Four to Doomsday

Four to Doomsday is a great example of how a well-worn premise (aliens wish to invade Earth) can still make intelligent and surprising television. It seems, at times, that Terence Dudley has never seen or read any science-fiction, but this is his advantage as he does not get bogged down in the usual clichés. The alien Urbankans are nothing like the usual would-be conquerors- their invasion plan is about as culturally sensitive as an invasion plan can be. There are only two fully developed characters apart from the regulars- Monarch and Bigon. Monarch is an insane autocrat with a God delusion, but he also recognises the need for doubt, which is why Bigon is allowed a great deal of freedom. Monarch's relationship with Persuasion and Enlightenment, his counsellors is expertly written as being a mix between the relationship between a king and his ministers and a god and his priests.

This is brought to life in a gently paced, but visually stunning production. The ship is brilliantly realised, with good model work, excellent sets (note the subtle matte work in the throne room) and truly outstanding lighting. John Black puts in a masterful job as director- the 'recreationals', featuring Mayan, Aboriginal, Chinese and Greek dances are wonderful and Black recognises the unparalleled effectiveness of an arresting image, from Bigon's revelation about his true nature to the Doctor's use of the cricket ball to get back to the TARDIS. The guest performances are excellent (although I'm surprised an actor of Burt Kwouk's stature was used in such a limited role) but the laurels have to be handed to Stratford Johns as Monarch, flawlessly portraying the madness, apparent benevolence and omnipresent arrogance of the character- I love it when Monarch's explanation for being unable to penetrate the TARDIS is that the TARDIS is too primitive for his instruments.

Peter Davison is wonderful here- this was his first story filmed and he is immediately recognisable. The Doctor goes around with a winning smile but conspires against his enemy under his breath. His dressing down of Adric is wonderful. Matthew Waterhouse's performance is strangely helped by the fact that Adric has to be duped by Monarch in the story. Nyssa doesn't make much of an impression, but Janet Fielding's grouchy interpretation of Tegan is easily the best performance among the companions.

This is a story that grabs hold of you and keeps your attention to the very end- highly recommended.

NEXT: Kinda

The Keeper of Traken

It is fitting that Johnny Byrne, creator of the almost comically somniferous Heartbeat, should write this story, where the heady concepts of the rest of Season 18 are dialled back for a rather sedate tale. In fact, the pace is very different from any other Doctor Who story I have seen. The info-dumping about Traken and its main players is done rather beautifully by the Keeper using the TARDIS scanner to give a potted visual history. The story progresses naturally- indeed, if it wasn't for a major revelation, this would be a story with no surprises at all- the main plot is resolved a bit too simply for my liking. However, there is a great deal to commend this story. The plot is reasonably simple and Byrne's script is full of very stylised dialogue that never seems artificial and is often lyrical and contains good characterisation and makes Traken a believable world

This is helped by a gorgeous production- the sets and costumes are sublime and, while this is hardly the most dynamic story, it is directed with great style by John Black- indeed, the production most resembles the better of the BBC Complete Shakespeare plays that were broadcast in the 70s and 80s. There are also some truly great performances- however, it is a real pity that John Woodnut and Denis Carey disappear half-way through as they are two of the best performers. Sheila Ruskin is a bit odd as Kassia- her facial and vocal performance is fine, but her body language seems influenced by the worst excesses of silent movie acting. However, the best performance is that of Anthony Ainley. Even with the knowledge of Ainley's future in the programme, his performance as Tremas is thoroughly convincing.

This story, of course, is just as much about the return of an old adversary as it is about regime change on Traken. Geoffrey Beevers puts in a very entertaining performance as the Master that is eerily anticipatory of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor in Return of the Jedi (and beyond). The Master's scheme is foiled, but that just lulls us into a false sense of security that makes the shocking twist at the end all the more powerful. Tom Baker is excellent, being both light-hearted and contemptuous of overly legalistic behaviour. Matthew Waterhouse's performance is fine here- he seems to spark well off Tom Baker.

This is a very enjoyable story, a moment of balm to ease us into what is to come.

NEXT: Logopolis