DOCTOR WHO series 8 - A return to Sarn? or the ghosts of Pompeii?

With Steven Moffat teasing that "The Doctor is returning to the scene of an old adventure", Andrew Jero considers the possibilities of this weeks Lanzarote location shooting.

As you might have heard, Doctor Who series 8 is filming in Lanzarote for the number 7 spot in the new 2014 series. Now what's so special about Lanzarote? Well, back in 1984, it served as the location for the majority of the fifth Doctor story, Planet of Fire. Does this mean there will be a sequel in our midst? Or is this going to be the location for the rumored The Ghosts of Pompeii?

The Ghosts of Pompeii is the rumored title for the episode where we finally understand how Peter Capaldi, who is playing the twelfth Doctor, played Caecilius, the fictional version of a famous Roman banker who, in reality, died with the rest of Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The Lanzarote location which served as a mountain in Planet of Fire, could possibly also be used for this Pompeii story. Personally, I think that a Planet of Fire sequel and The Ghosts of Pompeii are in our midst.

Series 8 filming location, the Volcán del Cuerv, Lanzarote.

Lanzarote was home to an exiled group of the alien race known as Trions, of which Vislor Turlough, companion to the Fifth Doctor, was a member. Worshiping their God, Logar, was the center of their society. It's been a while since we've gotten any episodes where the brilliant writers we have today create a religion and manufacture it to add mystery to the story, the result - amazing stories such as Kinda, Snakedance and Planet of Fire.

Planet of Fire was the story that saw the end of Kamelion, and the departure of Turlough. It also is responsible for the introduction and abduction of Perpugilliam Brown. It took place on the planet Sarn (Lanzarote also doubling for the alien planet), where the population worshiped the mountain and saw the return of the Master, who was trying to restore his regeneration cycle infinitely (due to the events of The Time of the Doctor, I'll guess that this will not be the Doctor's main objective).

Would a sequel to Planet of Fire be a good thing? As far as my knowledge of fan opinion goes, Planet of Fire is hit and miss. You either love it or you hate it. I love it! It's an intense story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Is Turlough hiding something from the Master? Are the Doctor and Turlough ending their friendship? If they did a sequel, it would make for the perfect opportunity to resurrect the Master. 

Now to the flip side of the situation - would a sequel to Planet of Fire be the dumbest thing Doctor Who has ever done? I don't think so (that was Season 24!). It has the potential to be awesome, a story of civil war, or the story of the future of Sarn.

How would Capaldi react to a return to Sarn? Would he find Turlough and fight some other menace with him? They could always go far into the future or far into the past, perhaps showing us when Logar first appeared, or the Trion civil war we've heard about that caused the exile of so many Trions. Seeing what caused that initial conflict might bring some positive light to the vastly underrated Planet of Fire. Whatever they do, if they do it, I'll be looking forward to it!

Andrew Jero is 17, lives in Iowa and has been watching Doctor Who since the age of four. He enjoys acting and writing plays, television scripts, and short stories. He has a very strong love of Red Dwarf as well. Follow Andrew on Twitter.