Tom Baker Returns as the Fourth Doctor!
After Season 20 launched all the way back in September, we finally got word of the next Collection release in January – a set that had been rumoured for a while in Season 15.
Season 15 followed three hugely successful seasons helmed by Philip Hinchcliffe and need no introduction. However, in 1977, Hinchcliffe found himself being replaced by Graham Williams who had previously helmed the Police drama Target for the BBC amongst other successful projects. Williams’ first year as producer was anything but Stress-free as it faced various issues, the biggest being inflation and struggles to keep the production from going over-budget and also make it less violent due to growing complaints.
The results are seen in this season, especially towards the end as drastic measures had to be taken to keep stories from being scrapped altogether. Script issues also resulted in stories being changed, and while this would work out well for the likes of the season opener, the season finale had to be hastily rewritten by Williams and new script editor Anthony Read, who took over from Robert Holmes midway through the season.
I’ve long-held the belief that Season 15 is one of the weakest in the series’ run, but upon rewatch it has high and low points that are much more obvious after the arguable renaissance that was seasons 12-14, and the toning down of stories for the most part and introduction of more child-friendly elements like K9 (John Leeson) are hit and miss. Considering the odds being against him, however, Graham Williams would make it through his first season with something to look forward to in Season 16, wherein his initial idea for a season-long storyline would finally come to fruition.
Horror of Fang Rock:
After his planned vampire-themed script was canned owing to a recent BBC production of Dracula (only to be resurrected in 1980 through “State of Decay”) Terrance Dicks crafted this claustrophobic masterpiece that remains beloved to this day.
Fang Rock is one of the rare occasion wherein Who serial takes place almost solely in one location – Fang Rock’s shores and its lighthouse. The cast is minimal with only six additional cast members alongside the regulars, all of which meet an untimely demise at the hands of a shape-shifting blobby creature that turns out to be a Rutan, a member of the race known for being sworn warfare rivals of the Sontarans, that crash-landed on Earth and is attempting to relay its mothership in a rescue effort.
Though there’s just one Rutan here it manages to be an ever-present threat throughout the story, despite the actual creature being one of the weaker special effects of the era (this Blu Ray release features a new design that also graces the cover.)
The limited cannon-fodder cast are portrayed rather well, though Adelaide (Annette Woolley) doesn’t half scream, and Colin Douglas does well in a dual role as the stubborn old guard of Reuben and the Rutan that possesses him. Director Paddy Russell does well with the limited sets and claustrophobic themes, despite some reported clashes with Tom Baker behind the scenes.
Fang Rock sets off the Graham Williams era with a strong start, one that feels like a remnant of the gothic horror seen in the previous seasons under Philip Hinchcliffe. It’s easily in the top five of this era, and is maybe tied with City of Death as its finest.
4.5/5
The Invisible Enemy:
The concept of TIE is a rather interesting one from writing duo Bob Baker and Dave Martin as a crew of human space travellers and the Doctor become infected by a sentient virus, which chooses The Doctor as host for its consciousness, known as the Nucleus of the Swarm (voiced by John Leeson).
Though the Doctor manages to break free from this control, he and Leela seek help at the nearest medical station and with the assistance of Professor Marius (Frederick Jaeger) and his robotic dog companion K9, are shrunk down to microscopic size and explore the Doctor’s body in order to exterminate the virus, a-la “The Fantastic Voyage”. Unfortunately, the virus becomes life-sized and makes for the nearest planet, Titan, so the Nucleus itself can spawn and spread across the galaxy.
I found TIE a mixed bag overall as the solid concepts are let down in places by the effects and overall look of the production, especially the realisation of the life-sized Nucleus which more resembles a giant prawn than anything else. There are some nice model shots though, the supporting cast is decent, with the fourth of six classic Who appearances being made here by Michael Sheard, and K9 is charming enough in their first appearance, but overall, this isn’t one of the stronger offerings of the era.)
3/5
Image of the Fendahl:
Writer Chris Boucher, who was responsible for the creation of Leela through her origin story “The Face of Evil” and the superb “The Robots of Death” last season returns here with the second gothic offering of the season. Fendahl’s plot focuses on a set of cultists using a priory as a base for tests being carried out on an ancient human skull discovered over 12 million years ago. These experiments lead to a creature known as the Fendhaleen being freed, which then goes on a killing spree by feeding on life energy and leaving nothing behind.
Fendahl’s gothic qualities are a welcome inclusion as there are occasions where it wouldn’t feel out of place in the preceding seasons, though the story admittedly loses its way a bit owing to the actual design of the Fendahleen creature not being the best realised and the explanation surrounding how the creature ties into Time Lord mythology feels a bit loose too. With that said, the cast of is sold and has some familiar actors including Denis Lill (Professor Fendahlman), Wanda Venthham (Thea), and Derek Martin (formerly of HAVOC) do well to elevate their appearances.
The concept and imagery of Thea being gradually consumed and transformed into a golden-skinned goddess of sorts by the Fendahl is also rather striking, and I liked Leela’s also new outfit, which made its first appearance here. This was sadly Boucher’s final script for the series though he did go on to write several novels for Doctor Who and work on Blake’s 7. Overall, Fendahl is a stronger story amongst this season’s offerings, but does have its issues here and there.
3.5/5
The Sun Makers
Though he had vacated the script editor role Robert Holmes contributed one story to the season, with a story that focuses on one of the biggest threats the Doctor has faced yet: the taxman.
The Sun Makers sees the Doctor and Leela landing on the planet Pluto where they meet a citizen named Cordo (Roy Macready) who is attempting to commit suicide from the rooftop the Tardis materialises upon. The reason is explained that he cannot pay the ludicrous taxes for his father, a low-level worker’s funeral expenses, only being grade-D worker himself.
After the Tardis attracts the attention of the oafish yet vicious figure Collector Hade (Richard Leech), the three of them escape to the underground where a group of rebels are planning to overthrow the alien conspirators and their sinister money-obsessed leader The Collector (Henry Woolf) who controls their lives and futures.
What makes this story work so well is Holmes’ penchant for humour and the darker side of it, taking his own distaste with the Inland Revenue services and crafting a tale that’s tongue-in-cheek to the brim (especially the P45 corridor.) The story also takes some violent turns with Leela almost being steamed to death and the overthrowing of the government resulting in Collector Hade being thrown off the very rooftop he drove Cordo towards at the start of the story.
It’s easily the second-best story of the season despite some of the sets looking a bit drab and makes for one of the more memorable of the Williams era as well.)
4/5
Underworld:
Possibly one the most disliked Doctor Who stories, Underworld is the story the most affected this season by budget issues, as in order not to scrap the season finale entirely drastic measures were taken to cut the budget down for this story. The solution was to eliminate entire sets and instead opt for CSO (Colour Separation Overlay) and several mini set models keyed in on a bluescreen for the actors to run around in front of.
The result? Most of the scenes involving the caves look incredibly cheap and it often overshadows the otherwise impressive effects seen elsewhere like the model shots in the first episode. It also overshadows the story itself, again penned by Bob Baker and Dave Martin, which sees the Doctor and Leela trying to assist the crew of an alien Minyan spaceship in their seemingly endless quest to locate a ship containing a genetic bank that would restore the Minyans’ species, frequently aging and de-aging in the process.
The idea that the ship in question that’s being hunted, the P7E, has become a planetoid owing to space rocks having been stuck to it over time is rather intriguing, though the social divide between the Trogs (descendants of the P7E crew) who are enslaved to mine rocks for fuel by the sinister Seers and their overseer the Oracle is perhaps not the most engaging or original concept.
When rewatching Underworld I was perhaps more pleasantly surprised that the CSO issues didn’t negatively affect my views on the overall story all that much – it’s hardly the only story from this era that is affected by special effects not being the best, and though the story has other flaws like some flat characterisation and the loose Greek mythology references feeling more like lip service, this is more of a average offering than “bottom-five-of-all-Classic Who” territory for me.
3/5
The Invasion of Time:
The Invasion of Time sees the Doctor returning to Gallifrey to assume the position of President that he claimed back in “The Deadly Assassin”, acting out of character and seemingly on behalf of an alien race, the Vardans. He also banishes Leela to the wastelands of Gallifrey as part of his plot, much to her confusion.
This story was penned by “David Agnew”, who joins the ranks of “Guy Leopold” and “Robin Bland” in BBC/Doctor Who writer pseudonyms, as producer Graham Williams and script editor Anthony Read had to write the story in around three weeks after the initial script fell through. This is evident as TIOT is an uneven story despite some strong performances from Baker and Jameson, as well as the supporting cast like John Arnatt (Chancellor Borusa) and Milton Johns (Castellan Kelner).
The Vardans are frankly pretty poor villains, whose bored voices are matched with a shimmery appearance that can only be described as tin foil, before being revealed as generic humanoids in equally generic sci-fi outfits. Even the surprise appearance of the Sontarans at the end of episode 4, when the plot is seemingly wrapping up, can’t save this finale from being a disappointment.
Indeed, the reappearance of the Sontarans here (who would only appear once more in 1985’s The Two Doctors) is hampered by a dull run-around in the Tardis corridors and its various rooms, represented by an ill-matching abandoned hospital and pool. Their makeup is also a noticeable downgrade from the Sontaran Experiment and Time Warrior, and is in my books also worse than their TTD appearance.
Another flaw is Leela’s departure, which has often been touted as one of the weakest, as she falls in love with the Citadel Guard Commander Andred (Chris Tranchell) and stays behind on Gallifrey with K9, who is subsequently replaced with a newer model in the closing moments of the story.
It’s a shame that this season finale ends up being arguably the weakest of Season 15’s stories, which considering Underworld came before it, is surprising to me as I was expecting that to be the worst based on reputation.
2.5/5
Overall:
Best Story: Horror of Fang Rock
Worst Story: The Invasion of Time
Must see: Horror of Fang Rock, The Sun Makers
Check out Part 2 of our review, where we unbox the set and look through the video & audio quality, discuss the special features and provide an overall review score.
By HW Reynolds
Images Courtesy of BBC
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