The Hand of Fear

When the Doctor and Sarah land in a quarry, they find themselves in the middle of an explosion which releases a stone hand that has been entombed in the rock since the Jurassic. It is the hand of Eldrad, a member of the Kastrian race. As Eldrad is reconstructed, the Doctor decides to help- but is Eldrad to be trusted?

Bob Baker and Dave Martin return with an offering that has first draft written all over it. The basic storyline is not particularly great, but there is nothing wrong with it. However, the structure and plotting leave a good deal to be desired. I know that the story is called The Hand of Fear, but there is no reason for the titular manus to be the only manifestation of Eldrad for two episodes. Episode 2, in particular is mainly padding. Sarah attempts to put the hand in the core of the reactor only to be stopped. However, Driscoll then simply does exactly the same thing as Sarah did, this time successfully. This is particularly irksome as Episode 3 is actually very impressive and the female Eldrad deserved more screen time than just one and a bit episodes. She is one of the most intriguing antagonists that the programme has had, someone whose true motivations are, for the moment, clouded and we truly believe that Eldrad may not be truly villainous. If the events of the first two episodes had been condensed into one, this fascinating character would have been a far more effective focus for two episodes There is some truly memorable and mythic dialogue given to King Rokon and Kastria is a reasonably successful exercise in world building, but the dénouement of the story is seriously fumbled.

Perhaps it is unfortunate that Sarah is again possessed by the antagonist, as she was in The Masque of Mandragora. Again, Baker and Martin show their complete lack of awareness of radiation, making the same assumption they made in The Claws of Axos- apparently, all one has to do to escape a giant nuclear explosion is to drive away a few miles and duck. As this story was filmed in a real nuclear power station, one can imagine the guffaws that the script must have caused there.

The guest cast is mainly dull. Glyn Houston is quite effective as Professor Watson, and Rex Robinson is dependable as usual, but the rest of the humans are badly written and limply performed. What goes a long way to redeeming the story is Judith Paris as the female Eldrad. Her striking look and deep voice is combined with a very carefully judged performance, which towers over her fellow guest performers. It is a pity that the true Eldrad is Stephen Thorne again booming away under heavy makeup in a performance that, while it is by no means bad, is nothing like as skilful as Paris’s.

Visually, the story impresses. Lennie Mayne had a great eye for shots and some very effective location work is combined with great set design- the eerie crystalline Kastrian sets are very effective. Unfortunately, not even he could save the risible climax. Eldrad is defeated by tripping over the Doctor’s scarf and falling into a (very narrow) chasm. Even if this was not ineptly realised, it seems that Eldrad would have simply walked into the abyss anyway.

Of course, the most memorable thing about the story is that it is Sarah Jane’s last appearance as a companion. One thing that struck me in this marathon is that Sarah was actually less capable of taking care of herself in a crisis than Jo Grant was- Jo frequently used force in escaping from a crisis, whereas Sarah was more likely to scream for help. However, the performance of Elisabeth Sladen cannot be praised highly enough, particularly her interplay with Tom Baker. Sarah Jane always real, no matter what situation she was in, and it is not surprising that she is the companion that everyone remembers. Her leaving scene is wonderful, bursting with the unsaid and repressed feelings. The look on her face when she finds that the Doctor has not dropped her off in Croydon (actually, as we find out 30 years later, in Aberdeen!) is wonderful, speaking of annoyance, amusement and sadness.

This is another story of which it is impossible to give a clear thumbs up or thumbs down to. All that can be said that it has a good deal to offer.

NEXT: The Deadly Assassin