The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Calling a tale The Greatest Show in the Galaxy holds it open to all sorts of ribbing unless it is a very special adventure- fortunately, if there was any doubt that Doctor Who was back in black, it was totally blown out of the water by this story. On one level, this is a story about a sinister, once legendary, circus that has a habit of killing its audience. It is, of course, based on coulrophobia- the fear of clowns- but, like the scary clowns in The Celestial Toymaker, this is just one weapon in the story’s arsenal. We have a werewolf, a killer robot bus conductor, reanimated corpses, gaily painted kites that seek out fugitives and a seemingly average 1950s family who have the power of life and death over anyone in the circus. However, it can also be seen as a meditation on the rampant materialism of the 80s destroying the naïve idealism of the 60s, whilst acknowledging that the hippies begat the yuppies. It can be seen as looking at the way we compromise ourselves to ensure our own self-interest. It can be seen as a take on late 80s Doctor Who, with a show that was past its prime battling for its continued existence on a secluded location. The uber-villains in the story (The Gods of Ragnarok) are not just the Doctor’s enemies for the story, but are suggested as being against Doctor Who itself and everything it stands for. However, it is, above all else, a thumpingly good yarn, which Stephen Wyatt populates with well-drawn characters who are given some truly fantastic dialogue. Wyatt shows how words are the backbone of any story- look at the scene where the Doctor creates a sword from a piece of metal by telling a story about it. If I have any criticism, it is that the defeat of the Gods of Ragnarok is, on the surface, accomplished using a McGuffin. However, this is more than compensated for in other areas of the story’s realisation.

One thing that is immediately obvious is the fact that there are no production failings at all. By this time the Doctor Who production team were confident in what it could achieve on its budget and avoided the things it couldn’t. Sets and locations are all perfectly dressed and lit. The key factor is the fantastic direction of Alan Wareing. Wareing makes sure every actor is performing at their best and knows precisely how to move the camera and set up shots to maximum effect. This results in an embarrassment of memorable scenes- the cliffhanger to the first episode, the pursuit of Bellboy and Flowerchild, the first appearance of the Chief Clown, the death of Bellboy… The transformation of Mags into a werewolf takes a very basic make-up job and turns it into a genuinely scary scene, thanks to Wareing’s skills. Most wonderful of all is the Doctor walking calmly away while the Circus explodes behind him. A special mention must be made of Mark Ayres’s wonderful score, one of the best Doctor Who soundtracks ever.

As said, the performances are excellent across the board. The circus folk are memorably portrayed with Deborah Manship as Morgana and Ricco Ross as the Ringmaster (it seems at first that this portrayal borders on the non-PC, but everyone, even Bruce Forsyth, was rapping in 1988!) Doctor Who finally employs the right Guard brother, with Christopher Guard’s performance as Bellboy being very skilful and nuanced. The sinister Chief Clown is fantastically brought to life by Ian Reddington and we have the wonderful T P McKenna as Captain Cook and a great performance by Jessica Martin as Mags. Sylvester McCoy gives one of his best ever performances and Sophie Aldred supports brilliantly.

This is a genuinely wonderful story, which you should have no hesitation in seeking out and watching!

NEXT: Battlefield