PS Creativity > Reviews > Into The Vortex > Season Four

Not one, but two Dalek stories this season, both proving very popular with PS members -
The Power of the Daleks is officially the highest rated Doctor Who story of the 1960s!

>> Season Four averages 7.08 out of 10 <<

Some comments from a few members...

The Power of the Daleks

"Masterpiece." -- Jonno Simmons (10/10)

"I like this story! One of the few missing story soundtracks I have, but I’ve only listened to it twice through, I think. Very atmospheric and mysterious, but one of those occasions when the Doctor really should have left well alone and not let his curiosity get the better of him." - Antony Cox (8/10)

"The Daleks at their most devious. Fandom has recently come round to appreciating this story more than it used to, and it deserves it. Gripping stuff." -- Ant Williams (10/10)

"Tense, claustrophobic, casually-reinventing Doctor Who as it goes, this is surely the most important missing story of the lot. It almost starts to lose its way in the middle, with the whole rebels saga, but manages to hold on and heads towards an exciting climax. Plus, Troughton in a hat!" - Andrew Curnow (8/10)

"A wonderful episode showing the Daleks at their best - I've found the menace of a few unarmed Daleks much more threatening than an army of them. Plus Troughton gets to shine in his first appearance as the Doctor - I would still be very content if the first 10 minutes of Episode One were found..." -- Phillip Culley (10/10)

"Insanely overexposed, to the point where I just don't care any more. Blah, regeneration, blah, Dalek production line, BLAH! The plot doesn't particularly make any sense (just try and outline the motive behind *any* guest character and you'll see), but it wholly makes up for this with how damn CREEPY Daleks are when acting all servile. The Doctor is actually pretty annoying post-regeneration, all vague an unhelpful, but I like the dynamic of Ben and Polly disagreeing over whether to trust him. The final episode, though rarely discussed, is the highlight to me - it's quite awful to listen to, and probably the most harrowing massacre the series has ever done." -- Ssarl (6/10)

The Evil of the Daleks

"It rambles around a bit too much, and although I can understand the people who watched it, one episode a week, in 1967 acclaiming it as the greatest story ever, it clearly isn't. What it is, is a very flimsy and even absurd plot, but performed, directed, and generally put-together with a real sense of quality and class, so that it becomes hugely atmospheric." -- Andrew Curnow (7/10)

"The story may have been great to watch at the time, and if it existed it may seem better than it does now, but with the novelisation, existing episodes and audio to go by, it's still a long way from being the greatest ever episode." -- Paul Clement (9/10)

"A good story which should have been a couple of episodes shorter. I love the argument between Jamie and The Doctor – great performances by both actors!" -- Antony Cox (9/10)

"Has some great moments, but way too much padding to get to 1866, and of course all the Jamie/Kemel stuff. Very over-rated overall though." -- Jonno Simmons (7/10)

"The best of several stories this season with a plot like Swiss Cheese, and more than enough charm to make up for it. All of the parts that were actually decipherable in the cassette version will stay with me forever - and the ones that weren't still seem new and shiny on the CD. A surreal experience of an already surreal story... it's so funny and exciting and scary and horrible and intriguing all at once... and I *still* don't know why the hell Arthur Terrell is in it." -- Ssarl (9/10)

"Another great Dalek story." -- MacNimon (9/10)

The Moonbase

"The downbeat ending of the previous tale leads perfectly into this surprisingly sombre tale, almost entirely devoid of humour. Top notch performances all round, and the perfect showcase for Peter Purves. Given the entire story to carry he does it superbly. Shame about the last five minutes. All that said, it’s not the most interesting of tales." -- Jason Thompson (8/10)

"One of the better ‘base-under-siege’ stories and some very scary moments!" -- Antony Cox (8/10)

"It has no plot whatsoever, and the characters are nondescript, including the regulars... It's low on memorable moments - there's the 'some corners of the universe' speech, and the Polly Cocktail, and that's IT. That said... I could watch it over and over and over. Because the Cybermen still give me the heebies. For this, I salute you, Moonbase." -- Ssarl (8/10)

"The stock-music gives it a scary feel that it might not otherwise have. The revised-Cybermen look too much like robots for me (if fandom had been around then, imagine the complaints) but otherwise it's very enjoyable... but not quite as much as its predecessor IMHO." -- Andrew Curnow (7/10)

"The Cybermen have lost the terrifying cloth faces, and moved into a more metallic approach. The story itself is rather good, but I find the resolution rather poor." -- Ant Williams (7/10)

"A retread of The Tenth Planet, but this time making considerably less sense. The Cybermen's plan to devastate the globe using the weather makes sense, especially if they are a small party, inadequate to overcome the defences of the entire planet by a direct invasion, but apparently sugar is only used for tea and coffee on the Moon, the Cybermen can't decide if they want to take over the base intact or kill everyone on it, and no satisfactory explanation is offered for their refusal to operate the Gravitron themselves. That said, the cast do give good performances, and there are a few nice little 'human' touches, such as Hobson's response to Polly saying it is wonderful that a relief ship is coming after he has pointed out that it likely carries a replacement for him." -- Jason Thompson (6/10)

The Faceless Ones

"Such an odd story, very unlike most other Troughton tales. It's nice to see Troughton up against a present-day authority figure, and Colin Gordon's performance as the commandant makes what could have been very dull 'talking head' scenes into the highlight of the story." -- Andrew Curnow (8/10)

"Love it, it doesn't drag for me at all. Probably the first example of a 6 parter being a 4 + 2 with the new space station location being tacked on for the last third." -- Jonno Simmons (8/10)

"Great romp!" -- Lord President (8/10)

"A genuinely intriguing mystery in a story that's never talked about - this one was delightful to watch for the first time. Alas, when you know what's coming it does somewhat drag, and despite the airport setting it's not visually impressive at all. The acting is brilliant though - Evil Polly, Evil Nurse, even Ann, The Amazing Jumping Stewardess, are marvellously creepy...
I also love Polly's helpful response to being kidnapped - making as loud a possible a fuss as to how she will act as the only witness to their crime if they only let her go..." -- Ssarl (7/10)

"Enjoyed the Target novel from many years ago, but only recently saw the surviving episodes when I bought the Lost In Time DVD. A very un-Doctor Who Doctor Who story, more like The Champions or The Avengers. Very good for it, though." --Antony Cox (7/10)

The Macra Terror

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MACRA!" -- Colony Controller

"Another missing soundtrack which I’ve listened to on many occasions and really enjoyed. One of those stories which I really wish still existed." -- Antony Cox (7/10)

"Everything about this is fun... it says a lot that I can enjoy this story as much as I do without even a proper attempt to narrate the bloody thing." -- Ssarl (8/10)

"I have a soft spot for this baby, as it was one of the very first missing stories to be returned to us on audio. And it really is great fun! The cleaning up ceremony (which always reminds me of "The Wizard of Oz") is pure class, and a total laugh riot." -- Andy Frankham-Allen (8/10)

The Tenth Planet

"I think the original Cybermen have something about them that none of the others have ever had, which is that they look like men in suits, because they ARE men in suits. And the much-maligned voices are, sorry but they are, a stroke of genius. Having a regeneration on top of that is just the icing on the cake. It's dated quite a lot, but in 1966 it was probably such a radical story - the Doctor seems to know what's happening (incidentally, is that knowledge ever explained) which is an unusual idea; it has a 'near-future' setting for the first time; and it introduces some revolutionary, unlike-anything-seen-before, monsters. And on top of that, the whole show goes totally surreal at the end, and the Doctor's face changes!" -- Andrew Curnow (8/10)

"It's a dreary and dull story, that's highly padded, cuts to the man in charge of the world for no very good reason and is just remembered for the Cybermen and the regeneration. Sorry, but it's not involving, not exciting and the same story is done far better on the moon. I think what puts me off the Tenth Planet is the documentary style direction, which seems very cold and sterile." -- Si Hart

"I love this one. OK, it's a bit talky and not much action, but at least with a more contemporary story the only distracting things are the incongruous Cybermen and not the costumes of the supporting cast. It occasionally comes in for some unfair criticism that it wasn't the send-off Hartnell deserved, but that comes with hindsight and the different perception of TV as a set of distinct seasons with big finales. And the cliffhanger at the end of episode 3 is one of the best in the entire run." -- Jason Thompson (10/10)

"'Shockingly slow. Everytime I've seen this I've pretty much fallen alseep. If it weren't for its status as first regeneration and first Cybermen story, I don't think this would be half as well remembered." -- Andy Frankham-Allen (5/10)

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT CUTLER'S SON!!!" -- Rob McCow (4/10)

"This does tend to get a bit of a bashing these days. Personally, I rather enjoy it. Its an excellent introduction to the Cybermen, and their design in this story is so fantastically creepy. Possibly the scariest Cybermen we've ever had? The Doctor's regeneration is on its way from episode 2 onwards, and I believe that there is an atmosphere of change in the story. Finally, the first regeneration at the end is just brilliant." -- Ant Williams (8/10)

"It has Hartnell being creepy, Ben and Polly being lovely, girlie pictures on the wall (whaaaaaaaaat?), Alf from Home and Away, and 'Look, that's MALAYSIA!'. The Cybermen are utterly surreal and frightening, and we even get to see them invade MORE THAN THE IMMEDIATE AREA WHERE THE DOCTOR HAPPENS TO BE, which only ever happens again in The Invasion and the 2006 series. Yet... it's dull as dishwater. I agree with Si, it's the direction that kills this one." -- Ssarl (4/10)

The Smugglers

"SO many little lovable elements and morbid lines. Sawbones, what the Indians do to people's eyelids, the hook that bites deep into the tabletop, Polly's ridiculous notion that she's having fun being imprisoned, 'Fare thee well... Jamaica', and of course, the churchwarden utterly stuffing up the secret key which will have to be stated correctly like four times in the following episodes. The audio adds another layer - Annekke Wills getting to say things like 'smuggler's booty' with such relish!" -- Ssarl (8/10)

"Deadring, Keywood, Guerney, Plingplonkerong? A pleasing little mystery!" -- Rob McCow (7/10)

"OK, I'm basing this solely on the Target, and also the rather glorious complete set of telesnaps in one issue of DWM years ago. But I have a feeling that if by some miracle it were to turn up, we'd all love it. It has a definite feeling of 'glorious romp' to it, and by all accounts Hartnell is on fine form in it. He clearly gets to spend quite a bit of time separated from his companions, and loved the Cornish locations, so I think this is quite probably his last, finest hour!" -- Andrew Curnow (8/10)

The Underwater Menace

"Ouch!!!!!!" -- Lord President (3/10)

"My favourite story of all, and one I can listen to time and time again." -- Phillip Culley (10/10)

"Episode 3 is one of the most enjoyable episodes of Doctor Who ever made, due to its alarming concentration of barmy. I want a fish person for my garden. Episode 4, meanwhile, is a tight little drama which quite frightened me as all came so close to drowning, and many actually did... the first two eps, meanwhile, are played completely straight WHILE featuring such delights as a pet octopus and a Bond-style slow execution device... you put it together and sort of whoosh it up into a wonderful pudding - er, adventure." -- Ssarl (9/10)

The Highlanders

"Dull and unmemorable" -- Jonno Simmons (5/10)

"Rather like The Smugglers, there just was not enough interest here. Troughton's performance is excellent, and Polly gets a few good bits, but really after listening to it twice, an hour after the end of the last epsiode I had almsot entirely forgotten who was who and why I should care. After being threatened by murderous Mongols, leering Aztecs, revolutionary Frenchmen and the like, here the regulars are threatened by a crooked Solicitor and a pantomime ship's captain." -- Jason Thompson (2/10)

"I love a good romp, and this is another in the vein of The Smugglers. It isn't, really, about very much about a stroll around seventeen-hundreds Scotland, but I'd like to see it, if only for Troughton dressing-up! And his hat!" -- Andrew Curnow (7/10)

"So damn FUN! Polly's pwnage of Algernon Ffinch is pretty much all the story needs, but it also has the Doctor completely flipping his lid, two terrifying cliffhangers around drowning, and a real sense that they DON'T have a way out, until the Doctor works his insane genius. It's funny that none of these things are remembered whatsoever - I expected it to be the most boring story in the world, since all one hears is 'the last historical and also Jamie shows up'" -- Ssarl (7/10)

"Even Troughton dragging up isn't quite enough to raise this one from mediocre. It may have lots of gorgeous location footage, we just don't know." -- Rob McCow (6/10)

"The last, and greatest, of the regular "pure historicals". Polly demonstrates just how strong a character she is in this, with Patrick Troughton giving one of his best performances ever. Everything works in it's favour to make this one of the best Troughton stories in the world... ever!" --Andy Frankham-Allen (9/10)

last updated 10th March 2007
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