Ghost Light

In less than 75 minutes, Ghost Light reminded us all how powerful Doctor Who could be. The story is fresh and original, yet actually easy to follow- my sister, who was 7 at the time, had no problem figuring out what was going on. However, the script by Marc Platt deals effectively with the controversy that Darwin caused with his theories of evolution, with a script that brings up allusions and references with, seemingly, every line- we have Douglas Adams, Shaw’s Pygmalion and The Lost World (to name but three) in a script that makes the viewer want to watch the story again and look up every reference- even Queen Victoria is called the ‘crowned Saxe-Coburg’ more often than her regnal name. Platt does this in a way that does not seem self-consciously clever, but instead enriches the story as a whole, combined with clever and witty dialogue (‘He’s gone to see a man about a god’). The story’s preoccupation with adapting to the environment means that Platt creates some odd, but very memorable characters. Lady Pritchard and her daughter Gwendoline are traumatised by the powers in the house, but the personae they have as a result are the results of their own character- as the Doctor says, Gwendoline enjoys sending people ‘to Java’ too much for her to deny responsibility for her actions. Josiah Samuel Smith has adapted so well (as was the purpose of the experiment) that he is indistinguishable from a Victorian Gentleman. and there is Nimrod, the Neanderthal butler. Which is really cool. There are some things that don’t quite work in plot terms (the light in Redvers’s cigarette case, the nature of the maidservants, for example) but they are so well done, they come off as interesting diversions, rather than plot problems. There are also some flaws in the science- a common mistake that people make is to equate being more ‘evolved’ (or ‘derived’, to be more accurate) with being superior. For example, despite being more ‘primitive’ than bony fish, sharks are actually far more intelligent. However, these do not detract from one’s enjoyment of the story.

Alan Wareing directs a practically flawless production. Wareing creates scenes of great energy with his effective, yet unshowy camera work. The story has scenes of humour contrasted with some real scares, such as the death of Inspector Mackenzie and the gradual emergence of Control. However Wareing manages to make these scenes effective without being gratuitous, which is why he gets away with the most explicitly horrific image in the history of the programme- Light holding the severed arm of a young woman. The production design is fantastic, with Gabriel Chase being utterly convincing. Even light, when he manifests himself, looks like a Pre-Raphaelite angel, an image which invokes feelings of awe and of rejection of modernity.

The cast is superb, and is marshalled expertly by Wareing. Katharine Schlesinger is gleefully sadistic as Gwendoline and contrasts well with Sylvia Syms icy Lady Pritchard. Ian Hogg is masterful as Josiah, contrasted in every way with Sharon Duce’s marvellously feral Control. John Hallam, despite lightening his very gravelly voice, exudes both awe and horror as Light and Frank Windsor is great fun as ‘the cream of Scotland Yard’. The regulars have exceptional material to work with. Ace is confronted with a fear from her childhood and Sophie Aldred puts in one of her best performances. The Doctor hasn’t been this devious and mysterious for years and, apart from the bizarre gurn-fest in episode 3, Sylvester McCoy puts in a fine performance.

Ghost Light is a phenomenal story, a clear indication that the highs of the previous season were no fluke.

NEXT: The Curse of Fenric