PS Creativity > Reviews > Into The Vortex > Season Ten

The tenth anniversary season and according to our members, it really sagged in the middle! You loved Omega, you loved the BOSS,
but that space opera bollocks really didn't cut much ice at all - and as for "Terry Nation's Greatest Hits", well...

>> Season Ten averages 7.114 out of 10 <<

Some comments from a few members...

The Green Death

"Poor CSO and strange use of photo backgrounds instead of location filming can't drag this one down. My favourite Pertwee story, this is just a lovely. Jo grows up and finds her own younger Doctor to love and the ending is incredibly emotional. Great moments and iconic for all the right reasons, as the Maggots look fab!" -- Si Hart (9/10)

"One of my fave Pertwees, with the UNIT family particularly well served, and a great final story for Jo. The maggots look great, Pertwee in that jacket/coat thing looks iconic, it's got Bessie, the famous Metebelis 3 (thus setting up his departure too) and the customary era's big explosion at the end! And I still say that's the sunset at the end - not moonlight!" -- Jonno (9/10)

"Nostalgia wise, I think this is probably the last story that genuinely scared me as boy. I have very strong memories, particularly of the cliffhanger where the maggot is slithering up behind Jo Grant: I can remember that like it was yesterday.
The story obviously has a strong ecological slant that typified several '70s stories, but this is the best of them IMO. Pertwee is on form, & I think Jerome Willis does a great job of Stephens. I love John Dearth's patronizing vocal performance as BOSS too. Very fitting, & actually makes the computer into a character. Even today the Maggots look really good, especially the close up shots. It's just a pity about the giant fly though. It looks really crap when attacking Benton & the Doc in Bessie, & how come the maggots are impervious to bullets & grenades, but the fly is so easily killed by the Doctor's cloak! The final scene is really touching, & the softly spoken Pertwee plays it wonderfully. It's quite my favourite leaving scene of any companion. I never fail to get a little bit of that lump in the throat feeling, as Jo wistfully watches the Doctor quietly leave, & we see him drive off alone in Bessie, silhouetted against the moonlight." -- Wayne Jefferies (10/10)

"It's one of those archetypal Pertwee stories that everyone remembers, and it's a very good one. Bonus points for the lovely final scene where the Doctor sadly goes off on his own, and the effort put in to that final silhouette scene is paid off. Although was the Doctor ever bought up on drink/driving charges?" -- Phillip Culley (9/10)

"I can't for the life of me work out why this is so popular. Yes, the maggots look good, but Stevens is dull, the BOSS is dull, every character is dull. Jo Grant's departure is nicely done, but other than that they seem to have had a couple of plots thrown together because neither of them alone would be enough to fill the six episodes. The maggots are given so much prominence and are then just revealed to be a sideshow and the whole thing is wrapped up with a big explosion. Not the classic I was led to believe." -- Jason Thompson (4/10)

"Perhaps not the classic that everyone seems to make out, but it's got a lot going for it. UNIT aren't as powerful as they were ('The Time Monster' destroyed a lot of their dignity), but there are good performances from Nicholas Courtney - the Brig smokes cigars! - and Richard Franklin, who gets the chance to impress. The romance between Cliff and Jo somehow seems real (they were bonking in real life I understand), and the chemistry between them is a lovely thing to watch. Stuart Bevan has a lot of charisma, hell, if I was a woman I'd be drooling. Love Jerome Willis Stevens, he's got a great look for a Who villain. The maggots look good, making for an effective 'monster', but the giant insects are inevitably disappointing, as is the reveal of the BOSS - a poor man's WOTAN, and nowhere near as fearsome. And then there's the CSO. Very rarely has it let Doctor Who down as much as it does here. There's no way you can suspend your disbelief as the Brig and his troops stand in front of a still photo of a landscape. Same goes for the Doctor and Benton 'driving' around the Welsh countryside. Painful. Shame that the Welsh are so stereotyped too, but at least we get to enjoy Talf the Teeth in his final Who appearance. Perhaps the strongest moment of the whole season comes right at the end - poor Doctor. Aww for Jo. Overall, a good solid Doctor Who story. Not exceptional, but pretty good." -- Pip Madeley (8/10)

"Green slime, giant maggots and the most touching departure scene for a companion in the series, ever. A classic...'Nuff said!" -- MacNimon (10/10)

"Overrated. Yes, Jo's leaving is touching, but otherwise Barry Letts, not that he hasn't a point, gets rather preachy about the pollution and big business stuff. The fly's alright, the maggots less so. To be fair, I haven't seen this in so long, I can't remember a great deal about it, but i don't remember it being a story I'd want to see again & again." -- Stuart Wallis (5/10)

The Three Doctors

"Silly, cheap, tacky, but great fun to watch. It's not a great story, but it's very entertaining & always raises a smile. The interplay between Pertwee & Troughton sparks nicely & Hartnell is just great, even on the TARDIS scanner. " -- Si Hart (8/10)

"There's three Doctor Who's in it! If I could I'd give it 30 out of 10, but I'm fairly sure that's Cromer." -- Rob McCow (10/10)

"Reasonable. Vaguely fun, as a celabratory do it sort-of works. Trouble is, once we get into a Omega's realm, things get somewhat out of hand. Omega's castle is garish, and Omega himself, once he gets going, is frightfully OTT. Pat at least manages to get close to how he played the Doctor, more so than he did in subsequent appearances (probably due to his being nearer to the time he played the part regularly). Shame billy couldn't get involved more." -- Stuart Wallis (6/10)

"Just wonderful. While not the best story, that's not really the point here and the fact Troughton and Pertwee work so well together that it's makes up for it. It's a little sad to see how far Hartnell has degererated over the years, however they fact he still turns up and still plays his Doctor perfectly is wonderful." -- Phillip Culley (8/10)

"Fun fun fun! A treat to see Patrick Troughton back as the Doctor, though a shame that William Hartnell was so frail and unable to make the performance we all wished for. On the down side, the Time Lords come across as feckless losers who aren't anywhere near as enigmatic or impressive as they appeared in 'The War Games'. Stephen Thorne is somewhat OTT as Omega, but gives a dedicated performance as a bitter and vengeful man in what essential is a Doctor Who panto. John Levene is particularly good as Benton (great rapport with Troughton), but sadly the Brig comes off worst - surely he'd be able to accept the Doctor's word that he's been transported elsewhere after all the fantastic stuff that he's faced? Don't mention those bloody blobs either. It's got faults, but it's fun viewing." -- Pip Madeley (7/10)

"It's a real non-event in the end. While it's great to see the first three Doctor's together, and Omega makes for an interesting villain, the GellGuards are laughable and the plot is as dull as ditchwater." -- Paul Clement (6/10)

"My favourite multi-Doctor story. It was the first time I really got to see the first two Doctors, and only really being used to my Doctor, this story was a bit of a revelation to me at the time. I already knew that Pertwee was the first Doctor, but just knowing that there were two before him was completely different from actually seeing them at last. This story was a bit of an eye-opener for me, letting me see for the first time that each Doctor basically had his own identity, rather than simply being 3 different actors playing the same part in the same style." -- MacNimon (9/10)

"I love multi-Doctor stories. I know that they don’t usually contain the best storylines but I find I can overlook that due to the bonus of there being more than one Doctor. They are all such fine actors so you just know it’s going to be good. Pertwee and Troughton are excellent in this – I slightly prefer Troughton just for the comedy moments (his facial expressions are so funny). The “it’s a song by the Beatles” “Oh really, how does it go?” bit cracks me up every time. Few things let this one down on my opinion, but I must state the obvious…the gel guards……what were they thinking? I’m not to keen on the look of Omega’s domain either; it’s very minimal looking, and then there’s that terrible wall with that TV set in it (The TV doesn’t even fit in the hole properly)!!! Finally, there’s the nasty disappearing building effect at the end of episode 2 – it looks like someone is standing there with a large photograph of trees in front of them after the building vanishes." -- Andrew Clancy (7.5/10)

"By no means a good story, but a fun way to celebrate 10 years of the show. It has great moments, such as Omega's anguished cry when he realises he has ceased to have a physical existence, and some seriously bad ones, like the first appearance of the gel guards (bad monster, bad technically (watch the picture jump every time they cut to show one appear) and a bad response from the UNIT guy who sees them arrive). Captain Yates was presumably still recuperating from being blown up by a V1, and why has the sonic screwdriver got a comedy red ball on the end now?" -- Jason Thompson (7/10)

Carnival of Monsters

"Great. A highly imaginative, highly entertaining story that feels different to the rest of the Pertwee era. Pertwee is wonderfully high and mighty and looks like he;s having a great time. " -- Si Hart (7/10)

"Not one of Bob Holmes' best. On the video, there's a big chunk of part one that's repeated on episode two, but which ends with more trouble for the showfolk, even though it was sorted out at the end of the first showing - massive plothole! The Inter Minorans remain just the right side of annoying, and the story has a problem in that, reasonable as it is, it really gets going in part four." -- Stuart Wallis (5/10)

"I love this one too. Ok so it has some dodgy looking studio stuff in it, but I think all the stuff in the scope more than makes up for it. I’d give this one points for all the performances onboard the SS Bernice (or whatever the ship is called). Best moment: “Put your finger there will you” – “Arrgghhh” – Splendid, that must be the live circuit”!!!" -- Andrew Clancy (8/10)

"I always enjoy this one - a great little story with a bigger feel on board the ship. Tally ho what!" -- Ralph Mitchell (8.5/10)

"I sooo much want to like this one - it perfectly demonstrates what Who can do, how it can produce stories that no other show could do, and the script combines wit with ideas, and some great performances... But I just never really manage to get into it, and it always somehow leaves me cold. Not even 1981 nostalgia can up its score, alas." -- Andrew Curnow (5/10)

"Strong story from Robert Holmes that not only keeps you wondering what's happening, but also entertained with likable, believable guest characters (particularly Michael Wisher's untrusting Kalik) & a nice fresh twist in that it doesn't involve the Master/UNIT/aliens invading Earth. Sadly the production values let it down a little (Drashigs look like the puppets they are, poor CSO/make up), but it's well paced and enjoyable. Shirna would've been a good companion, too." -- Pip Madeley (7/10)

"A wonderful tale completely different from an awful lot of Who. The Doctor arrives in the midst of political intrigue and obvious oppression of a race of beings, but ignores it all to sort out the miniscope business. The dialogue sparkles in places ('they were designed to last forever, that's why the company went bust!') and the drashigs are fantastic. OK, on video and spliced into live action shots they don't convince too well, but the shots of them emerging from the swamp and breaking out into the scope are brilliant. It loses a point for feeling a bit inconsequential." -- Jason Thompson (9/10)

Frontier In Space

"Overlong, but not bad of you like to tour the prisons of the 24th century. Using Delgado and the Ogrons as comic relief works very well and adds a little to the fun." -- Si Hart (7/10)

"Oh dear, how dull can you get. This is way too long, and involves far too much of the Doctor, or Jo, or the Doctor and jo being marched from cell to office to cell telling the same story and getting the same stubborn insistence that they are spies. Delgado of course lifts this story up immensely, but the scenes without him are awful. Only at the end does anything interesting happen. It's obviously setting up something big, but the story of the past six episodes is largely forgotten once the Daleks appear, and the resolution is rushed off in a few lines of assurance that Earth and Draconia will improve their relations, before the Doctor zips off to follow the Daleks. Far too long and dull to be the first part of an epic adventure, and even more so when you consider what the second half ended up as." -- Jason Thompson (4/10)

"If you watch it in one sitting, you deserve to have your brain atrophy! Apart from that, it's actually a fun little tale, watchable enough. But just imagine how dull and dull and unrelentingly dull and worthy and dull it would be, without the lift of having Delgado in it. If there was ever a story where the villain made it watchable, this is the one." -- Andrew Curnow (6/10)

"An epic storyline, but sadly, it's bobbins. Monotonous capture-escape-capture padding and painfully stretched at six episodes. Those scenes of Pertwee in space just sent me to sleep (and instead of being exciting, they just detract from the plot). And what the hell is that Moon subplot there for? Waste of time. My problem is that the bits that have the potential to be really interesting, such as the visit to Draconia, are dreadfully rushed, and instead we get all the boring scenes in cells etc. Production values are once again poor - whoever designed the General's uniform should be shot - and the sets are drab. There are a few positives - Roger Delgado gives a fine performance in what shouldn't have been his final appearance, and Katy Manning finally gets the chance to face up to him (and does it admirably). And there's some nice lines in the script (the Doctor asks the Master "Are you alright old chap?" when he's pretending to be a goodie). And the ending!!! Dear me. Overall, a letdown." -- Pip Madeley (4/10)

"It's just soooo long. There are some great scenes with the Master in it, and the Draconians look superb, but the plot isn't enough for the episodes it's been lumbered with." -- Paul Clement (5/10)

"Not that many people seem to have much of a good word for this one, but i love it! I think I love it because it's very 'space' oriented. Plenty of spaceship action, & the Doctor suited up & spacewalking etc... Great stuff! I like the Draconians immensely, they've got to be one the best looking aliens in the show IMO, & i particularly enjoy Peter Birrel's performance as the Draconian Prince. One of the biggest thrills watching this as 9/10 yr old boy was the return of the Master. I was absolutely delighted, & its a great story for the Master, yet more superlative stuff from Roger. One of the few regular's who never turned in a performance that was anything less than excellent. I love the scene's between the Master & Jo - particularly when the Master, undeterred by his failure to hypnotize her, & use the machine on her, conveniently sets her up to 'escape' & 'reveal' her whereabouts. The Master is lovely & smug when he tells her that its a short range transmitter & he conveniently left the co-ordinates for her to find! The main triad of Jon, Roger & Katy, all put in marvellous performances here. Finally, back to 1973, & i was almost breathless with excitement at having the Master & the Daleks together in the last episode, & my one disappointment with the following 'Planet of the Daleks', was that this development wasn't followed through. In fact, the last scene just before the injured Doctor & Jo escape into the Tardis is rather abruptly, the last time we see the Master, & because he didn't have his usual definite escape scene, i was convinced he was going to turn up in due course. Of course it wasn't to be..." -- Wayne Jefferies (9/10)

Planet of the Daleks

"Astonishingly poor. Tedious characters, tedious sets, tedious plodding plot. Pertwee looks bored, it has the Prentice Hancock factor that drags it down, and it meanders around moralising all the way. Overlong by 4 episodes. One of my least favourite stories." -- Si Hart (2/10)

"Dross on the highest level." -- Phillip Culley (4/10)

"I'm an unashamed fan of this one, despite the fact that i know that the story's detractors aren't that far wrong in labelling it as the usual Terry Nation runaround. But love it I do. The voices provided by Roy Skelton & Michael Wisher are about ten times more effective than the one in "Day" - I was utterly enthralled by them! Also, they are so much more manic here, & we see much more of the Dalek hierarchy from the Dalek Supreme, to the Section Leader & so on down. It's such a colourful story with great sets, & Jon's performance is superb. Very strong & convincing, & with good support from Bernard Horsfall in particular. I love those couple of quiet little speeches where the Doc talks about the nature of bravery, & at the end about not glamourising war. I gather some don't like this because it's 'moralistic'. But they're good morals, so what's wrong with it? My favourite scene of course as i've mentioned many times before is where the Dalek Supreme extermates the Section Leader. Right back to aged 10, that scene fascinated me, & i still get a sense of suspense from it. Red Hot Dalek Action!" -- Wayne Jefferies (10/10)

"It's decent enough, and I agree with Wayne that it's a good story for the Daleks themselves, especially after their previous outing. I was a bit disappointed with its choice as primetime repeat on BBC1 back in 1993 - not the strongest of stories for Joe Public perhaps, but never mind, it didn't do any harm in the long run!" -- Jonno Simmons (7/10)

"Nation by numbers. His big return to the show after eight years away, and it's just an uninspired retread of ideas already used in the original Dalek story (though to be fair, not many people would've noticed at the time). A much worse crime is that the connection between this and 'Frontier' is very shaky, and after one episode you've completely forgotten about it. A disastrous attempt at a 12 part epic. Pertwee seems bored. The Thals are largely forgettable, save for the reliable Bernard Horsfall, and the less said about Prentis Hancock the better. Not keen on the TARDIS bed, or the hundreds of Dalek toys. On the upside, it's well directed by David Maloney, Katy Manning is strong as Jo (not keen on the 'romance' element, mind), some of the production values are superb (the ice shafts look great), and unlike 'Day', the Dalek voices are spot on. Some good cliffhangers too (episode three's a goodie), although episode one is pretty pointless. Entertaining stuff, as long as you don't think too hard." -- Pip Madeley (6/10)

"It would easily have got 10, but it lost a mark for each of the following things:

1. Prentis Hancock.
2. The 'scary eyes' in the jungle.
3. The explosives that look like packed lunch boxes.
4. The Dalek holding the map on it's sucker so that only other Daleks can read it.
5. Patronising Pertwee - don't glorify war for goodness sakes you big silly!
6. Latep. Wetter than Harry Kim.
7. The invisible effects are occasionally good, but mostly utter rubbish.
8. The 'weeing' plants.
9. The Dalek Jam Jars Supreme.
10. Three Daleks do not an army of 10,000 make. Neither do the models convince. I've written a little poem about it:
"Oh, the Grand Old Dalek Supreme, he had 10,000 Daleks,
He trundled them up to the top of the hill and they trundled down again.
And when they were up there only seemed to be three of them,
And when they were down there only seemed to be three of them,
And when they were only half-way up he couldn't see properly because his eye was a torch."
-- Rob McCow (1/10)

last updated 10th March 2007
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