"The Idiot's Lantern"

"The Idiot's Lantern" takes us back to 1953 where the broadcast of the coronation of Elizabeth II means that millions would buy their first TV set in a state patriotic fervour. What better environment for a disembodied alien intelligence that feeds off neuro-electrical activity? Mark Gatiss conhures a breezy little tale with an original villain- The Wire (no relation to the superlative HBO TV series) that manifests itself in a time that is often misunderstood by the average person, who believe that nothing happened in Britain between VE day and The Beatles. Gatiss evokes the time very well and it is full of the sharp dialogue that we have come to expect of him. The story is also a celebration of television itself, with references to contemporary programming, video tape and colour television. Gatiss is of the generation that was warned that too much telly 'rots the brain', just as I was of the generation that was told that it gave you 'square eyes'. Here, television can bring together communities and, indeed, nations, but it can also, quite literally, suck your face off! However, there is a problem with this story that cannot be ignored- it's conceptually ingenious, but the realisation of these concepts, both in terms of plot and plausibility is very inconsistent. Why the Wire's feeding leaves the victim literally faceless is not satisfactorily explained, especially when the defeat of the Wire suddenly restores the victims. However, the way in which the Doctor defeats the Wire is both true to the stories ingenuity and well realised- The Wire is trapped on a Betamax tape!

Euros Lyn has a field day with Gatiss's concepts, filling the story with memorable images- the faceless victims are genuinely scary, as is the sight of dozens of stolen faces screaming for help on black and white screens. Lyn uses Dutch angles (or, to be less showy-offy, he tilts the camera) a lot, giving parts of the episode a Third Man-esque look in places. The production values are excellent throughout, as we have come to expect from the team.

Of the supporting players, only the Connollys are proper characters. Gatiss attempts to tell the story of the breakdown of a family as well, but the problems here are more severe than the plot problems. We may not be seeing the family at its worst, but Eddie Connolly does not seem that much worse than the average lower middle/ working class father of the early 50s- there is nothing to suggest that he is even mildly physically abusive, and he just comes across as a pompous blowhard. Jamie Forman, who I have been impressed with in other productions, plays Eddie a shade too broadly, although Debra Gillett is very effective as his wife Rita. The actual dialogue is well written, but we never really believe in the situation- however, the scene where Tommy goes to carry his father's case is very effective.

Ron Cook is brilliant as Magpie (a rather underwritten role) but it is Maureen Lipman who makes the biggest impression. She is obviously hugely successful in portraying the Wire as a 50s BBC announcer, but her natural likeability makes the feral snarl she projects as the monster beneath all the more frightening. Tennant is a ball of energy throughout and Rose becomes wholly likeable again in a very impish performance by Piper.

Despite some fairly serious problems, "The Idiot's Lantern" is good fun and well worth a watch:

NEXT: "The Impossible Planet"/ "The Satan Pit"