The Android Invasion

There are some impressive things about The Android Invasion. Barry Letts directs with great energy and the individual scenes work very well. The sequence where the android Sarah is unmasked and then sits up and shoots as the Doctor is very memorable. The design work is excellent, with the Kraals being successfully realised as a cross between a Sontaran and a Triceratops. There are also good guest performances, especially from Milton Johns as Crayford and the regulars put in good work- the chemistry between Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen is so successful that it manages to save some scenes that would otherwise be execrable.

However, the story suffers from having one of the stupidest, most poorly thought out scripts the programme has ever seen. This is Terry Nation at his worst, a script formed of set pieces that are clumsily stitched together. This is exemplified in the scene where Sarah twists her ankle for no good reason apart from adding ten minutes to the story time. There are ludicrous elements such as the robot detector and although enough has been written about the plot holes by others, it’s important to take note of how blatant they are- Guy Crayford’s eye, the fact that there is no real need to build the village in the first place, the fact that there is still an invasion fleet heading for earth at the end of the story etc. For this story to work, one would have to have the short-term memory of a cabbage. As soon as one thinks of the story as a whole, the whole thing falls apart. Instead of killing the Doctor Styggron ties him to a war memorial and blows up the fake village for no reason. This looks good and is exciting, but makes no sense in story terms. The opening is memorable- unfortunately it is exactly the same opening used in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. This story is an insult to the intelligence, with all the inherent narrative value of a screensaver.

NEXT: The Brain of Morbius

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

Revenge of the Cybermen

Of all the things I was hoping for more of, a Gerry Davis penned Cyberman story was not high on my list. Despite their ubiquity in the Troughton era, there was only one good story that featured the cyborgs (The Invasion) and Davis had nothing to do with it. Like Terry Nation, Davis had a tendency of recycling ideas, but at least Nation’s ideas were good. Things don’t look good for the story at the outset, with Revenge of the Cybermen starting off looking like a remake of The Wheel in Space, the very worst Cyberman story of the Troughton era. The story seems to indicate Davis’s sabbatical from the programme has given him time to think of a couple of new ideas. The Cybermen wish to destroy the planet Voga, a planet with very high gold deposits, a metal that is lethal to the Cybermen. The Vogans wish to be rid of the Cyber menace, but some wish to take offensive action, while others prefer to hide.

The fact that Davis has actually come up with a reasonably original storyline would be refreshing- if perusal of the original script didn't reveal that most of the innovations were the work of Robert Holmes. Beyond this, the actual plotting leaves a great deal to be desired. The Cybermen use the Doctor and the Nerva crew as ‘suicide bombers’ to take explosives to the centre of the planet. The reason why they don’t plant the bombs themselves is unclear. It can’t be because the gold content makes it impossible for the Cybermen to set foot on Voga, as some do, later on in the story. When they do, they are able to kill the entire Vogan army- who, for some reason, don’t use gold in any of the weapons that they deploy against the Cybermen, despite the fact that they use gold in everything else! Although their plan doesn’t have the Heath Robinson level of idiotic complexity that Davis usually gives them, the Cyber-scheme is still convoluted. Vorus’s plan is also ridiculous- why not just shoot down the Cybermen’s spaceship before they disembark? The characters are poorly defined and, even if it wasn’t for the many plot holes, the scene to scene plotting is very pedestrian.

To compensate for this, the story is very well designed, with some great sets and costumes and some fantastic location work at Wookey Hole. The makeup for the Vogans is very effective, actually making each of them look slightly different. Michael E Briant directs very well throughout- there are very effective scenes in part 1 when the TARDIS crew find Nerva full of diseased bodies and is helped by a cast that is so good that it elevates the mundane script into something watchable. The Vogans boast Kevin Stoney, David Collings and Michael Wisher, three excellent actors who manage to turn poorly defined ciphers into characters. Kelman is a stock traitor on paper, but Jeremy Wilkin makes him one of the smarmiest characters seen on the series. Unfortunately, the Cybermen themselves are less successful- so poorly defined that they could be any set of alien thugs. The performance of Christopher Robbie as the Cyberleader is completely off- a petulant, camp, silver gimp. The regulars are great, thanks to some great character dialogue by Robert Holmes- if there’s one thing worth watching the story for, it is the ‘Harry Sullivan is an imbecile!’ scene.

This is the best Cyberman story that Gerry Davis wrote. However, that is the faintest that faint praise can be. And the cybermats are still rubbish.

NEXT: Terror of the Zygons

Genesis of the Daleks

Genesis of the Daleks has been an ‘all-time-classic’ since it was first broadcast and, like some other all-time-classics it has been re-evaluated and found wanting since then. I will, therefore, try to be as fair as I can to a story that I have, to be honest, seen more than once before.

It is impossible to talk about the merits of the story without talking of the merits of Terry Nation as a writer. He was great with the basic ideas but less successful at other things- such as plotting and dialogue. Consider the ‘one-line pitch’ for the story:

The Doctor is sent back in time to the moment of the Daleks’ creation on Skaro, which has a society very reminiscent of the Nazis and meets their creator, Davros, a crippled genius who, disturbingly, uses a wheelchair shaped like the lower half of a Dalek.

There are so many possibilities, so many ways that this storyline could be executed. Nation effectively makes the similarity between the Nazis and the Daleks more explicit than ever before- we are told that the Kaled race ‘must be kept pure’ and that the Daleks are, in fact the ultimate expression of eugenics. Unfortunately, Nation again makes the story one of captures, escapes, recaptures and a few cliffhangers with terrible conclusions. We have many poorly thought out details such as a 100 year long war of attrition between two cities that have secret passages to each other that both sides know about. Most critically, we are left unsure of what it is, exactly, the Doctor accomplished. Apart from Davros, characterisation is virtually non-existent and Nation’s dialogue ranges from the functional to the bloody awful (‘She is a Norm! She must be killed!’) Nation resorts to some really egregious padding to bulk the story to a six episode length especially towards the end, where the Doctor loses the Time Ring and then has to destroy the tape recording of Dalek defeats.

All this seems to irretrievably damn the story. However, the story has the advantage of practically every other aspect of its realisation being nothing less than first rate. The guest performances are never less than excellent- for example, Ronson and Gharman are, essentially the same character on paper, but the performances by James Garbutt and Dennis Chinnery more than compensate for this. Peter Miles is utterly compelling as Davros’s right hand man (or should that be left hand man?) Nyder. Then there is the stunning direction. David Maloney is one of the best directors ever to work in Doctor Who and his mastery of mise-en-scène is a joy to watch here- note the proto-steadicam shots that introduce Nyder. Then, of course, there is the excellent opening sequence with gas-masked soldiers gunning each other down in slow motion. The lighting by Duncan Brown is astonishingly effective, creating shadows and reflections on Dalek casings and having Davros in shadow, with only his cybernetic eye glowing.

The design is first rate, taking inspiration from the two world wars. The front line is reminiscent on the Western Front, but has a small underground rail network, similar to that at the Maginot line. The Kaleds, of course are Nazis in manner and dress, with Nyder even sporting an all-black analogue of the Iron Cross. However, if the story has one absolutely indisputable triumph, it is Davros himself. As an image, that of a half man, half Dalek, he is potent enough. However, most crucially, Michael Wisher portrays him as a man, not a monster, which is what makes the character so chilling in this story. The regulars are not as well served by the script as they should be, but Sladen, Marter and Baker put in some typically sterling work. The Doctor is seen as always being mindful of the physical and moral consequences of actions, something simply, yet brilliantly brought to light when the Doctor talks of the morality of the creation of a deadly disease with Davros. This sequence, together with the famous one where the Doctor questions his right to destroy the Daleks at their birth are excellently performed and written, although they are blatantly the work of Robert Holmes.

With Genesis of the Daleks, the whole is less than the sum of its parts, because the parts have been sloppily gummed together. But the story is so well-made that it is definitely worth watching- although perhaps not all in one sitting.

NEXT: Revenge of the Cybermen

The Sontaran Experiment

And so the Doctor and co transmat to Earth for this breezy little interlude. On the uninhabited planet, there are other humans who are there to reclaim it, and a Sontaran who is capturing them and conducting experiments to decide the suitability of Earth for invasion.

The Sontaran Experiment efficiently dispenses its plot in less than 50 minutes, without seeming rushed, at least until the end. The script is well written with memorable characters and dialogue- it is, indeed, odd to see such a script from Bob Baker and Dave Martin, who normally hugely underestimate what the Doctor Who production team is capable of. Here, the writing manages to convey the horror of the experiments Styre dispassionately performs on the humans, without the need for violence and gore. Here, the production team are well up to the challenge, the OB video cameras giving the story a very natural look, with great use of exterior locations, excellently marshalled by Rodney Bennett.

The supporting cast is very effective. It is always welcome to see the future not just populated by British and Americans, and the thick South African accents of the Galsec colonists really emphasises the difference from the Nerva sleepers and Donald Douglas and Glyn Jones (who, incidentally, wrote Hartnell’s wonderful Space Museum ) are excellent. However, the standout, again, is Kevin Lindsay as the Sontaran. This is his last performance as one of the bellicose spud-heads and, therefore, a last chance to appreciate the skill he brought to the role. Like Linx, Lindsay makes the Styre flick his tongue in and out like a snake, a trait that the Sontarans would, unfortunately, lose. The make-up is different, though no less effective than in The Time Warrior.

The regulars are really outstanding. This story sees the beginning of Elisabeth Sladen’s playful interaction with Tom Baker’s Doctor and she is charming and funny in another rather limited role for her. Ian Marter is thoroughly entertaining as Harry, who actually manages to fiddle about with an alien device and produce the correct result. And, of course, there is Tom Baker, in a seemingly loopy, but actually very focused performance as the Doctor.

This is hugely entertaining and, apart from the rather rushed resolution, excellent story.

NEXT: Genesis of the Daleks

The Ark in Space

In Robot, the production team and the audience were given a chance to get used to the new Doctor. The Ark in Space, on the other hand, is the real start of the Tom Baker era, presenting a story that would have seemed very out of place in the Pertwee era. Why this is is hard to pinpoint exactly. Perhaps is because the visceral reaction to the central antagonist (laying eggs in a human host) is not just a welcome by-product of the story, but integrated into the story as a whole. It benefits from a good script from Robert Holmes. The first episode, which features only the regulars, works very well where similar episodes have failed (such as The Wheel in Space). This is probably because the episode is also used to present Harry's first trip in the TARDIS, which results in some excellent character moments. There are also the scenes where Sarah is put into hibernation, where info-dumping is brilliantly backed with soothing but sombre chamber music. The rest of the story is plotted well with little padding and the Wirrn, on paper are a well thought-out race of monsters. A pleasant surprise is that, even though a convenient Achilles Heel for the Wirrn is discovered (electricity) the story doesn't rely on it for its resolution. The dialogue is great, with the Doctor's famous speech on the indomitability of Homo sapiens being an obvious highlight.

The sets and direction are of a very high standard. The cryogenic chamber is a fantastic design and the harsh lighting of the main sets is actually effective, as it contrasts very well with the more gloomy lighting elsewhere. However, although the model the Ark is good, if basic, the shots of it in space fail because of the floating wobbly stars. The Wirrn are also disappointingly realised- I can just about accept the man in a bubble wrap sleeping bag as the grub, but the imago Wirrn show no mobility and, most damningly, it is never shown how they actually walk.

The characterisation of the supporting roles is surprisingly lax for Holmes. The sleepers are meant to come from a highly compartmentalised society, yet this is forgotten as the story goes on. It is a real pity that Homes did not do something interesting like having the revivees be from different areas who would only have communicated through intermediaries and therefore have a massive communication problem to start with. Wendy Williams puts in a nicely ubderstated performance as Vira, but John Gregg and Richardson Morgan are flat as Lycett and Rogin. Kenton Moore is fine to start with, but is hugely overwrought when he becomes possessed.

The regulars are fantastic in this. Tom Baker plays the doctor as light-hearted, yet radiating authority. Lis Sladen works well with a rather limited role for Sarah. Ian Marter is hilarious as Harry, with his enthusiasm ('I say, what's all that for?') and clumsiness working alongside his medical expertise.

Overall, this is a flawed, but still very enjoyable and worthwhile story.

NEXT: The Sontaran Experiment

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