The Keeper of Traken

It is fitting that Johnny Byrne, creator of the almost comically somniferous Heartbeat, should write this story, where the heady concepts of the rest of Season 18 are dialled back for a rather sedate tale. In fact, the pace is very different from any other Doctor Who story I have seen. The info-dumping about Traken and its main players is done rather beautifully by the Keeper using the TARDIS scanner to give a potted visual history. The story progresses naturally- indeed, if it wasn't for a major revelation, this would be a story with no surprises at all- the main plot is resolved a bit too simply for my liking. However, there is a great deal to commend this story. The plot is reasonably simple and Byrne's script is full of very stylised dialogue that never seems artificial and is often lyrical and contains good characterisation and makes Traken a believable world

This is helped by a gorgeous production- the sets and costumes are sublime and, while this is hardly the most dynamic story, it is directed with great style by John Black- indeed, the production most resembles the better of the BBC Complete Shakespeare plays that were broadcast in the 70s and 80s. There are also some truly great performances- however, it is a real pity that John Woodnut and Denis Carey disappear half-way through as they are two of the best performers. Sheila Ruskin is a bit odd as Kassia- her facial and vocal performance is fine, but her body language seems influenced by the worst excesses of silent movie acting. However, the best performance is that of Anthony Ainley. Even with the knowledge of Ainley's future in the programme, his performance as Tremas is thoroughly convincing.

This story, of course, is just as much about the return of an old adversary as it is about regime change on Traken. Geoffrey Beevers puts in a very entertaining performance as the Master that is eerily anticipatory of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor in Return of the Jedi (and beyond). The Master's scheme is foiled, but that just lulls us into a false sense of security that makes the shocking twist at the end all the more powerful. Tom Baker is excellent, being both light-hearted and contemptuous of overly legalistic behaviour. Matthew Waterhouse's performance is fine here- he seems to spark well off Tom Baker.

This is a very enjoyable story, a moment of balm to ease us into what is to come.

NEXT: Logopolis