The Enemy of the World

The Enemy of the World is a welcome break from the constant monster threats that have occurred in a season that was threatening to become very repetitive- I love Doctor Who monsters as much as the next fan, but I don't want them every week. Instead, we have the story of the struggle against a man who wants to rule the world. However, Salamander, although ambitious and ruthless, is not a megalomaniac (substituting a human monster for an alien one). There is no single grand plan to take over the world, but a piecemeal manoeuvring to achieve that aim. Although Salamander does cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, that is only one small part of his arsenal. He has the love of people because he has done great things for humanity- but the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria know his true nature by the way the people who actually know him react to his presence. Whatever else can be said about this story, this is a far more mature and sophisticated view of an adversary- who, incidentally, looks just like the Doctor.

The main problem in the story is the plot structure- there is a fair bit of padding in the middle episodes and two important plot twists (Salamander's subterranean lair and Giles Kent's real motivation) occur too late in the story and feel rushed. The production values are also inconsistent- episode 1 has a gunfight on a beach and a helicopter, but episode 3 has to have Denes guarded in a corridor. There's some strange editing choices, some of which border on the amateurish.

The supporting cast are superlative- Bill Kerr is excellent as Giles Kent and there's the brilliant character of Griffin the Chef, hilariously brought to life by Reg Lye. Carmen Munroe makes a stock character like Fariah a true personality- it is odd seeing her a) looking gorgeous (she is more familiar to audiences for playing more matriarchal characters) and (b) masking her Guyanese accent with Received Pronunciation.

Jamie and Victoria are written very differently from usual (although Victoria's 'Kaiser Pudding' scene is in character) but Hines and Watling fill in the gaps well. However, this is a tour de force pair of performances by Troughton. The Doctor is put into a situation completely randomly, but is compelled do to the right thing as usual. I love the scene where he realises he has left his recorder behind and has to whistle. As Salamander, Troughton utterly convinces us that it is a different character (although the accent sometimes comes close to parody). As in The Massacre, technical limitations prevent both characters appearing on screen for most of the story, but the end of the story features a memorable showdown between the Doctor and Salamander in the TARDIS.

Not a great story, but one that reminds us how versatile the programme could be.

NEXT: The Web of Fear