The Masque of Mandragora

Doctor Who returns to the historical with this story that takes place at the dawn of the Renaissance (or Early Modern Europe, to be more politically correct) and pits the Doctor against the malevolent Mandragora Helix, an entity that is trying to stymie the rebirth of European culture. With the Helix being a rather insubstantial threat, the struggle is personified by two human sides- the progressives, embodied in Duke Giuliano and the regressives, embodied by the astrologer Hieronymous and his Cult of Demnos. The story wholeheartedly takes the side of Giuliano, emphasising the need for science over superstition. Of course, there is some simplification of the viewpoints- very little of the new learning is actually described in the story; indeed, Giuliano is interrupted whilst trying to tell Sarah why it is obvious that the earth is a sphere (in fact, the spherical earth had been widely accepted nearly everywhere since the birth of Jesus). Nevertheless, the script, although oddly paced at times, manages to make this drive the story without being polemicist.

The characterisation is good, with some impressive performances backing it up. Gareth Armstrong makes Giuliano more than just a cypher (although his typical British pallor seems to indicate that the young Duke spends a lot of time indoors!) and is ably supported by the always excellent Tim Piggot-Smith. However, it is the baddies who are best served by the story. Norman Jones makes Hieronymous transcend his silly beard projecting a dark sense of menace throughout. Possibly even better is Jon Laurimore as Count Federico. Federico is not one of those looking backwards to the ’Dark Ages’ but is, in fact, the dark side of the Rennaisance itself. With Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Galileo came the Borgias and Federico is the ruthless, power-hungry despot that this period tended to produce. Laurimore exudes smug superiority like few other actors and his expressive performance and mellifluous voice are a very welcome addition. The characterisation of the regulars is given the interesting twist of Giuliano almost wanting to give the Doctor his patronage and him seeing Sarah both as someone to be educated and (for a short while) a potential love interest. The regulars play these roles with their usual aplomb.

Where the story really excels is in the visual department. One of the unsung heroes of Doctor Who is designer Barry Newbery and it is in this story that he really outdoes himself. This is one of the most beautiful Doctor Who stories ever broadcast, which has a lot to do with the sumptuous sets which are complemented by fantastic costume design. The lighting is very evocative and the whole is admirably directed by Rodney Bennet. The special effects probably cost nest to nothing, but are very effectively done. Of course, the fact that Portmeirion is used as the location might be a bit distracting for anyone who is familiar with The Prisoner, but the location meshes well with the studio scenes, which considerably lessens this. The new console room is beautifully designed too, a very welcome addition.

There are very few problems with this story- as said, the plotting could do with some tightening up and Dudley Simpson does show his limitations as a composer- a Geoffrey Burgon score would have been sublime. However, this remains an excellent and underrated story.

NEXT: The Hand of Fear