Frontier in Space

The Doctor and Jo land in the 26th century, a time of great tension between the Earth Empire and the Draconian Empire. Despite the peace treaty between them, reports of piracy of Earth ships by Draconians and vice versa have been reported. The Doctor finds out that the culprits are actually Ogrons, but Ogrons never act alone…

Malcolm Hulke was always interested in telling more sophisticated stories than Earth invasion standards and, whatever the eventual quality of stories penned by him, they are always interesting thematically. The characters are well drawn with believable motivations (although General Williams's change of heart about the Draconians is a bit too sudden). Frontier in Space paints a vivid picture of Earth's future, a world where the government is benevolent, but not above suspending due process and imprisoning dissenters. Draconia too is presented as a culture, rather than as monsters and shock troops. This is bolstered by the outstanding design work. For once, the décor is subdued, rather than extrapolating from the worst excesses of 70's gaudiness. The make up for the Draconians is fantastic- if they were brought back now, there is very little the current production team would have to do to improve it. It is a bit disappointing that all the Draconians wear the same types of clothes, but this is a mere quibble. Fake newscasts add a real sense of a world existing outside the sets, and there is some great location work. Paul Bernard does excellent work as the director (perhaps attempting to atone for The Time Monster!) The script demands an expansive environment and, surprisingly, this is what we get.

The main problem with the story is that it is, yet again, a padded six-parter. The Doctor and Jo spend a lot of time in cells and are captured, interrogated and escape many times. However, although the padding is there, it is not boring so it is forgiveable.

The performances are very good across the board. Vera Fusek is regal and dignified as the President and Michael Hawkins makes General Williams very believable. The regulars are as good as ever, with the great chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning working its usual magic. This is also, sadly, Roger Delgado's last performance as the Master and one of his best. He is given some great lines, which Delgado performs with panache and a real master plan (sorry) to decimate the Earth and Draconian Empires and assisting a third party to claim what is left. The third party is, of course, the Daleks and it sends a real chill down the spine to see Delgado share scenes with the diabolical dustbins.

The last episode ends on a cliffhanger, of course, and this intelligent and highly enjoyable story whets the appetite for an epic concluding half…

NEXT: Planet of the Daleks