Black Orchid

Black Orchid is a wonderful little interlude for the programme- the first time since The Highlanders where the only sci-fi element is the TARDIS. The effectiveness of the story depends on whether one truly appreciates what the script is trying to achieve. This isn't a period murder mystery (there's only one suspect) but can be seen as Doctor Who barging into a BBC period drama- one can imagine a drama called The Cranleighs where the explorer George Cranleigh disappeared in the 1980 season, Latoni appeared in the 1981 season and the 1982 season finale was a crossover with Doctor Who, where the family secret was finally outed. Despite a great deal of contrived coincidence, Terence Dudley's script is delightful, full of great dialogue and good characters who all come alive in the mere 50 minutes it takes to tell the (very intriguing) tale.

As one would expect from the BBC, the production values are first rate, with splendid sets and costumes. Ron Jones directs very well and I must, at this point, highlight the effectiveness of the opening 90 seconds or so, before the TARDIS appears. We open with a shot of a man being strangled by an unseen assailant, followed by a shot of what appears to be Nyssa sleeping. The assailant walks in, but then we have a shot of the assailant tied up, which is followed by a shot of an Amazonian Indian reading a book- all in less than 2 minutes. If you had never seen this story before, this totally bonkers and brilliant montage would pique your interest immediately. The story also fulfils the 'scaring small children' requirement. The realisation of George Cranleigh, with his horrific scarring and gargling vocalisation is very memorable, as is the most striking visual in the story- the scary Harlequin mask.

This story cannot be discussed without mentioning the cricket match. The effectiveness of this part is highly dependant on how one views cricket. North and South American, Mainland European and East Asian viewers might be baffled and/or bored, but British, African, Caribbean, South Asian and Australasian viewers will appreciate these wonderful sequences, especially Peter Davison's genuine and wonderful wicket. The scoring is a bit peculiar, though.

The guest performances are all wonderful with Michael Cochrane, Barbara Murray and Moray Watson effortlessly bringing their characters to life. Davison is his usual brilliant self, but I must make special mention of his trio of companions. Tegan is enjoying herself for the first time and Janet Fielding is wonderful; flirty, loving the 20s dances and clearly proud of being with the Doctor. Sarah Sutton is very effective in her dual role of Nyssa and Ann, but the biggest surprise is Matthew Waterhouse, who doesn't put a foot wrong in this and is actually fun to watch.

This is 50 minutes of wonderful television and highly recommended.

NEXT: Earthshock