, Kingpin.

He must have used that medallion to summon the powers that lurk here.

- And it did this to him. - Yes.

I wish I had some Nitro-9 to lob down there. Hang about.

The mirror here, it's an eye.

Yes, that eye seems to plague us everywhere.

Only with the eyeball removed by someone or something.

- And hidden. - In the bus.

Where Flowerchild died trying to get it.

We shall be free. We shall be free.

We shall be free. We shall be free.

Calm down, Mags.

There'll be some more contestants along soon.

- We're doing very well. - That poor boy!

Us or him, Mags. And before you get too high and mighty,

remember where you'd be without me.

Dead with a bullet in you on the planet Vulpana.

A silver bullet.

I know that, Captain, but you didn't do it for me, you did it for yourself.

I only wish I knew what you were after.

All in good time, Mags. All in good time.

A man who has played whist

with the card-carrying dervishes of Tyrade and won

always plays his cards close to his chest.

It's so tantalising.

I'm so close to understanding it all and yet so far.

So we'll have to get hold of that other bit of mirror.

Exactly. You take Kingpin back to the bus and find it, but be careful.

Hang on a bit, Professor.

This is all going a bit too fast for me.

I'll fetch it, no problem, but what about you?

- I'm going back to the ring. - Are you off your head?

The Psychic Circus needs acts. If they've got me, then perhaps

they won't worry about you two for the moment.

Sometimes I think it's you that's crazy, not Deadbeat here.

Anybody remotely interesting is mad in some way or another.

Now be off with you.

And besides, after my eons and eons of time travel,

I've developed a remarkable survival instinct.

You'll need it.

I don't know where they find these acts, do you, Mother?

Never seem to get any better, do they, Father?

I believe you've been looking for me.

I'm wanted backstage.

Greetings, Captain Cook. Mags.

You will be pleased to hear that the greatest act of the galaxy

- has returned to the fold. - Jolly good show, Doctor.

But Doctor, I helped you to escape.

I know, Mags, and I haven't wasted the time you bought me.

And I have returned with an idea.

I suggest that this time we all three work together.

- Meaning? - Well, up to now,

all the people in the cage have been played off against each other,

and of course some people are cleverer at preserving themselves than others.

- Luck of the draw, old boy. - Not entirely.

What I'm proposing is that we all three go into the ring.

Three for one and one for three.

That should throw a very big hammer into the works.

I'm with you, Doctor. And so is he.

- Now, just a moment, Mags. - Aren't you, Captain?

- (APPLAUSE) - (CIRCUS MUSIC PLAYING)

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE, MUSIC AND CHEERS CONTINUE)

Now welcome, folks, to not one act but three

To the Greatest Show in the Galaxy

In the Galaxy, in the Galaxy!

(APPLAUSE, WHIP CRACKING)

Sorry, everyone.

Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, but before we start,

I would like to make one small request from stage management.

A special lighting effect.

No!

Could you perhaps give us that old devil moon effect?

(SCREAMING) No! No!

(GROWLING)

You really were extremely stupid this time, Doctor.

I told you she was an unusual specimen.

The growling, the snarling, the reaction to the moon.

Surely you should have guessed?

(GROWLING)

(SNARLS)

(SNARLS)

(DOCTOR WHO THEME PLAYING)