The First 'New' Doctor Who.

[Andrew Curnow]

I hadn't watched many of the Troughton stories for yonks, and haven't listened to hardly any of the missing ones, so I haven't added much to this thread - but I have been following with interest, and enjoying all the many excellent reviews.

I must just say that for me, "The Krotons" will always hold a special place in my affections, as being the first ever Troughton story I saw, back in 1981. Nostalgia aside, it may not be a classic, but still has some excellent moments - the Doctor with his brolly is a nice touch, the cliffhanger to part 2, even the weird Kroton voices. It's just a lovely slice of season 6.

OK, on with the reviews!

[Wayne]

I hadn't watched many of the Troughton stories for yonks, and haven't listened to hardly any of the missing ones, so I haven't added much to this thread - but I have been following with interest, and enjoying all the many excellent reviews.


OK, on with the reviews!

Thanks Andrew! Any input is good. Big reviews aren't obligatory.

Anyway, i've already watched 2 eps of 'Seeds of Death', so i reckon i'll be all finished by next weekend.

[Pip Madeley]

Although, Padders does look particularly good in this one.......

You're darn tootin:



Ding dong.

As for the Kroton voices, I like doing them when I'm bored.

[Wayne]

Ding dong.

As for the Kroton voices, I like doing them when I'm bored.

Cute pic.

Yes, i remember yours & Ant's (i think?) Kroton voices. You should put another link up if they're still up on the web.

[Pip Madeley]

Your wish is my command, Wayne:

Leave the Hall!!!

Stooooooooooooooopppppp!!!

Direction Point! Direction Point!

We're wasting tiiiiiiiimmm-meh!"

Ant W gave me the ball, I ran with it.

[Wayne]

Your wish is my command, Wayne:

Leave the Hall!!!

Stooooooooooooooopppppp!!!

Direction Point! Direction Point!

We're wasting tiiiiiiiimmm-meh!"

Ant W gave me the ball, I ran with it.

Great to hear those again!

[SiHart]

I love The Krotons.

Si xx

[Wayne]

The Seeds of Death

Having not watched this one since i got the dvd back whenever it was, i was quite keen to see this one again, so i watched 4 eps last night, & finished it off today.
Episode 1 gets off to a good start. After a brief setting up of the scene in the first 5 mins, it brings in the attacking enemy, & there are immediate deadly consequences for 2 of the moonbase crew.
Whilst the Doctor & co (including Zoe still dressed nicely) arrive at Eldred's space museum, the frightened moonbase crew try to decide what to do, & in the meantime Radnor & Kelly turn up to grovel for Eldred's help with the T-Mat 'problem'. Plenty happening in the first episode!
Episode 2 continues to build the tension well. Whilst the moonbase crew suffers another death at the hands of the Ice Warriors, there's a big discussion as to the pros & cons of using Eldred's rocket to get to the moon, which results in The Doctor, Zoe, & Jamie crewing the rocket. On the face of it, these scenes are quite 'talky', but the earnest performances of the cast manage to project a lot of tension into the discussion, & it makes for enjoyable viewing. Meanwhile on the moonbase, Slaar clearly has the terrified Fewsham under control, but the resourceful Phipps manages to elude the Ice Warriors & even manages to kill one of them using the solar power source, although inadvertently putting the Tardis team into jeopardy by accidentally cutting off the homing beacon. All good stuff in Ep. 2!
Episode 3 continues the excitement with the Doctor & co overcoming their difficulties, & managing a landing on the moon. Also, i do enjoy Gia Kelly's staunch defiance against the Ice Warriors. I like women with balls. (Metaphorically speaking of course) The 'Geniusssssss' bit always makes me laugh, though. Meanwhile, as the Ice Warriors prepare to put their plan to send the seeds to Earth via the T-Mat into action, Phipps, Jamie, & Zoe manage to take out another Ice Warrior, but Slaar manages to deliver one of the deadly seeds to Earth Control....... Another good episode then!
The level of suspense goes up a notch more in Episode 4. The scenes between Slaar & Fewsham are very good, & succesfully create an atmosphere of tension under which Fewsham seems to be starting to crack. Meanwhile, the scene where the Ice Warrior attacks the technicians on Earth is classic Who stuff, as we see the Ice Warrior's feet advancing relentlessly accompanied by all though weird gurgling, hissing sounds! I also love the scene where Fewsham distracts the Ice Warrior so that Zoe can get to the heating controls, leading to a cracking cliffhanger as the Ice Warrior advances on Zoe, finishing off a pretty damn good episode!
Episode 5 sees Fewsham finally do the right thing, saving Zoe's life in the process, & he continues to subtley distract & deceive the Ice Warriors, until he pays with his life for his betrayal. Meanwhile, the Grand Marshall is great isn't he? I'd forgotten all about him! Then at the cliffhanger & reprise of at the beginning of Episode 6, the Doctor almost seems to be back in 'Fury From the Deep' with all that foam. Also, i can't help but feel that Troughton's portrayal here seems to give off a slight sense of slapstick that just takes the edge off the gravity of his situation. He has a tendency to just overdo the reactions & expressions slightly on occasion, & can come over a tad Sylvester McCoy at times. That's the way i pick it up, anyway.
At any rate, Ep. 6 is a good finisher. I love Slaar's exaperation when he can't figure out what's gone wrong, after the Grand Marshall has just chewed him out for his failure. And a nice move by the Doctor too, when he leaps over the control panel & deflects the Ice Warrior's gun to destroy Slaar, & then he & Jamie electricute the last remaining Ice Warrior.
Well, i've certainly enjoyed watching this one again! I was pretty happy with the first Ice Warriors story in the previous season, but this story is a good few notches ahead of it in pacing & action content. A great Who adventure that i'm sure will be brushing up behind 'The Invasion' in my season rankings.

Btw... I know i've sped up during this last season of Troughton, but don't expect the next one to appear quite so quickly.

[Jonno]

since i got the dvd back whenever it was,

It was 4 years ago this month - the day I met Dave Taylor AND watched some of it at his place that night!

Good luck with your next story - I don't envy you that one at all!

[Wayne]

It was 4 years ago this month - the day I met Dave Taylor AND watched some of it at his place that night!

Good luck with your next story - I don't envy you that one at all!

Thinking about it, i didn't get a dvd player until Jan 2004, but i didn't waste much time getting the Who dvds that were already out. Well, the ones i wanted, anyway.
Yes, 'The Space Pirates'...... Well i'm having a day off today. I won't even start it until tomorrow. I've only heard it once, & i don't think it'll get a 3rd go after i've done this thread.
Actually, i'll probably get it done by Weds, because 'The War Games' is long overdue another viewing, & i'm quite looking forward to giving it another go, having not seen it for at least a decade!

[SiHart]

I met Jonno and Dave and Jim and Paul and that Mr McCow fellow at the Seeds signing.

Happy days!

Si xx

[Logo Polish]

The Krotons

Normally, in a Dr Who story involving monsters of some kind, the threat will be perceived as one from outside attacking an unsafe centre. The base under siege stories that comprise a fair fraction of the Troughton era are one example, as are the Earth invasions (or variants on the formula) used in the UNIT adventures. This story is of a less common variety, depicting a society that is already under the thumb of malevolent forces and has been for generations.

Moreover, it's a society which doesn't actually realise it has been taken over for someone else's ends. Most of the people seem to take it for granted that their society is genuinely being run for their own benefit, mistaking exploitation for privilege. In this respect, the story is similar to The Macra Terror and State Of Decay, and arguably it could even be said to foreshadow similar concepts in The Long Game and Bad Wolf.

Here, the psychology of it is thought through fairly cleverly, with the Gonds eagerly vying for the approval of their unseen masters, apparently seeing the reward granted to the best students (becoming "companions of the Krotons") as a great honour. Even by the terms of their limited understanding of the situation, the process can be seen to involve self-sacrifice, with the winners being permanently separated from their family and friends, indeed from anyone who ever knew them. It testifies to the quasi-religious terms the Gonds appear to view the Krotons in. Spending the rest of your lives in their company is seemingly the destiny that most transcends ordinary day-to-day living there, the best future anyone can hope for, and the highest service a Gond can perform for their society's good. It is compulsory to join them in the Dynatrope once summoned, but it hardly needs to be. The Gonds seem to regard it as unthinkable that anyone could not want to anyway.

For that matter, they seem to regard various subjects as unthinkable. If the Krotons have refused to teach them about a subject or forbidden any knowledge of it, the Gonds appear to take this judgement for granted and closed themselves off from pursuing or taking any interest in it. "Did it never occur to you to wonder why?", as the Doctor asks Selris at one stage. Again, it is a matter of the Krotons ensuring they can retain the upper hand by lessening the Gonds' chances of being able to develop any science with the potential to harm them, a tactic the Doctor deduces when musing on how significant the gaps in their education might be. Beta also later expresses his frustration at being fed information from above "like a dog, with scraps" rather than investigating and gaining knowledge for himself.

The turnaround in the Gonds' attitudes to the Krotons is effected by the arrival of the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe, and what they witness. As random elements introduced to the setting, they are able to disrupt a routine that has been going on for generations by providing proof of what becoming a "companion" to the Krotons really involves. This turns out to be a catalyst that splits the Gond society into competing militant factions, whether students trying to smash the machines in the Hall of Learning, or Eelek abandoning his previous loyalty to the regime and plotting a rebellion, pitting himself directly against Selris, or indeed anyone who doesn't seem to feel sufficient enthusiasm for his cause. This can be seen in his confrontation with Beta, whose scepticism and appeal for more time to develop a possible weapon are angrily shouted down. Having been disabused of the Krotons' true nature, Eelek no longer sees them as a means to power and influence for himself but an obstacle, so they have to be fought and destroyed as soon as possible. And anyone who disagrees with the strategy, even if they agree as to the ends, is also an obstacle to his ambitions, hence also an enemy.

Thara, the other main element in the power struggle between Selris and Eelek, is unfortunately a rather cliched "hotheaded rebellious young man" stereotype (and overacted, too), and once his girlfriend Vana's main plot function (as a narrowly surviving victim of the Krotons) is over, the two of them become little more than a standard pair of "heroic allies" for the Doctor's party. However, his apparent determination to replace Selris as leader after the latter's death, and insistence on the hereditary principle, in defiance of Eelek's attempt to seize power for himself, suggest that the story is taking an anti-revolutionary line, despite the "consciousness-raising" implications of a society freeing itself from an entrenched and institutionalised source of repression. While Eelek is painted as power-hungry, unscrupulous and callous, and does not give the impression of being morally fit to lead them, it feels slightly odd and somewhat fairytale in nature to imply that re-asserting the old system of hereditary leadership (which on the strength of Selris's largely ineffectual example, is not necessarily guaranteed to produce the best leaders) is going to solve the problem in itself.

Visually, the story tends to lack interest at times, with some rather dull sets and costume designs for the support cast (Selris excepted: his clothes appear to be intended to mimic a Kroton's appearance), although the darkly lit Learning Hall has a certain atmosphere and texture. The other main exceptions are the sets for the Dynatrope, which do have a highly stylised State-of-the-art feel, and the bizarrely designed title monsters, with both being themed around pentagonal or hexagonal shapes. There are some bracingly psychedelic-feeling effects and sequences, most obviously the sensory ordeal which the Doctor and Zoe undergo on first entering the Dynatrope, with distorted camera angles and abstract images. The Krotons themselves are a memorable creation, being lumbering crystalline creatures speaking with strangulated accents that seem to sound slightly like Birmingham or Afrikaans ones at different times. They only appear from towards the end of the second episode, and so are only really seen for the space of about two episodes, and when active they tend to function as fairly generic monsters. The nature of their existence, where they can be constituted and dissolved in crystal slurry, is more interesting than anything they actually do.

Among the regulars, it's not an especially strong story for Jamie. He gets to have a fight in the first episode, but is thereafter often given the role of running about after the others, having to do what he's told, getting into trouble and so on. The Doctor and Zoe's competitive relationship is brought to the fore very well though, especially in the scenes where the former bumbles through tests that Zoe has already passed easily enough. His pointed comment about Zoe being a genius ("It can be very annoying at times!") also points towards it. He seems to take a mild glee with being able to outfox her or leave her guessing about matters she knows less of than him, whether it be the presence of the HADS control to rescue the TARDIS from dangerous situations, or his (intentionally?) misleading comment to her about Jamie which could be mistakenly read as an implication that the two of them are about to leave the planet and strand him there. There's little real antagonism there, the two of them are clearly fond of and close to each other, but within those bonds, there is some scope for occasional edginess. Patrick Troughton and Philip Madoc give probably the best acting performances, the former managing a dry charm, with a gentle quality that comes to the fore in the scenes where he is tending Vana. The latter attacks his role with a truculent gusto.

The realisation of the story is creaky at times, but it remains a reasonably interesting science fiction story within the series' format, at least beneath some of the genre clichs and unenthusiastic acting.

[Logo Polish]

The Seeds Of Death

In many ways, this is something of a throwback to the previous season's house style. Relatively isolated bases, monsters rampaging through and threatening to overrun the planet, characters in uniforms...There is a particularly strong link to The Ice Warriors (not surprisingly perhaps, given that it's written by the same author), and I don't just mean the use of the same villains. Like that story, there's a theme concerning over-reliance on a certain aspect of technology, and a similar character dynamic at work among the main base.

Hence the grizzled authority figure (Clent/Radnor), who has to contend with an "icily efficient" female second in command (Miss Garrett/Miss Kelly), and a rogue former colleague who has deserted them out of disapproval of the way the technology has been used (Penley/Eldrad). It's not taken to quite the same extreme as the former story but I think the parallels are definitely there. Eldrad gives very similar reasons for his condemnation of the reliance on T-Mat as his predecessor did in the earlier story concerning the computer - that it has led to the human race losing any sense of adventure, daring or independence.

There is indeed more of an attempt than usual to show how much the development of a particular piece of technology has had a cultural effect on people. This partly comes over via the handy exposition device the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe watch just after first arriving on the scene, but is also inbuilt to the plot, such as the way in which the Earth is threatened with global famine after a very short time because, presumably, every other way of transporting food has been abandoned. We see people going to work via T-Mat, and when Miss Kelly has to get a motor vehicle from a museum she has no idea what make it is. The impression given is of a planet where everyone simply hops into a booth to be transported anywhere out of walking distance which, apart from the vulnerability to attack this implies (as demonstrated when the seeds and later a lone Ice Warrior arrive on Earth), makes you wonder how obesity and unfitness isn't more of a problem (don't tell me - anti-obesity drugs and compulsory exercise, I shouldn't wonder).

It does also make it sound rather incredible that Miss Kelly should apparently be the only person who can restore or maintain T-Mat. You'd think that a system so ubiquitious would have a whole industry worth of engineers to maintain it, but I suppose it fits in with the "putting all your egges in one basket" philosophy which Eldrad argues against. Possibly Radnor, who is somewhat less autocratic than the usual base commander template for the era and tends to have a more likeable personality, is merely flattering her capabilities when he claims the place couldn't run without her.

And although Radnor and Eldrad are shown to be at loggerheads at first, once the latter's bitterness and scepticism have been overcome the two of them seem happy to slip back into what seems to be their old working relationship, co-operating and even joking with each other without letting policy disagreements come between them. They're still disagreeing about future tactics at the end (whether or not to keep a fleet of rockets as a standby for possible emergencies) but at least Eldrad is no longer the disappointed old man sheltering in his museum devoted to past glories but actively engaging with the others while asserting his point of view.

There's also a suggestion of valuing the human spirit over purely technocratic concerns when Osgood's recommendation of Fewsham to work on the Moonbase might be said to be ultimately vindicated. This comes after several episodes where it has looked as if Miss Kelly was right about Fewsham being too weak, unreliable or (if you wanted to be cruel) cowardly to be entrusted with his position. His resolve crumples instantly before the Ice Warriors on first encountering them and from then on is so terrified for his life that he feels unable to do anything other than what they order him to, no matter how unhappy he is about it. The accusation of his being a traitor is perhaps a little harsh given that he is obviously acting under duress, and the mention of his facing execution for it suggests a militaristic side to the organisation they're working for.

Essentially, Fewsham is too frightened to take any risks, and even tries to dissuade others from doing so (like Locke and Phipps) out of the same sense of self-preservation. He has to force himself to provide a bit of cover for the Doctor's investigation of the pod, and even then cannot stop himself being pushed into apparently killing him (a nasty would-be death it is too, being beamed out into space) and only really begins to defy them when he gets the chance to cover for and rescue Zoe. After that, having decided that if a traitor's death awaits him he's got nothing to lose anyway, he manages to subvert the (now meaningless) hold Slaar has over him, and provide a means of defeating the enemy.

The actual method of this defeat, diverting the entire Ice Warrior fleet into the sun, is undeniably ruthless, even for the era, and although it can be justified by the circumstances it does go to show how determined and uncompromising the Doctor can be if the situation demands it. This was one of the stories Ben Aaronovitch watched while researching the series before writing Remembrance of the Daleks, and I do wonder if this ending might have been a partial inspiration for the nature of the Skaro-destroying climax of that story.

Although the story is probably overlong, it does have some distinctive set designs and direction (lots of shots of people behind ornate screens or seen at unusual angles) to add some visual interest, and a few pleasing diversions along the way, such as Troughton's comedy chase through various odd bits of the base, including a hall of mirrors of some kind, or various bits of messing about with foam, which help give some idea of what some scenes in Fury might have looked like.

I'd also suggest this story was a strong contender for the one with the silliest uniforms seen in the series. Thick black panty lines on overalls don't really flatter anyone that much...

[Stuart Wallis]

The Invasion

(This is written having seen the story on video rather than DVD.)

This isn't really a Cybermen story, but I wonder how viewers of the day felt, suddenly seeing them turn up nevertheless, back when there were no DWM previews, Internet spoilers or Next Week Trailers.

The story is more interesting from having a well-played villain as the baddie than the Flavour Of The Month in the monster department, or any monster for that matter, given that monsters were in most stories at about this time. Vaughan is the outstanding performance in the story, even with the regulars putting in some great acts, and Nicholas Courtney being his excellent self. Packer works pretty well too as the sadistic semi-comic sidekick.

The Cybermen themselves have one of their better designs, it's not surprising that it was partly based on the previous one, and partly reused in their next story a mere umpty-twelve years later (I think having the Daleks back in the sandbox may have had something to do with that). The one problem with them was the voices - the Cybermen sounded more like Santa's elves than Cybermen; and the Planner had the old problem of my finding difficult to understand - a problem that thankfully wouldn't occur again until the Mondas Council in Spare Parts. It was good to see the Cybes being damaged by powerful weapons rather than the usual esoteric weaknesses - gold, radiation, etc.

It's hard to tell whether the pacing of the story is affected by having two parts missing. Luckily, they're episodes that aren't greatly missed in that they're easily summarised without making you feel that you've missed anything vitally important. And luckily we have the iconic moment of the Cybermen emerging from the sewers surviving. I don't really notice direction, but... Douglas Camfield's military links are worth having here. He can get help from the armed forces through them, and when he gets it he knows how to show it in an exciting and realistic-seeming way. Well done to those concerned btw, for not making the viewer realise that Jamie's only in the last scene of part eight until the last scene of part eight.

[Wayne]

Good stuff, chaps!
I'm not starting 'The Space Pirates' until tomorrow, now. I'm too hungover to concentrate on it.

[Stuart Wallis]

For some bizarre reason, most people are...

[Wayne]

For some bizarre reason, most people are...

Well, i managed the first 2 eps today. I feel congratualtions are in order. 2 more tomorrow, & last 2 & write up on Thursday. Well, that's the plan.......

[Stuart Wallis]

I feel congratualtions are in order.

That or the George Cross...

Back to business.

The Krotons

I think my views on this one are very much covered in nostalgia, as it was the first Troughton story I saw other than The Three Doctors. I loved Pat's Doctor and Jamie from the off.

As for the story, it's unintentionally funny in parts, a bit like the Horns Of Nimon is for others. Crystalline monsters waddling around yelling at eachother in Sorth Effrican ecksents; Selris being pompous with almost every chance he gets; Beta's sideburns... Oh, and the Gonds - what a wonderful name!

"Is it serious Doctor?"

"I'm sorry Mrs. McEverett, you have an incurable case of... the gonds!"

Ahem...

I suspect that the Gonds are as a rule, meant to be a bit dull as characters, as they're not all that up top thanks to the Krotons. It's nice to see Philip Madoc out-acting most of the cast, which he tends to do anyway. The basic idea is clever - it could happen and with certain governments and religions has happened; that vital information is surpressed and only told on a "need to know" basis, and not just everyday stuff such as the nuts and bolt of how the state's run. The execution is a bit more straightforward though. On Docter Who it would need to be I suppose, just not quite as simplistic.

And talking of simplistic executions, squirting people with dry ice... well, I suppose with a lot presumably spent on the monsters and the Dynatrope... The Dynatrope works best in partial darkness, and like the Gond village sets is simplistic but functional, fitting with the overall theme of keeping the Gonds and the needs of their captors simple.

[Wayne]

Good to get your thoughts again.

That or the George Cross...

That might merit today's 2 eps, which i've just finshed. Instead of waiting 'til tomorrow, i think i might do the last 2 eps tonight, just to get it over with!

[Stuart Wallis]

In which case, never mind the medal, get the number of a good therapist.

[Dirk Gently]

This is Wayne's therapy, after this the world looks a lot brighter.

[Wayne]

The Space Pirates

Blimey, i knew it was dull, but bloody hell!
I'd quite forgotten that the Tardis team don't even arrive until half way through the first episode, The first half of which is taken up with introducing the characters & getting the message across that there's basically some space pirates attacking space beacons to get the valuable 'argonite'.
The Doctor, Jamie, & Zoe arrive just in time for an attack on the beacon, & after a bit meandering around, we're into 'Lost in Time' for Episode 2, after they're knocked unconcious.
In Ep.2 we meet Milo Clancey, surely the corniest character since 'The Gunfighters'. But at least Gordon Gostelow could take comfort from the fact that Donald Gee's american accent was just as bad. The plight of the Tardis team who are slowly running out of air, brings a little bit of tension to the episode, but aside from that & Zoe's legs it's not particularly interesting to watch. - although some of the sets look pretty good, as it goes, & the cliffhanger's a reasonable one.
Unfortunately, Having to return to audio only for another 4 episodes does nothing to help my struggling 'interest' in this story which begins to evaporate rapidly within minutes of the monotonous third episode. I haven't felt like this on this thread since i had to wade through 'The Highlanders', - but at least that was only 4 episodes.......
As we get into Episode 4 i'm getting fairly comatose. I'm vaguely aware of the Tardis team faffing around in a cavern for about 40yrs, & i can hear Hermack shouting away about something or other in his OTT voice, & suddenly i'm aware that the end theme music has started, & my mind has wandered so much that i missed the cliffhanger......
Even though i've been doing 2 eps a day, for this story; Things are going so badly that i can't help but feel that i want to get it over with, so i compromise, & decide that i'll wait a few hours & try to come back fresh for Episode 5, but once again i'm bored mindless within minutes. It's just so hard to care about any of the characters or what's going on. I'm grateful whenever i hear the Doctor, Jamie, or Zoe's voice, because at least i'm vaguely bothered about what happens to them, but i'm mostly hearing Milo Clancey's hammy ramblings. It's like torture! Only the cliffhanger rouses a spark of interest as the Doctor is caught in the rocket's back blast. The only really good memorable moment since Ep.2.
By the time the final episode comes round, i can feel only a sense of relief that it will soon all be over. Frazer Hines is doing his damnedest via his breathless narration to convince me that something exciting is happening, but by this time i'm hanging on for dear life.....
I apologise to all of you reading this, because it's not so much a 'review', but a long winded way of saying how tedious 'The Space Pirates' is, that's probably almost as boring for you to read as having to listen to this dull story. 'Nuff said, i think. I tried my best, but you can't force these things. I don't care if i never hear this story again.

[Captain Tancredi]

Something faintly amusing happened the first time I listened to 'The Space Pirates'. I put the CD on, went into the kitchen to fetch a cup of tea while the opening titles played and then came into the lounge in the middle of the first scene and made to sit down on the sofe. General Hermack's first line (or one of his first) is "Ah, Ian, sit down"...

Erm, don't mind if I do...

[Wayne]

Something faintly amusing happened the first time I listened to 'The Space Pirates'. I put the CD on, went into the kitchen to fetch a cup of tea while the opening titles played and then came into the lounge in the middle of the first scene and made to sit down on the sofe. General Hermack's first line (or one of his first) is "Ah, Ian, sit down"...

Erm, don't mind if I do...

Yes, but how long did it take you to get up again?

[Logo Polish]

The Space Pirates

This story arguably anticipates Holmes' later work to a much greater extent than his previous one. There's a focus on smugglers, pirates and mercenaries which foreshadows Kroll and Androzani, and the Milo Clancey character is an early attempt at the richly characterised eccentrics that pepper his 70s and 80s stories. Bluff, hearty, informal, with a strong sense of humour and irony, bursting with life, he's very much the spiritual ancestor of Vorg, Rogin, Jago, Garron and even Shockeye.

Like much of the story though, the character unfortunately doesn't quite come off. The cartoonish fake accent doesn't help, pushing him further toward caricature, and neither do the make up and hair appliances, which give him the look of a heavy from a Chaplin film. His dialogue also has a cliched feel. His inspiration would appear to be American prospectors of the nineteenth century forging out into the West (or at least the popular image of them), with General Hermack and his crew standing as the staid forces of authority and order. The idea is obviously that Clancey revels in his disruptiveness when exposed to their antiseptic strait-laced environment, mocking their endless rules and regulations and indulging in triumphant noisy humanity (eg by loudly blowing his nose).

Both parties are so caricatured, however, that the effect is blunted. Hermack and his crew are so wooden and tiresome, and Clancey such an over-the-top figure, that it becomes difficult to really care too much about Hermack's obsessive pursuit of the latter (rather like a determined policeman chasing after someone he's convinced is a bad 'un). The sets and uniforms for the ship and crew have all the spangly and overlit quality of a game show, and the square-jawed cod-American accents (this appears to be what Donald Gee is attempting as Warne anyway) merely plumb the depths a little further.

Caven is an effectively gruff and ruthless villain, although I question to what extent we should regard Madeleine Issigri as a mostly innocent dupe - she may have baulked at murder, but has still been helping to organise, cover up and profit from the piracy. However, Hermack obviously has a soft spot for her, hence he seems rather more understanding than he would have been had Clancey genuinely been unmasked as the person responsible.

There is more of an attempt to separate the TARDIS crew from the ship than usual, with a situation in the second episode that does come over as quite hopeless. The prospect of being stuck in a small unit in the loneliness of space with the oxygen running out is rather horrible ultimately and the interplanetary scale of the distance separating the regulars from the TARDIS throughout the rest of the story, is larger than in any other 60s story thuis side of Daleks' Master Plan (maybe also The Mind Robber, depending on how you look at it). Some of the model work and music is rather good, the latter especially having a very different feel from normal, with the use of vocals to create atmosphere.

The story does also manage a few decent scenes for the regulars. The Doctor's hopeful but bungled attempt to rejoin the beacon components, in which he replies to Zoe's awkward question with "Don't be such a pessimist", (and then after it fails in the way she anticipated, he remarks "Oh dear - what a silly idiot I am") helps to show up how fallible he can be. I also quite like his use of marbles for setting a trap while retaining the green ones because they're his favourites. Zoe also reverses the Doctor's and Jamie's "Yes, why didn't you think of that" sentiments (which they express toward her in her debut story when trying to catch her out), by directing the same at the Doctor when it turns out she's worked out a way of calculating the TARDIS's destination.

Overall though, it's a very dull and unrefined piece of work, with ideas mostly undeveloped, and which spends too much time being little more than a baddies-chasing-goodies runaround with little else to lift it.