Fury From the Deep

Fury from the Deep is yet another ‘base-under-siege’ story and seems to have all the concomitant clichés- an unstable authority figure who mistrusts the Doctor, a subordinate who disagrees etc. The concept is unusual- malignant seaweed, but the realisation makes it something else entirely.

The guest characters are not exactly well drawn- as stated before, a fair few of the stock 'base-under-siege' characters are employed. From the evidence of the surviving footage Roy Spencer is a bit bland as Harris (although vocally he is fine) but Victor Maddern puts his all into the unstable Robson. A refreshing difference is having two strong female characters in the form of June Murphy as Maggie Harris and Margaret John as uber-boss Megan Jones. John Abineri is his usual reliable self as VanLutyens.

However, there are some truly stunning images and scenes most, unfortunately, lost to the ether. One which does survive, thankfully, is the attack of Messrs Oak and Quill, which is - they appear first as a camp comic duo, but then open their mouths to exhale the noxious gas. With their bulging eyes and blackened lips, together with some effective editing, the effect is truly terrifying. There is also the end to episode 3, which has Maggie Harris walking into the sea, a scene which is more like something from a horror movie. The Weed is an unusual, but effective threat that is efficiently realised. A foam machine, a recording of a heartbeat and a few fronds are all that is required to create one of the most unnerving Doctor Who monsters of all time.

Again, this is a case of a 6-parter that would have worked far better as a 4-parter. There is far too much padding in the script, too many arguments about drilling speeds and quotas with writing not sophisticated enough to sustain it. The solution to the threat is telegraphed very obviously half-way through the story and it's amazing that the Doctor doesn't pick up on it.

There is great work from the regulars on display here. Troughton and Hines are again brilliant- there is a touching and funny scene where Jamie believes Victoria to be dead. This is Victoria's final story and Deborah Watling puts in her finest performance. Victoria is given clear reasons for leaving- she is tired of all of the horrors they have to face and this is made evident from the start. Troughton. Uniquely, the travellers do not sneak off after the menace is defeated, but stay on for a party and then decide to stay a couple more days in case Victoria changes her mind about leaving. It's very different from other leaving scenes, but is very well written and played.

Despite its many flaws, the famous scenes are genuinely as effective as they were reputed to be and, while it is not the classic of repute, it well worth a listen.

NEXT: The Wheel in Space