Battlefield

Battlefield sees Doctor Who tackling Arthurian legend for the first time, which is surprising if you see Doctor Who as being a British mythos in its own right, but perhaps less surprising when you consider that Arthurian legend a) mainly French and (b) is basically the story of a king conceived in rape who, despite the help of a half-demon wizard, loses everything due to the fact that he conceives a child with his own sister. However, Ben Aaronovitch creates a very convincing tale where the legend of Arthur is based on the exploits of a warrior king from another dimension, where knights carry a sword on one side and an energy weapon on the other, where ornithopters and organic spacecraft rule the skies and where the line between science and magic is blurred. Into this, we have the Doctor who, to his own surprise, is hailed as Merlin by these people and has to improvise his way through situations that his future self has set up for him. Despite containing some undercooked plotting, a few lines of really dreadful dialogue, Aaronovitch tells a very enjoyable and evocative yarn. Despite a few bad lines, there are far more memorable ones and Aaronovitch's script is clearly the work of someone who deeply cared for what he was writing. Although the effectiveness of some characters is based on the actors, Morgaine is very well written for and the others work very well in the story. Aaronovitch is also concerned with the changing nature of war- Ancelyn and Morgaine represent the chivalric model of battle, overturned forever by World War One. We have the hydrogen bomb and Morgaine has the Destroyer- an obvious allusion to Alan Oppenheimer's paraphrasing from the Bhagavad-Gita (or 'the Hindu Bible' as Indiana Jones artlessly put it).

The realisation of the story is, however, very variable. Michael Kerrigan directs well, but not well enough. It is, perhaps, unfortunate that most of the problems are with the first episode, which is easily the weakest, with silly flying knights, the terrible 'Waiting for me!' bit and the horribly written and directed 'boom!' conversation between Ace and Shou Yuing. Most of the action scenes are poorly choreographed and the stock armour is less than successful. The final scene is a mixture of the sublime and the cringeworthy. However, UNIT looks like an international force for the first time and the actual design is very good. The absolute production highlight is the Destroyer, as good as anything from a big-budget movie. We also have the dreaded return of Keff McCulloch as composer but, although he sometimes indulges his predilection to signpost every movement with a chord, he does some very good work, most notably the already powerful scene where Morgaine kills Lavel and then heals Elizabeth Rawlinson.

There are some good performances, the best of which has to be Jean Marsh as Morgaine, a ruthless witch-queen who, nevertheless, has her own strict code of morality. Marsh is utterly fantastic in this role (the 80s saw her play witch-queens in several movies, so she had practice). Nicholas Courtney returns as the Brigadier giving a wonderful performance, helped by some great lines. The brilliant James Ellis gives a great performance as Warmsly and Ling Tai is very good as Shou Yuing. Christopher Bowen as Mordred is also good, although what possessed Michael Kerrigan to make him laugh like an idiot is beyond me. Brigadier Bambera is not the best written character, but Angela Bruce's natural charisma manages to save the character. Marcus Gilbert is his usual dashing self as Ancelyn, although the romance between him and Bambera seems tacked on. I must mention Sylvester McCoy's performance here. In this story he is both utterly convincing and utterly awful, in places giving the worst ever performance in the title role. Sophie Aldred is generally good, a special highlight being the scene where she is goaded into almost racially insulting Shou Yuing- a very brave move by Aaronavitch which could easily have misfired.

Battlefield manages to combine some excellent moments with some awful ones but it does work. I would recommend watching the 'movie' version if you only have time for one, as it fleshes out the back-story to good effect. It's hardly the highlight of the McCoy era, but is worth watching- and things only get better from here on.

NEXT: Ghost Light

"The Five Doctors"

Doctor Who's 20th Anniversary was marked by this feature length episode. As expected, the story is primarily there to celebrate Doctor Who's history, of which there was a hell of a lot. Terrence Dicks's script was a last-minute rush job that juggled five Doctors and their companions and the usual array of guest characters, so it is a miracle that the story works so well. Dicks reuses a plot element from The War Games (kidnapping alien beings to do battle in a game) and uses it to give each Doctor breathing space in this convoluted affair and the quest aspect is well handled to bind the differing journeys together. The story is also a quest for the identity of the Doctor himself, something made explicit in the plot and also lying implicit in the story's aim to be a celebration. Gallifrey is again given a sense of history with great economy and Dicks includes a great deal of memorable dialogue in a script that shows his skill and consummate professionalism.

Peter Moffat is hardly the most visually adventurous director, but he does reasonably good work here. Despite Gallifrey having a similar look to Arc of Infinity, scenes are cut with more urgency which compensate for this. The locations are well shot, with some very atmospheric scenes in the caves, and there is some great matte painting work for the exterior of the Dark Tower and great set design for the interior. We get some of the series' most celebrated monsters, with the appearance of a Dalek and a Yeti, but the main 'monsters' are the Cybermen. These are of similar design to those in Earthshock but, unfortunately, the key touch that made this design so great (the silver jaw visible behind the face-plate) has been omitted. However, the Cybermen form part of perhaps the most memorable set-piece in the story, the Raston Warrior Robot. This is a shockingly violent scene, where a platoon of Cybermen are impaled and dismembered by the Robot. The Robot is instantly memorable in a scene that is immaculately shot and edited.

Of course, the main attraction is the appearance of the five Doctors themselves, although, in reality, this is really another 'three doctors'- William Hartnell had been dead for 8 years and Tom Baker declined to appear. Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton effortlessly ease back into their roles and their interplay with their companions is excellently written and performed. Tom Baker appears in the form of a scene from Shada, but the First Doctor has been recast. Doing an impersonation of the inimitable Hartnell would have been disastrous, so it is good that Richard Hurndall gives us his own interpretation- he doesn't giggle or go 'hmm', but we still believe in him as the Doctor. If it had been up to me, I would not have had the First Doctor in it, but Hurndall does a good enough job. The guest performances are good, with Phillip Latham's power-mad Borusa being a highlight. The characterisation of the Master as being thwarted in his attempts to help the Doctor is highly amusing and works well.

The Five Doctors is eminently successful in both celebrating the programme and entertaining the viewer. This is the first story where I have had to review two versions. In 1995, an extended edition was released with 'improved' special effects and extra scenes. However, there are only two actual improvements, in my opinion- the first entrance of Borusa and the Doctor going into Borusa's office are better edited, but, in general, the pace is lost in the new edit. Also, the iconic black trapezoid used to represent the time scoop has been needlessly replaced with what looks like a CGI ice cream. If you only have time for one, make it the original.

NEXT: Warriors of the Deep

Mawdryn Undead

Peter Grimwade's second contribution to Doctor Who is, thankfully a vast improvement on his first, Time-Flight. The story takes place in two time zones, making it a rare instance of time travel being part of the plot, rather than the means to get the Doctor to his latest adventure. This is tied to the journey of Mawdryn and his fellow scientists on a quest for death. Apart from this, the story has to introduce new companion Turlough, have a guest role for the Brigadier and incorporate the return of the Black Guardian. In spite of some irritating technobabble, this story works very well. This story, of course, caused the 'UNIT dating controversy', but I can easily overlook this- things were more homespun then. Then, there is Mawdryn and his companions. They are by no means villains and their motivation in the story is a welcome change from the usual. There is good dialogue and all the strands are tied up very well.

The realisation of the story is very impressive, with sumptuous sets for Mawdryn's ship. However, the costumes for the mutants are a bit silly and, even though it has been pointed out by others, why does the Black Guardian have a dead crow on his head? Peter Moffat plays to his limited strengths as a director- canny editing sells the juxtaposition of different time zones and there are no fight scenes or complicated camera moves, something which Moffat has never been good at. The only time his limitations are shown is in the appalling shot of the 'dream Turlough' getting back into bed.

There are some very good performances, from Stephen Garlick's engaging 'Hippo' to Angus Mackay's restrained, yet very effective headmaster. However, there are two performances which really stand out. For the first time since 1975, the Brigadier appears and never before has he been portrayed as such a layered character and Nicholas Courtney rising admirably to the challenge, making the 1977 and 1983 Brigadiers genuinely seem like one person at different times of their lives. The portrayal of the Brig's apparent breakdown is portrayed surprisingly effectively and sensitively without betraying the heart of the character- something which is as much due to Courtney as to the script. I have seen David Collings in many things and he has never been anything less than brilliant. Collings infuses Mawdryn with a sense of menace, pain and tragedy, yet Collings makes us see a good person condemned to suffer for one mistake. Peter Davison works his usual magic, as does Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson makes an immediate impression as Turlough.

Mawdryn Undead is a highly enjoyable entry- with, incidentally, a really cool title!

NEXT: Terminus

Terror of the Zygons

Tom Baker's second season begins with his first alien threat against contemporary Earth. The basic storyline is nothing we haven't seen before- the Zygons want to conquer the Earth and use their cyborg monster, the Skarasen, to help them accomplish this. There are some plot problems, as we shall see later. However, if there is one story that is genuinely a 'triumph of style over substance' it is this one.

The Zygons themselves are one of the best realised alien races the programme has ever had. A fantastically designed costume is seamlessly blended with make-up onto the faces of the actors. Even today, a Hollywood budget would only slightly improve on the look. As in The Claws of Axos, there is an organic spacecraft, but one which is far easier on the eyes and far more subtle and interesting. All this is helped by Douglas Camfield's great skill in selecting the shots and supervising editing- the first full reveal of a Zygon is brilliantly done. Camfield manages to make the programme more 'edgy'- there is a real sense of danger in scenes such as the Zygon Harry's escape. Much has been made of the believability of the Skarasen. The creature is realised through a mixture of puppetry and a few shots with stop-motion animation. Although the creature is not particularly convincing, it is mobile and quite well designed. The end, where it rises out of the Thames fails mostly because it combines film and video elements- there have been far worse special effects on the programme.

The script is quite good, if somewhat half-baked. Despite the fact that the very first line by a Scottish character is aboot haggis, characterisation is good, with some nice moments. There is some clunky info-dumping- Broton explains things to Harry for no good reason, and some rather unbelievable plot points- the removal of the bug from the inn only alerts UNIT to where the bug came from and Sarah stumbles into the tunnel to the spaceship after being left alone by the Zygons, who have fetched a step-ladder for her to reach it. Any thought that they did that deliberately is scotched when they angrily discover the tunnel open.

The performances throughout are first rate, from Lillias Walker's spooky performance as Sister Lamont to John Woodnutt's excellent Broton/ Duke of Forgill. Tom Baker's detached, yet playful performance further distances the Fourth Doctor's personality from his predecessor. It's sad to see Harry go as a regular- Ian Marter made him entertaining and convincing throughout. This is also the last we'll see of the Brig for a good long while and Nicholas Courtney works his usual magic.

Terror of the Zygons has its problems, but it is thoroughly entertaining throughout and highly recommended.

Next: Planet of Evil

Robot

Terrence Dicks’s Wobot is a story where the Doctor helps UNIT in combating a threat, but it’s all change for this story. There is a new Doctor whose presence colours every scene of the story, while following a format that would easily fit Jon Pertwee’s Doctor. Here, the threat is a giant robot that is being used by a group called the Scientific Reform Society. The plot has a slightly lighter touch than previous stories, with a cosier kind of catastrophe than is usual- in fact the story seems to be aimed more at kids than a general family audience. This is no bad thing and Dicks’s script is full of great lines and good, if sometimes inconsistent, characterisation.

This is helped by a good supporting cast. Professor Kettlewell is obviously meant to be an absent-minded professor from a kids’ TV show, with his cardigan, pebble glasses and wild hair, but Edward Burnham gives him some depth. Then there is Michael Kilgarriff as the titular automaton. His rich voice is a welcome asset, but the real triumph is the wonderful design of the robot. The whole story is generally excellently realised. Just as Jon Pertwee’s debut was shot entirely on film, this story was shot entirely on video, even the location work, which gives the story a very unified look. Problems arise when the robot is required to grow to gigantic proportions- although background and object are better matched, due to the all-video shooting, it is far from perfect and the robot carries a doll to represent Sarah. This part of the story is obviously influenced by King Kong. Perhaps it is thankful that there are no dinosaur fights, considering what happened in the previous season. Then there’s the use of the toy tank, but it’s not egregiously bad.

However, the main reason the story is remembered is the new Doctor. Even today, 28 years after he relinquished the role, to many, Tom Baker is the Doctor. It is his likeness that appeared in episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy, for example and only David Tennant has shaken that stranglehold since then. This is probably due to his unequalled tenure in the role, combined with the fact that it was his stories that reached the widest audience in the United States in the 20th Century. Whatever hindsight reveals, he is phenomenally good in his début- manic, incapable of even sitting normally and full of energy- I love his look of glee when he first sees the TARDIS. It is shocking how young he looks in this story, even though he was over 40. Although it was Jon Pertwee’s Doctor who said that he was serious about ‘what I do. Not necessarily about the way I do it!’ it is Tom Baker who embodies that. This interpretation of the character would be similar to Troughton’s but Baker makes the Doctor seem more alien than he has been since William Hartnell- when he speaks to Kettlewell, initially asking him to explain his solar battery, but then abruptly asking him about the robot- we get the sense that his thought patterns are really non-human. This is reflected in his dealings with the regulars- he is immediately friendly with the Brig and Sarah, but barely registers Benton- until he gives the solution to the crisis. He even drives Bessie in a way that is far from the loving manner that his predecessor had. The regulars react to this new presence very effectively and Ian Marter is instantly effective as Harry Sullivan, a man who, when asked to be James Bond, dresses as John Steed.

This would be a fun little tale ordinarily. Baker’s début makes it unmissable.

NEXT: The Ark in Space

Planet of the Spiders

One thing that colours all reviews is personal preference- no matter how objective you try to be, it will always colour one’s impression. Therefore, I should warn you that I really enjoy this story, despite its many problems. However, I will try to be fair.

The plot itself is intriguing. The summoning of the Spiders at the meditation centre turns out to be a link between 20th century Earth and Metebelis III of the future, with the Spiders attempting to recover the crystal that the Doctor took from the planet in The Green Death. This brings aspects of the Pertwee era together for its finale- Metebelis III is probably the closest thing to ‘Bad Wolf’ that the original series produced. Jo sends the crystal back to the Doctor with an affectionate letter to the UNIT family. This is all integrated well into the plot, and doesn’t seem gratuitous. More importantly, this is no mere celebration of the past. The Doctor’s past, in fact, haunts and catches up with him. The seemingly meaningless death of Professor Clegg is a timely reminder that the Doctor leaves a trail of destruction in his wake and the Doctor’s taking of the crystal is, in fact, a theft. The Doctor is on trial in this story, and he is, indeed found guilty and must pay the ultimate price. The story is a bit flabby and could have done with some pruning, but Robert Sloman and Barry Letts produce their best script (not saying much, obviously) for the programme, telling an intriguing story with a great deal of thematic depth. Even the basic Buddhism taught only enriches the story, when it could easily have been mere proselytism (Letts is a Buddhist).

In production terms, the strengths of the story can be seen in the first episode. The scenes set at the meditation centre are excellent, with great set design and atmospheric lighting and shows Barry Letts at his very best as a director. The extended chase sequence in episode 2 is the only example of really gratuitous padding, but it at least manages to be visually interesting, with Bessie, the Whomobile, a mini helicopter, a speedboat and a hovercraft being utilised. It’s a real pity that no explanation is given for Lupton disappearing at the end of the chase, rather than immediately, as this amplifies the gratuity of the sequence. The look of Metabelis III is a bit of a let down after this. Some of the sets look cheap and there is too much use of CSO as a background. The Spiders themselves could have been far better realised. However, the Cave of Crystal and the Great One are very effectively realised.

The quality of the performances seem to vary with the location. The scenes set on Earth are strongly acted. The very talented Cyril Shaps makes the most of the brief role of Professor Clegg. John Dearth is suitably slimy and villainous as Lupton and Kevin Lindsay and George Cormack are very impressive as Cho-Je and K'Anpo. John Kane is touching as the innocent Tommy, a role that could easily have been insulting. However, amongst the natives of Metebilis III, only Geoffrey Morris as Sabor is worthy of any praise. Gareth Hunt is adequate as Arak, Ralph Arliss, less so as Tuar. Then there is Jenny Laird. Laird was actually a very experienced actress- she had a large role in Black Narcissus-however, her...presence... in the story doesn’t even deserve being called a performance.

Mike Yates’s involvement is well handled- it is clear that he has been forgiven, though his actions not forgotten, as he never meets the Brigadier in the story. Elisabeth Sladen gives a very strong performance, especially towards the end, ably assisted by Nicholas Courtney. It is interesting how the relationship between the Doctor and the Brig has developed since Season 7. It starts as mutual toleration, but the Brig describes the Doctor as a friend in The Green Death and we see them both at music hall evening where Clegg performs and, for the first time, the Doctor calls the Brig by his first name. In his final regular performance in the role, Jon Pertwee excellently portrays the well written role he is given. The Doctor must face up to the mistakes he has made and pay with his life. the chilling moment when the Great One makes the Doctor dance for her shows this very self-confident character lose control for the first time and, indeed, feel afraid. The regeneration scene (the first to be shown since the first one, and the first to be described as such) is beautifully written and performed. The transition to the next Doctor is rather simply done, but the writing and performances make up for this.

The problems I have outlined are major ones, yet I have always enjoyed this story and the good parts are too good for this story to be overlooked.

NEXT: Robot

Invasion of the Dinosaurs

I like to think that I have good taste when it comes to TV and film (and, for that matter, art, music and literature. Not so much clothes). However, as anyone who knows me can testify, I will watch any old rubbish with dinosaurs in it. Here, everyone’s favourite extinct creatures are used in Malcolm Hulke’s last contribution to the programme. Hulke always tried to present conflict where there would be explanations given as to why each party would act in the way they did. If there were villains, their motives might not be as reprehensible as their actions. Here, we have Operation Golden Age; a group who have decided that human society is dooming itself and the planet and that therefore, the human race should start again- by rolling the planet back in time to before the dawn of man and starting anew there.

The script puts forward ideas related to the threats of pollution, overpopulation and how it can be sensibly dealt with. As the Doctor says, he admires the ideals of Operation Golden Age, but abhors the drastic means to justify that end, just as we should realise that there is no ‘quick fix’ for these problems in real life. There is also the fact that Operation Golden Age is led by well meaning establishment figures who are basically willing to annihilate every human life that has ever existed on the planet (bar a chosen few) to get their perfect society. Bearing in mind Hulke’s communist leanings, is Operation Golden Age a revolutionary force destroying the bourgeoisie or an aristocratic force destroying the proletariat? Of course, I could be reading too much into it, but the script is thought provoking and, whatever the political thought behind it, it is a case of a minority committing atrocities ‘for the greater good’. However, it is less well structured than his best scripts. Although there is good characterisation, it could be better- we never find out what General Finch’s motivations are to become a member of Operation Golden Age. Thankfully the guest performances are outstanding and go some way to compensate for this. The plot thread with the colonists who believe they are on a space ship heading to a new planet succeeds largely because of the performances of the Carmen Silvera and Terence Wilton- otherwise, it would just be a rather silly aside. It is a pity that the 6 episode length couldn’t have been used to develop character, rather than have interminable chase scenes.

The regulars do great work. Hulke had a very clear idea of the Doctor being a very moral person who knew that ends and means cannot be separated morally and Pertwee plays this interpretation of the character with his usual flair and humour. Sarah Jane actually gets to be a journalist in this story and (despite being trapped by both Grover and Finch) shows resourcefulness and intelligence. The most striking character development is, of course, that of Mike Yates. His membership of Operation Golden Age is the only one that is explored in any detail and his betrayal adds to the moral complexity of the story.

Paddy Russell directs with great flair, particularly in the deserted London of episode 1. However, there is a Stegosaurus in the room- the dinosaur sequences. These are among the worst attempts I have ever seen to realise dinosaurs on screen. The models lack any kind of mobility and are sloppily designed. It is also clear that the three Tyrannosaurus models that are used are different colours and shapes. The dinosaur in Doctor Who and the Silurians was hardly of Jurassic Park standards, but at least it could walk. The appalling model work is further exacerbated by the dreaded combination of video and film when combining them with people. All this comes to a ridiculous head with the risible ‘battle’ between the T. rex and the Apatosaurus (incidentally, I find it bizarre that they gave the Apatosaurus a correctly shaped head, but gave the T. rex too many fingers!).

There is much more to this story than having rubbish dinosaurs and, despite the special effects and some plot and pacing problems, it just about qualifies for the ‘worth watching’ category.

NEXT: Death to the Daleks

The Time Warrior

Scientists have been mysteriously vanishing from a top secret scientific research complex. It transpires that a Sontaran named Linx, trapped in the Middle Ages, is using crude time travel technology to kidnap scientists from the 20th Century to help repair his spacecraft.

Season 11 brings a new title sequence and a new companion in this great little opener from Robert Holmes. The story itself is simple, but it takes the Doctor into Earth’s past (Atlantis excluded) for the first time in the colour era, which is noteworthy in itself. Again, his script is laced with great dialogue and characterisation, bolstered by an excellent supporting cast. David Daker stops just short of going over the top as Irongron and is ably supported by John J Carney as Bloodaxe. Even the scientists are given a memorable character in the shape of Donald Pelmear’s dotty Rubeish.

Then, of course, there’s Kevin Lindsay’s portrayal of Linx the Sontaran , a brilliant combination of a nicely modulated performance and fantastic make up. Even when the Sontarans returned in 2008, the new makeup was not a radical departure from the original look. The rest of the production values are first rate, with great location work being deployed. Alan Bromly’s direction is sound, although not spectacular and there are some odd editing choices.

Jon Pertwee is wonderfully playful as the Doctor, saying a line that probably describes the programme better than any other- he is serious about ‘what I do. Not necessarily about the way I do it!’ Of course, this story is also notable for introducing the character of Sarah Jane Smith. Of all the companions the Doctor has had, it is Sarah Jane who has stuck in the public’s mind more than any other, a fact reflected in her return to Doctor Who and her being accorded her own spin-off series. Elisabeth Sladen makes an instant impact in the role. It is interesting that she was deliberately introduced to combat sexism- the ‘women’s lib’ aspect is slightly overdone, but not painfully so, and it is unfortunate that the Doctor seems to make fun of it at times (although this, in no way, suggests that the Doctor himself is against it). The empowerment of women is more subtly displayed in the character of Lady Eleanor, astutely described by Barry Letts as a ‘goody Lady Macbeth’ and is always shown as being a stronger character than her husband.

This story is tremendous fun throughout and is well worth a look.

NEXT: Invasion of the Dinosaurs

The Green Death

The Green Death has the Doctor, Jo and UNIT fighting Global Chemicals, who have been dumping toxic waste into the coal mine in the Welsh town of Llanfairfach. This is a green slime which kills on contact and causes the mutation of giant maggots. This is the threat faced by the Doctor in the story, but it is by no means the only thing driving the story. The Green Death uses its 6-episode length to fully explore each of the themes it brings up.

At first glance, the story seems to be stuffed with stereotypes. The Welsh characters drop ‘boyos’ and ‘isn’t its’ all over the place and Professor Jones and the Nut Hutchers make their first appearance looking like a bunch of hippies. This leads one to expect that the Professor will appear intermittently in the story, have the Doctor sympathise with him and get into trouble behind the Doctor’s back and have the Doctor come and rescue him, before assisting him in the final showdown. However, we are drawn into the Professor’s life and, indeed, the Nut Hutch becomes the base of operations for the Doctor, which presents the value of environmentalism in a simple way, without resorting to preaching. Then there are the maggots, for which this story is famous and justifiably so- they are convincingly brought to life by the production team and have to rank as one of the most nauseating Doctor Who monsters of all time. Robert Sloman’s script contains some beautiful dialogue and is excellent at weaving most of these points together. However, the main scheme- the computer BOSS taking over the world- is actually somewhat underdeveloped and could actually have been excised.

However, it is in the interaction and development of the characters that this story really excels. This is, of course, Jo’s last story, and the growing mutual attraction between her and the Professor is beautifully portrayed. She says, at one point, that the Professor reminds her of a younger version of the Doctor and, indeed, with them both looking down microscopes at the Nut Hutch, this is what we get. The Brigadier and UNIT are seen as efficient, but very human- the Brig’s interaction with the Nut Hutch is very different from the reactionary response the audience expects. The sight of the Brig dining at the Nut Hutch in black tie, whilst the others are in their usual clothes and neither being uncomfortable with the incongruity, speaks volumes. The performances are outstanding throughout. Stewart Bevan is instantly likeable as the Professor and it is due to the skills of Jerome Willis and John Dearth that the BOSS storyline works at all. However, the leads should not be forgotten. The Doctor’s mixture of pride and sorrow at the realisation that Jo is moving on is beautifully performed by Pertwee and Katy Manning portrays Jo’s growing independence and maturity excellently. During this retrospective, I was very pleasantly surprised by Jo Grant, expecting to find her annoying. However, Katy Manning always made her worth watching and it is fitting that her departure is so emotional for the characters as well as the viewer.

Michael E. Briant’s direction is astonishingly good throughout. There is an very well executed sequence in episode one, which has Global Chemicals company director, Stevens, explaining how his new oil refining process is more efficient and eco-friendly. This is intercut with the Professor explaining to Jo exactly why it isn’t. The sequences on Metebelis III are both frightening, because of the way they are shot and funny, because of their juxtaposition with events on Earth, without one affecting the other. The production is not perfect, though- there is far too much CSO used as sets and backgrounds. This is a pity, as it is atmospherically and subtly lit elsewhere.

The story ends with one of the saddest shots the programme has ever had- the Doctor driving in Bessie alone. It is a beautiful end to a genuinely great story

NEXT The Time Warrior

The Three Doctors

Doctor Who managed to overcome the problem of how to survive after the lead actor left with immense creativity. Yet there must have still been some who missed Patrick Troughton and some (many of whom were now adults) who still remembered William Hartnell fondly. Both groups wondered what ‘their’ Doctor would have made of their successors and the start of the tenth season gave these fans what they had been hoping for. It is this aspect of the story that must be looked at first. There is a plot, but the plot is not the point of this story. There is a guest cast, but only two of them really matter. This is about fondly looking at the past, about younger siblings bonding with their older ones, of parents watching a programme with their children for exactly the same reason.

From the second he materialises, Patrick Troughton plays the Doctor like he’d never been away. Whatever the quality of the story (and he was in quite a few stinkers) Troughton was never less than excellent as the Doctor. His interpretation of the Doctor as someone who acted the fool in order to get his enemies to underestimate him makes an interesting contrast with the more diplomatic, yet confrontational Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. The interaction between the two of them is utterly fantastic and is enough to make this story worth watching on its own. Then, of course, there is William Hartnell. One thing I have come to realise in this little project of mine is that the Hartnell era was the best, one of the many reasons for which being Hartnell’s consistently outstanding performance. Unfortunately, Hartnell’s declining health led to him having a very restricted role in the story. The fact that his performance is still thoroughly convincing despite the fact that he was reading from cue cards is testament to the great skill of the actor. Even in such a limited capacity, it is truly joyous seeing William Hartnell as Doctor Who for the last time.

The script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin is very interesting. The Time Lords are having their power drained into a universe of anti-matter. The culprit is discovered to be Omega, a stellar engineer who created the immense power source needed to fuel time travel, but trapping himself in a black hole in the process. The only option for the Time Lords is to pit the three Doctors against Omega, and the denizens of the anti-matter universe that he has created. Baker/Martin scripts usually demand a great deal on the production side and one can imagine what Cardiff today could do with anti-matter creatures, black holes and singularities and the like. It is, therefore, remarkable that the visualisation of Omega and his world is (although far from ideal) capable of suspending our disbelief. The Gel-Guards are, of course, utterly rubbish, with their ridiculous appearance and the ridiculous ‘blobby-blobby’ noises they make. However, although the sets are a bit garish, they are reasonably effective. The realisation of the singularity as a column of smoke works well- we are in Omega’s world and can accept such figurative realisations better. The success of the visual side is also helped by the fact that Lennie Mayne directs. Mayne never let the fact that he was working on a tiny budget in a television studio stop him from creating interesting shots and compositions. The one creative decision I find fault with is that we only see Hartnell on a TV screen by shooting the screen itself and we never see the actual footage shot of Hartnell on its own.

The regulars are on good form. Katy Manning seems to mesh well with Mayne’s directorial style and Benton is given much more to do than usual, which John Levene takes full advantage of. There has been much criticism of the treatment of the Brigadier’s character, but I found that to mainly refer to the scene where UNIT HQ is transported to Omega’s world. In the rest of the story, the Brig is resourceful and shows great humanity in the scene where they have to part with the Doctors. Stephen Thorne brings a great deal of energy into the role of Omega, together with some amount of pathos. His shouting is sometimes ineffective, though.

This story is hugely enjoyable throughout, well worth investing 100 minutes in!

NEXT: Carnival of Monsters

The Time Monster

It is interesting to compare The Time Monster with The Mutants. In the earlier story, a conceptually ambitious and intelligent idea is let down by poor storytelling and variable acting. The Time Monster is the same, except for the conceptual ambition and intelligence bit.

The basic plot is this. The Master, disguised as Professor Thaskalos has set up a project called TOMTIT. The real purpose of the project is to summon and control a being called Kronos, from a race called the Kronovores. The key to true control of Kronos lies 3500 years in the past, in the lost realm of Atlantis, where Kronos created a golden age.

There is nothing really wrong with that as a plot. However, in turning that plot into a script, would you a) get to the Atlantis part as quickly as possible or (b) waste four episodes with increasingly ludicrous set pieces that all make the same point- time does funny things when there’s a Kronovore about. In these four episodes, we learn nothing new about the characters and not only is there no actual worsening crisis, there is no plot progression at all. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the dialogue varies in quality from forgettable to excruciating and we have some truly awful guest performances. Wanda Moore and Ian Collier aren’t actually bad actors, but their characters are irritating. Donald Eccles is clearly doing proper acting, but utterly failing in turning that into a performance. This is the worst example of directing an ensemble in Doctor Who since The Underwater Menace- in their scenes together Roger Delgado and Eccles seem to be saying their lines without realising there is another actor in the room. However, I sympathise with Paul Bernard- if I was presented with a script this awful, I would consider it dramatically unsalvageable and simply try to make the actual production as bearable as possible for myself, even if it stretches to zooming for no reason or getting the actors to pretend to run on the spot in slow motion.

Part four is much better, purely because it is a competently made piece of television. Then we get to the Atlantis part, which contains the one outstanding performance from a member of the guest cast. George Cormack is suitably dignified and sympathetic as King Dalios. Ingrid Pitt is less skilful as Queen Galleia, but she’s so damn sexy, I can forgive this. Aidan Murphy as Hippias gives a performance that is, what people who have never been to the theatre call theatrical, with unsubtle gesturing and vocalisation. Susan Penhaligon, however, is quietly effective as Lakis.

The design work is sound, particularly in Atlantis. However, the realisation of Kronos is absolutely awful- a monster that not only looks like, but is treated as a pigeon that has accidentally flown into a room. The final appearance of Kronos, as a vast disembodied head, is far more effective. Dudley Simpson seems to be as annoyed by the story as Bernard and seems to be improvising badly at some points.

The regulars are about as effective as they can be in this fiasco- bizarrely, this is one of Katy Manning’s best performances. Pertwee manages to be effective throughout, as does Courtney. Delgado is very good, considering what he had to work with, especially in the sexual tension he has with Galleia. However, the scene where he begs Kronos for mercy is pitched and performed in the wrong way.

This story is an overlong, brainless, lumbering mess, the worst story since The Underwater Menace. I had to watch it. You don’t.

NEXT: The Three Doctors

Day of the Daleks

Day of the Daleks features an interesting proto-Terminator plotline- a global peace conference organised by a Sir Reginald Styles is bombed and future generations will blame him for it- for the bombing results in a global war that will leave the Earth open to invasion by the Daleks. Commandos are sent back in time to assassinate Styles, to prevent that future coming to pass.

This is one of the few stories to use time travel as more than the means to get the Doctor from adventure to adventure and it is reasonably well thought out. There is a discussion between the Doctor and Jo as to why the time travellers cannot keep coming back to the same point in time to correct any mistakes they might have made (although the Doctor is conveniently interrupted before actually explaining the ‘Blinovitch Limitation Effect’). There are a few problems, most notably that the Daleks are aware of the real cause of the explosion. It would have been better had they been unaware as well, rather than adding an unnecessary and confusing dimension to the plot. However, Louis Marks’s script tells an effective story with little padding and holds up quite well.

Of course, the main selling point is the return of the Daleks to Doctor Who after 5 years. Unfortunately, they are considerably underused (it is easy to see that they were a late addition to the script) and it is obvious that there are only three of them. Their voices are very different to those used in any other story which jars somewhat. However, it is good to see them back. The story also introduces their dim-witted henchmen, the Ogrons. The Ogron make-up is outstanding and these lumbering super-apes manage to be both menacing and comical at the same time.

The guest cast is generally good (although the technician at the Dalek base has an odd manner of speaking, which is never addressed). The best performance is definitely Aubrey Woods as the Controller, giving a very sympathetic portrayal of the latest in ‘a family of Quislings’. The scene where he expertly gets Jo to freely divulge the information he needs is very well acted. Paul Bernard directs with great fluidity, with some very effective editing. The whole production is of a high standard, although the fact that there are only three Daleks is particularly obvious in the assault on Auderly House.

Jon Pertwee is fantastically unflappable as the Doctor- there is a scene which the viewer will either love or hate, where the Doctor does his Venusian aki-do on a commando and then takes a sip of wine. UNIT is also on good form here- there is the great ‘RHIP’ scene between Benton and Yates. Jo Grant has to spend a good portion of the story being hoodwinked, but Katy Manning still manages to make her appealing.

Although by no means a great story, Day of the Daleks is entertaining and stands up to repeat viewings well.

NEXT: The Curse of Peladon

The Dæmons

The main asset that The Dæmons possesses (ha!) is atmosphere. In attempting to portray Satanism in a scientific context for a family audience, director Christopher Barry makes the story seem reminiscent of (then) recent British horror films. The opening is very Hammeresque and in other places, notably the malevolent Morris dancers, the story seems to anticipate The Wicker Man by two years. Barry's direction is very effective throughout, with crane shots and the lighting throughout is very evocative- scenes set in the crypt are lit with red and exterior shots are always a bit murky (although this could be an effect of the primitive colourising process used to restore the story)

However, the story stumbles when it comes to plotting. The story is stuffed with good set pieces, but they are very poorly integrated and do not constitute a cohesive narrative. For example, the opening scene where a man is killed in the churchyard is great- until it becomes obvious that Azal has not risen, nor Bok activated- so what killed him? The resolution of the story is terrible- Azal is ready to kill the Doctor, but destroys himself when Jo willingly offers to be killed in the Doctor's stead. This is after the Doctor has spent a good deal of time supervising the building of a machine to break the heat barrier and drain Azal's energy- which then blows up shortly after it is turned on. This machine is the most gratuitous piece of padding in the story and should not have taken up more than 10 minutes, if this was all the plot significance it was going to have.

The other main problem is the guest cast. This has to be one of the most uninspiring ensemble of actors that a Doctor Who story has ever had. Colony in Space had good actors playing dull characters, whereas here, we have the opposite problem. The most interesting characters are Professor Horner and the BBC crew and they only really appear in episode 1. Of the remainder, Don McKillop as Bert the Landlord is reasonably good as is Rollo Winstanley as the Squire. The others are pretty much faceless and phone in their performances- not good if you want a village full of malevolent rural types and you get a bunch of Mummerset mumblers. Then there is Damaris Hayman as Miss Hawthorne. It is a good thing that the actress has such an interesting screen presence, because she gives one of the most annoying performances I have seen in the programme.

The regulars are on good form- it is interesting to see UNIT in civvies and they are clearly having a whale of a time. Of special note is Jon Pertwee- the Doctor is clearly moody after a long drive with many wrong turns and his bad mood continues for a good portion of the story. He is impatient and rather patronising and it's only the natural likeability of the actor that makes us stick with him.

The Dæmons is perfectly entertaining and enjoyable. The trouble is, it will dawn on you afterwards that it's not particularly good.

NEXT: Day of the Daleks

Colony in Space

Colony in Space has the Third Doctor travelling in the TARDIS for the first time to an alien planet, namely, the planet Uxarieus, where a colony from earth has been established. However, the ruthless Interplanatary Mining Company want to claim the planet for its mineral wealth and the apparently primitive natives hold a deadly secret.

When Malcolm Hulke writes a Doctor Who story, one thing the viewer can expect is a degree of intelligence, airing of social issues and the like. However, it takes more than that to create an engaging narrative. This story is well designed and competently directed. The performances are generally good, although perhaps a bit mannered in places. However, the story fails in two key areas- characterisation and plot.

The colonists have no really interesting characters amongst them. They are depicted as worthy decent folk, some slightly more aggressive than others. The impression that is given is, frankly, The Good Life in space (although the story predates that programme). What made that cosy 70s sitcom watchable were the characters and the fact that it could be very funny. Remove that, and you have a bunch of earnest middle-class types talking endlessly about crops- hardly the most arresting series of events. The IMC people are more interesting purely because they are bent on causing the colonists harm. However, the colonists are so boring that, whilst the viewer wants IMC to be thwarted, it is not for the sake of the colonists. Pertwee and Delgado are great as usual, but Katy Manning is severely hampered by a story that asks no more of her than to scream and be rescued by the Doctor.

The arrival of the Master makes things much more interesting. We are taken into the alien city and are shown the reason for the Master's presence (and the reason for the Time Lords allowing the Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. The aliens are reasonably well realised, as is their city, although the realisation of the alien leader is unwittingly reminiscent of Vic and Bob's Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye! The problem is that these events occur too late in what is a longueur saturated 6-episode narrative. Had more time been given to this, the story might have been saved.

This is a pity, as there is little in the story that is actually bad- in fact, the story might have been more entertaining had there been a hammy performance, silly music or a really rubbish monster. Instead, Colony in Space commits a crime that very few Doctor Who stories are guilty of- being dull. One for completists only.

NEXT: The Dæmons

The Claws of Axos

A huge spacecraft called Axos buries itself on Earth and broadcasts a proposal- in return for the opportunity to refuel, mankind will be given Axonite, a material that can solve both the energy and food crisis of Earth. But Axonite and the Axons are not what they seem, and they are not acting alone.

The script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin is solid enough but not spectacular, containing little that had not been covered (somewhat more skilfully) in the previous season. However, this is not what sets this story apart. Perhaps more than any other story, The Claws of Axos succeeds or fails depending on the viewer's own particular sense of æsthetics. The production team is called to realise an organic spacecraft and their realisation is certainly imaginative. However, the early 1970s were not famous for tasteful combinations of colours and it is easy to sympathise with the viewer who finds the set design absolutely hideous- yellow is a colour that does not lend itself easily to saturation. In my opinion, although the sets are, indeed, very colourful, I can appreciate the imagination and creativity of them. The main chamber in Axos is reminiscent of a heart ventricle and there are nerve ganglia and ligaments in all the sets. The blobby Axons are mostly effective, although some shots are better than others. Michael Ferguson's direction is up to his usual high standard, not only in showing us the psychedelic environment of Axos, but in effective action sequences. Dudley Simpson's score is, shall we say, idiosyncratic and seems, at times, to be making it up on the spot on a Delaware synthesiser. The science in the story is very dodgy- apparently, all one has to do to escape a giant nuclear explosion is to drive away a few miles and, once the explosion has happened, it is perfectly safe to drive back!

The guest cast is very variable. Paul Grist is a bit flat as Bill Filer, but Donald Hewlett and Tim Piggot-Smith are rather good. There are some more serious character problems, however. Winser is made to be a rather unlikeable figure for no reason whatsoever and we are actually glad when he gets killed (or I was, anyway!) There have been many scientists in Doctor Who who mistrust the Doctor and think him a fool, but they have always had a proper place in the plot. Peter Bathurst's performance as Chinn is perfectly sound, but Bathurst is miscast. The character should have either been played as a young, inexperienced, but overconfident man, or a single-minded blowhard. With Bathurst playing him, I actually felt sorry for Chinn quite a few times! The regulars are on good form with some very nice scenes given to the Master when he is inspecting the Doctor's TARDIS. There is also an unusual and well played turn of events when the Doctor appears to join with the Master and abandon Earth. The Doctor has pretended to join with the villain before, but there is a real personal stake in it this time and we are not sure. This is the first time we have seen the Doctor piloting the TARDIS since he regenerated and the ease in which the Third Doctor does this is obvious.

The Claws of Axos is a real mixed bag, but does contain much that is good. It depends, really on how much you like yellow.

NEXT: Colony in Space

The Mind of Evil

The Mind of Evil is a return to the grittier style of story that was typical of the previous season. The Master is back, planning to start a world war by launching a missile at a global peace conference in London. Meanwhile, he has also developed a machine that removes 'evil' impulses from the minds of criminals, but it turns out that the machine, literally, has a mind of its own.

There are two main threats in this story- the Master's plan to cause global chaos and the Keller Machine. The machine, with the malevolent Mind Parasite inside, is a really frightening concept. Visually, it is a very ordinary prop, but what it can do is horrifying. This is very well realised with spooky music (courtesy of Dudley Simpson) and inventive direction. It is a truly terrifying moment when the machine gains the ability to move. The World Peace Conference is depicted as being mired in distrust and the Master's actions will turn that distrust into hostility. One problem is that these two aspects are not integrated together in the story- it is never made clear why the Keller machine was built (plotwise, it's a sci-fi threat in what is otherwise a straight action thriller). However, they are both realised very effectively, which compensates for this. It is interesting to note the very '70s liberal' attitude to Maoism- the Doctor is friendly with Mao Zedong, who caused the deaths of millions of his people in The Great Leap Forward and then turned to destroying their minds in the Cultural Revolution. Don Houghton puts forward an intelligent script, despite the plot problems.

Timothy Combe again shoots action scenes with filmic flair. The storming of Stangmoor Prison is a fantastically lavish set piece and the use of a full sized missile prop gives the story a very glossy feel. Indeed, the prison is a very effective location, giving the story a very grim feel. The supporting cast is great, with Pik Sen Lim being excellent as Chin Lee and Neil McCarthy being very sympathetic as Barnham. Jon Pertwee strikes a balance between the serious, determined Doctor of season 7 and the more light-hearted one of Terror of the Autons perfectly. Katy Manning as Jo manages to be both sweet and an effective UNIT agent. Delgado again effortlessly makes the Master suave yet twisted. Here he is outfitted like a Mafia boss, riding around in a limousine, chomping huge cigars.

The story does repeat itself (especially when it comes to cliffhangers) and contains some padding- again, this would probably have worked better as a 4-parter. However, it is utterly compelling throughout and well worth a look.

NEXT: The Claws of Axos

Terror of the Autons

The Autons are back for the start of Season 8, but they're not alone, for they are in league with the Master- a Time Lord who is a contemporary of the Doctor's. Not only have the Doctor and UNIT got to fight to stave off the invasion, but the Doctor has to deal with a very personal threat to himself from the rival Time Lord.

It is interesting that the Autons have never been the sole headliner in their own stories. In their first story, they had to share the spotlight with a brand new Doctor and, when Doctor Who was relaunched in 2005, they not only had to do that, but had to be part of the relaunch of the programme for a whole new generation. Here, they headline with the show's first recurring villain. However, to compensate, the scope of the Nestene's control of plastic has been widened. Now, anything made of plastic can be animated. We see a man being smothered by a plastic chair, a 'devil doll' coming to life and killing and plastic daffodils that squirt a plastic that hardens over the nose and mouth, suffocating the victim. The Autons themselves have been redesigned, with horrible featureless faces. The obvious aim of all this was to make children wary of every plastic object around them and each set piece is very effective, being set up merely to shock and succeeding admirably.

The story is impressive visually, with each of the aforementioned set pieces being expertly constructed and shot, with some very impressive stunt work (in one case, very impressive indeed and blatantly a stunt that went wrong but, mercifully, did not result in serious injury). The image of Autons dressed in identical smiley face costumes is very memorable. However, there is a real over reliance on CSO, being used, sometimes arbitrarily, in the place of sets.

Robert Holmes's script is very effective and we see the first real instance of his gift for character. He makes sure that all the characters have personalities- for example, the technician Goodge, whose only dramatic function is to be killed by the Master, is given a few lines bemoaning the contents of his packed lunch. There is no reason why the Master should start his operations at a circus, but the story is all the better for it, providing an interesting backdrop and adding character colour. The script does fail in the dénouement, however, with the Doctor pointing out to the Master that the Nestene will eventually betray him and the Master acting like he had never thought of that.

Roger Delgado is instantly effective as the Master, radiating charm (in every sense of the word) and menace in an immediately captivating performance. Pertwee and Courtney do their usual sterling work, ably supported by Levene. However, this story is also important for the addition of Katy Manning as Jo Grant. Jo is appealingly scatty and almost child-like, a complete contrast to Liz (who has abruptly left prior to this adventure). Her chemistry with Pertwee is instant and she is very appealing in this story.

Terror of the Autons is markedly different in tone from the previous season. The tone is effectively set in the Doctor's first scene- singing "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", whereupon there is a bang and some smoke. The tone is lighter and more simplistic than the previous season- but that is by no means a wrong turn in the direction of the programme. Terror of the Autons is great fun throughout and comes highly recommended.

NEXT: The Mind of Evil

Inferno

Inferno has a story line. There is a project dedicated to penetrating the Earth's crust in order to tap a new energy source located beneath it. The Doctor notes the dangers that Professor Stahlman, the project director refuses to heed. However, things are already going wrong. A green slime is coming out of the drilling shaft, which infects anyone who touches it, turning them into sub-human monsters. When the Doctor tries to reactivate the TARDIS he is transported into a parallel universe where the drilling is more advanced. A fascistic government seems to rule Britain and familiar faces mask unfamiliar personalities. It is there that the Doctor realises the full extent of the danger that the drilling will unleash. It's a perfectly respectable story line that would be easy to make into a good Doctor Who story. However, Inferno is not a good Doctor Who story. It's an absolutely fantastic one.

The main reason for this is this is that this story probably has the finest guest performances the programme has ever seen. Every single one of the main speaking roles is impeccably performed. Derek Newark makes Sutton likeable and very exciting to watch. Olaf Pooley plays Stahlman as stubborn and obsessed but not actually evil and Sheila Dunn makes a thoroughly reactive character like Petra seem genuine. We can see the impact of the events in the story in the faces of the characters and in the way that they interact, which means that we are with them all the way. The 'evil parallel universe' idea is not a new one, but it has rarely been done better than here. Don Houghton rightly portrays it as an evil society, but not full of naturally evil people. Some are considerably different (Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton) others only different by the circumstances of life (Liz). Again the actors put their all into these roles. The alt-Greg Sutton has a very slightly more formal manner of speaking, even though the character is a maverick. Section Leader Shaw is the same person, but brought up to believe in a separate set of values. And, of course, the Brigade Leader is a chilling perversion of the Brigadier we have grown to love, an excellent performance by Nicholas Courtney.

Houghton's script is very well written, with many lines of memorable dialogue. The blossoming romance between Greg and Petra is beautifully written and played in both universes. And, of course we see the Doctor faced with an apocalyptic situation- and fail. The world is, indeed, destroyed in the alternative reality, which adds to the intensity of the story. The production values are excellent. Douglas Camfield has a great eye for a great shot and the editing and photography are first rate, with very effective use of filters for the apocalyptic scenes for episodes 5 and 6. The use of stock music, rather than a score, creates a spooky ambience that is very powerful. And, of course, there is the ever present sound of the drilling.

Jon Pertwee is absolutely astonishing as the Doctor throughout, the intensity of his performance matching that of the story. While he fails to save the alternate Earth, he does manage to inspire several of its inhabitants to be better people before they die, perhaps the most 'Doctorish' thing he could do.

The Primords are not very effective, truth be told. But I really don't care. This is one of the best Doctor Whos of all time, a fantastic end to the best season since the Hartnell era.

NEXT: Terror of the Autons

The Ambassadors of Death

The Ambassadors of Death is one of the cleverest stories the programme has produced. It is the first depiction of what has become known as 'first contact' between humans and aliens. It has, however, a very clever twist to it, as it realises that first contact, should it ever happen, will have been an event that would have been planned for by more than one party. The way the story does this is inspired. When a recovery capsule is sent to rescue the returning astronauts from a Mars mission, the three figures in space suits are not the crew, but aliens. This immediately recalls The Quatermass Experiment, something that would have been obvious to any older viewer at the time. The aliens are humanoid, but seem to be intensely radioactive, even feeding off radiation and their touch is deadly. However, Quatermass is very cleverly subverted- instead of spreading a deadly something on Earth, the aliens are captured and imprisoned. Whatever is wrong with this situation, it isn't that the aliens want to conquer Earth. It turns out that former astronaut General Carrington has encountered these aliens on Mars and is horrified at the idea of first contact. He engineers a fake first contact scenario, where the aliens send three ambassadors to Earth, but he uses them to instil fear and hatred of the invader.

This is a very interesting premise and is well explored in the story. Most importantly, it is backed up by some excellent characterisation. Carrington is the main antagonist in the story, but is not a real villain. He genuinely believes he is saving the planet with his actions and even the Doctor states that he understands the general's motives and John Abineri puts in a great performance. Reegan, effectively portrayed by William Dysart is depicted as a smarmy but ruthless thug who, nevertheless, is mildly likeable and the script decides not to punish him for his actions at the end. Even stock characters such as Ralph Cornish are well played. Jon Pertwee builds on the new 'diplomatic' aspect of the Doctor's personality very well and Caroline John and Nicholas Courtney continue to impress.

Visually, the story is very impressive. There are gunfights, convoys all excitingly captured on location and on film. The aliens are brilliantly realised. Although we only see their true form for a matter of minutes, the sight of them in space suits is very chilling and Liz's first sight of them is disorienting and terrifying. Michael Ferguson takes full advantage of what was, clearly, a larger budget than usual and puts in great work behind the camera. There are some very memorable scenes- the thugs being told to get in the van with the aliens only for their bodies to be dumped in a gravel pit later, the trip to the alien mother ship with its wonderful design, the raid by one of the aliens where they are shown walking up to the gate backlit by the sun.

There is a major problem with the story. Alone amongst the stories in this season, it is noticeably padded- indeed it could be stated that the cliff-hanger format of Doctor Who works against this particular story and they tend to impede the flow of the narrative. Each story has a major action set piece that, whilst usually effective, are symptoms of the story engineering situations to lengthen the narrative. As in Whitaker's Evil of the Daleks, there are redundant characters- Taltalian, for example, could have been done away with. This tends to complicate the story unnecessarily.

However, the rest of the story is simply too intelligent, too compelling and too well done, production wise, to derail this story and it's well worth a punt.

NEXT: Inferno

Doctor Who and the Silurians

The Doctor, Liz and UNIT investigate power losses at the Wenley Moor research station, where it found that ancient reptilian humanoids have been awoken from hibernation and intend to reclaim their planet from its human usurpers. The Doctor has to help the humans, but things are not as cut and dried as they usually are…

Spearhead from Space dealt with an alien invasion and the reintroduction of the Doctor and the story whizzed past as a result. Doctor Who and the Silurians presents a more complex tale and it is only at the end that we find out who the ‘bad guys’ really are. The reptiles, unlike any other adversary the Doctor has faced, have a right to live on the Earth and merely defeating an invading force will not be enough. Hulke uses the near three-hour length of this story to expertly examine the issues brought up by this story. The reptiles are not seen clearly until the end of episode 3. We see the fear they instil in those who have encountered them, and the fact that they control a large carnivorous dinosaur. Yet when Quinn speaks to them, they do not threaten him, but merely expect him to help them in exchange for information. The Doctor points out that the dinosaur is called off before it can inflict any real damage. Even when they harm humans, it is only in self-defence. It is Quinn’s imprisonment of the lone Silurian (who was rashly wounded by Major Baker) which sets off the reptiles’ desire to pursue a more aggressive route. The Silurians are clearly not just ‘monsters’.

Characterisation is expertly utilised by Malcolm Hulke in driving this story. Dr Lawrence is adamant that the research station not be closed down, in the face of overwhelming evidence that it should be. He is portrayed as a man desperate to protect his career at all costs, in a masterful performance by Peter Miles. There is also the very interesting relationship between Dr Quinn and Miss Dawson. Miss Dawson clearly holds a torch for Quinn and her reaction to his death is to give an inaccurate account of Quinn’s dealings with the Silurians, which plays a part in deciding the course of action to take. The great Fulton Mackay is great as Quinn, a man who is by no means bad, but lets his ego lead him to his doom. Thomasina Heiner makes for a sympathetic Miss Dawson. Then, there is the welcome fact that the Silurians are given different personalities as well. There is the headstrong young Silurian who wants to have the ‘apes’ exterminated, and the old Silurian leader who is willing to consider peace with the humans. This leads to a power struggle that results in the young Silurian authorising the release of a plague to destroy the humans. These strands are woven expertly to make full use of seven episodes.

Visually, this story was the start of ‘Classic 70s Doctor Who’- colour videotape for the studio, colour 16mm film for location. It is a good time to point out something important here- PAL videotape looks a lot better than NTSC videotape, not just because of its higher resolution, but because of its superior colour bandwidth (Ironically, as the PAL masters are lost, we have to rely on the colours from an NTSC conversion). Even so, colour videotape is less ‘cinematographic’ than black and white videotape, but there is some excellent use of lighting in the cave sets. The location scenes are very exciting, with helicopter shots (and the helicopter used to shoot them!) and scenes of a large scale search party. The scenes where the plague takes London is shot with cinematic slickness and helps make part 6 a very exciting episode. Timothy Combe directs with great energy (despite a couple of gratuitous zooms) throughout. Barry Newbery’s set design is exemplary as usual, with special mention for the aforementioned cave sets and the cyclotron room, with the cyclotron itself being a simple, yet visually interesting design. The Silurians themselves, although a bit wobbly headed, have moving lips and actually look different from each other. The voices, by Peter Halliday, are also very effective. The less said about the dinosaur, the better, but it’s only in a couple of shots, as is the (soon to be ubiquitous) use of CSO.

The main quibble I have does not really relate to the story, but the science. If there is one area of science that the average child knows a lot about, it’s prehistoric life and I could have told you at the age of four that amphibians had not evolved in the Silurian, let alone intelligent reptiles. Still, I don’t think that Doctor Who and the Maastrichtians would have been anything like as effective a title. There are also problems with the nuclear physics and a misunderstanding of protective layers of the atmosphere. The story is, however, good enough to make me forget these inaccuracies. There is also the question of the music. It is mostly fine apart from, unfortunately, the ‘Silurian theme’ for which Carey Blyton, for some reason decided to use a crumhorn, an instrument famously described by Terry Pratchett as having ‘a sound like the ghost of a refried bean’. It sounds bizarre at the best of times and does threaten to undermine the action.

Jon Pertwee is captivating throughout as the Doctor. He is given a problem that is different from any other he has faced- save the humans, but attempt to make peace with the Silurians, and Pertwee performs marvellously with this in mind. Caroline John continues to make Liz an interesting and strong character- when she awakes after being knocked out by the fugitive Silurian, she doesn’t scream, she merely states ‘I saw one.’ Nicholas Courtney presents the Brigadier as a strong, intelligent man of action and his interplay with Pertwee is very interesting. The Doctor and the Brigadier clearly like each other, but they are still a long way from being friends.

This leads me to the ending. The Silurian plan has been thwarted and they remain in hibernation. As we prepare for the expected conclusion, we see the Doctor and Liz going to drive away in Bessie, after the Doctor has been assured the Silurians will be revived slowly, in order to negotiate peace. Then, we see the caves being blown up. The Government cannot take the responsibility of an intelligent race joining the humans on earth, so the Brigadier has been ordered to take drastic action. The Doctor is disgusted, a feeling we share. It is a shocking twist, ending a truly first rate story.

NEXT: The Ambassadors of Death