The First 'New' Doctor Who.

[Wayne]

but I really don't think this one is worthy of its high reputation.

Si xx

I didn't know it had one!

Fair comment about the pace being a bit slow. I think the resaon it doesn't flag too badly for me is because good performances can always enhance an average story, & make it a bit more of an enjoyable viewing experience. I thought it was ok in that respect.

[Paul Clement]

Ice Warriors

My overriding memory of Ice Warriors is the Target Novelisation, and my, what felt like interminable at the time, wait for the Doctor and companions to finally appear.

There are some good aspects to the story, such as the setting in a futuristic Ice Age, the Ice Warriors themselves and when the sole Ice Warrior is in the base after being discovered, there actually feels like a lot more menace than there is later in the story. The biggest problem with the story is that it never really manages to engage me. I don't find myself caring what happens to the inhabitants of the Snowbase, and although the Ice Warriors look great by 1960's standards, they needed a story that would do them justice and they only managed one in the following season.

[Stuart Wallis]

The Ice Warriors

This is a pretty good story. Possibly the main problem with it is that the business with the over-reliance on computers is, well, over-relied upon, and drags on a bit, though Peter Barkworth does carry this and his part well. The Ice Warriors themselves are as well-characterised as they're going to be outside the Ice Lords. Given that they're only ciphers elsewhere, that remark could be mistaken for sarcasm, but it isn't. Bernard Bresslaw tops his Carry On Up The Khyber and Follow That Camel performances, for instance; you can forget that he did other things other than comedy. Here we have the story where the Martians gain their reputation.The Storr/Penley subplot is enjoyable, and I'd like to see if Peter Sallis has anything to say about the story in his autobiography, which is out now (plug-plug!).

[Wayne]

The Enemy of the World

I've only heard this story once before, & i don't have particularly strong memories of it, but i must say that though that Episode 1 certainly hits the ground running, as the Doctor, Jamie, & Victoria are plonked immediately into situation where they're being pursued by men in a hovercraft who are out to kill the Doctor, obviously believing him to be someone else.
After their helicopter rescue by Astrid, the Doctor seems to be suspicious of her motives. These are good scenes for Troughton; he's quite the authorititive almost Pertwee-esque Doctor when he's taking care of Astrid's wound, & afterwards when he rounds on Astrid & demands to know what her motives are. She begins to explain, but suddenly there's a blur of action as the Doctor's pursuers have caught up with him, but after a brief chase they are destroyed when the helicopter explodes.
After, we cut immediately to a scene where Astrid as taken the Doctor & his companions to see a man called Kent, who explains about the alleged dictator Salamander & his political agenda, & shows the travelers footage of Salamander, who turns out be the spitting image of the Doctor. This is where we hear Troughton's skill with accents, & again the Doctor has antipated Kent & Astrid's movitavations, in that they want him to impersonate Salamander for their own ends. But soon the Doctor is manipilated into a situation where he's forced to impersonate Salamander......
Amongst all this, i must add how curious it is to hear incidental music used that is clearly stock music, & doesn't sound like your typical Dr.Who music at all. It does seem to fit with the essentially non Sci-Fi, almost James Bond-esque adventure style though.
Well, i have to say that Ep.1 is one of the most pacey & robust single episodes so far in this thread. Even just on audio, i found myself totally absorbed. The episode seemed to fly by in a few minutes! I'd call that a damn good start!
Well, Episode 2 is something of a constrast after the action packed opener. The pace definitely drops, but it's still quite interesting as the plan for Jamie to infiltrate Salamander's residence comes into being, & Victoria is employed in the kitchens. I have to admit though that i struggled a bit with the latter half of the episode. Troughton is very good as Salamander, but the framing of Fedorin seemed like a poor cliffhanger. It works in terms enabling the audience to see what kind of man Salamander is, but he's a character we've only just met, & barely care about, to be frank, so for me, it didn't have much of an impact for the end of the episode.
It's over to the 'Lost In Time' set for Episode 3, & it's nice to have a visual record of at least a bit of this story, especially as there's quite a lot of characters which can seem a bit 'anonymous' on audio, so it helps to be able to put some faces to names. It's also fun to see Troughton in his Salamader garb; not to mention Frazer Hines out of his usual costume. Although, events do seem rather ploddy at first; Especially Victoria's rather dull kitchen scenes. However, the plot does advance somewhat; We are shown Kent's suspicions that Salamander is actually causing the earthquakes himself for his own ends, & things do pick up a bit in the latter half of the episode, including seeing an example of Salamander's ruthlessness as he kills the Fedorin when he fails to poison Denes.
Another notable thing about this visual episode is how well Carmen Munroe's performance as Fariah comes across. Hell of an attractive woman too! Also, Colin Douglas who plays Bruce seemed annoyingly familiar, but i couldn't place him.....
Anyway, it's back to audio for the rest of this story, & Episode 4 is actually quite a strong ep. The Doctor is in a difficult position when Kent is applying pressure to him by threatening not to help rescue Jamie & Victoria unless he actually kills Salamander. Suddenly there's another blast of action when Benik's men track them down, & after initially managing to hide, Fariah is fatally wounded in the confrontation. Later, Salamander disappears into a mysterious underground underground shelter where he's in control of a group of 'survivors', & then the episode reaches it's conclusion with another relatively weak cliffhanger, where the Doctor is preparing to impersonate Salamander. A good ep for Troughton again, whilst the companions aren't in it at all!
Episode 5 feels slightly slower, but nevertheless has some good scenes. Swann uncovers Salamander's lies, & there's an excellent confrontation scene where Salamander concocts more lies in an attempt to take the sting out of Swann's fury. This is particularly good stuff from Troughton, who's character actor background comes to the fore with this totally different characterization. Meanwhile, the Doctor finally tracks down Jamie & Victoria, & after Bruce is suitably convinced by The Doctor's impression of Salamander, the seeds of suspicion about the real Salamander are sown. There's some noticibly different, eerie incidental music in that last couple of episodes too. I seem to recall it being used in the forthcoming 'Web of Fear', but we shall see.....
Episode 6 is good finisher where the Doctor manages to win Bruce over further into going along with his plan, & the the Doctor acting as Salamander manages to expose Kent & Salamander's secret allegiance. After which the real Salamander turns on his co-conspiritor, but the dying Kent manages to cause an explosion designed to take Salamander with him. But in a surprise twist, which i'd totally forgotten about; Salamander escapes & turns the tables by acting as the Doctor, & in a final tense confrontation in the Tardis, Salamander is sucked out into space in a dramatic end to the story.
In spite of Enemy of the World being an atypical Dr.Who story, & although IMO, it's a little bit patchy in terms of it's pacing, it has a lot going for it, & any flaws are outweighed by all the good stuff. Overall, it's a good storyline, as well being an acting masterclass for Patrick Troughton. I've enjoyed it a lot more than i anticipated, & my appreciation of it has increased since i first heard it a couple of years or so back. I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't bothered with it so far. It's definitely worth a listen! I award it 7.5/10.

[SiHart]

Colin Douglas was also Reuben in Horror of Fang Rock.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I remember him. He comes out when he's good and ready!

Si.

[Wayne]

Colin Douglas was also Reuben in Horror of Fang Rock.

Si xx

Ahhhhhhh!! Thanks Si. As soon as i heard his voice i recognised him, & i was wracking my brains trying to place him. I was thinking: 'Trenchard' from the Sea Devils at first, but when i cross referenced the names, it was someone else. Then i thought it might the arrogant fat bloke bloke from the Mutants, but no.....
Anyway, now i know.

[Logo Polish]

The Enemy Of The World

I always find this one somewhat bitty and underdeveloped. Quite an unusual style of story for the series, but one that meanders about rather a lot, picking up and then abruptly dropping various bits of plot without always handling them very satisfactorily and taking a very roundabout route to the conclusion.

In some ways, Giles Kent is possibly the most interesting of the characters because he is the one who has to unexpectedly turn out to have been hiding a secret of his own up to the end (we're primed not to trust Salamander almost right from the beginning). The fact of his having been a rival baddie all along is a neat way of undercutting what seems the likeliest scenario at first (Doctor and friends team up with Kent and Astrid to overthrow Salamander), and is useful as a means of vindicating the Doctor's uncertainty about whether his double is as bad as he's being painted, an uncertainty which lasts into the fifth episode.

This doubt is itself a very unusual attitude for the Doctor, especially in this era, when there is normally little or no ambiguity about who is the enemy (ie it's the monsters), and the reason is shown to be his suspicion at Kent's eagerness to kill him, a belief that anyone so keen to pursue that as a first option is likely to have questionable morals. That said, the story certainly doesn't leave us in any doubt as to Salamander's character. The chance for Troughton to play a snarling grotesque is one fully embraced by the actor, who brings a definite smarmy uncouth charm to the part, topped off with some hard wild-eyed aggression when required. It would have been interesting to have seen what Troughton would have been like as Johnny Ringo in The Gunfighters (a part he was originally considered for), but at least he got to play a villain here.

It's a little convenient that Donald Bruce turns out to be a figure of such doughty integrity though, as had he been another Benik, it might have been harder to resolve the story. His caution and suspicion are well brought out, but it's startlingly open-minded of him to allow the doctor to go onplaying his Salamander masquerade in his company. Benik himself, by contrast, is essentially a sadistic baddy who relishes his own maliciousness, which Milton Johns manages to make a bit more interesting by bringing an effete softly spken campness to his delivery.

I do find the diversion to Central Europe rather weak overall, with a turgid and often uninteresting (and low budget) feel, although the scenes with Griffin the chef are wryly amusing (he's pure padding, but more entertaining than some). It doesn't come over very clearly as to why Denes doesn't warn anyone about possible volcanic activity, even if he doesn't trust Salamander (why give the latter fuel to persecute you?) and his subplot isn't developed very interestingly.

The means by which Salamander has been able to engineer eruptions is ingenious, and a reminder of Cold War fears about nuclear devastation, although it does also feel somewhat far fetched. The best aspect of that bit of the story is probably the way the desperation of the people underground is brought out, and the way Salamander manages to manipulate them with stories about the radiation and mutations above.

There are a few other developments which feel more than a little convenient, such as the way that Astrid just happens to find the dying Swann on her way from the caravan, or the fact that we're supposed to believe Kent would take the risk of deliberately getting Bruce to visit when he's still trying to persuade the Doctor to imitate Salamander (wouldn't there be too much danger of throwing away what might be a valuable means of getting what he wants?).

I think I agree with Lance Parkin about this story being effectively a historical that just ahppens to be set in a fictitious future, with a tyrannical ruler, court intrigue and the use of a double for the Doctor. In that sense, it's arguably the only one of its kind.

Incidentally, the Radio Times apparently claimed, at the time the story was broadcast, that it was set fifty years later, ie in 2017. Which means that Salamander and Giles Kent conned their group into getting in the underground dwelings about the same time that the episodes Dalek and Fear her were taking place.

[Paul Clement]

I can't remember much about Enemy of the World, but I did like Troughton's portrayal of Salamander, and the character of Griffin the Chef made me chuckle a few times.

[SiHart]

"Then you WHOOOSH it up"
That's my favourite moment in the whole of Enemy ofthe World.

Si xx

[Wayne]

The Web of Fear

Mmmmm....... Nice opening shot of Victoria's legs!
Actually, ahem.....that brief panic at the start of Ep.1 is quite a good little scene isn't it? And i like the Doctor's rapport with Jamie when Jamie accuses the Doctor of not being able to control the Tardis. Cut to the scene at the museum, & yes it is the eerie Bartk music which was used in the previous story, except here it's used much more extensively, & it works wonderfully as the spooky scene builds up as the Yeti comes alive & kills the museum owner. Just over 5mins in, & this story is setting the scene brilliantly.
After the Tardis is free of the web in space, it lands in the deserted Undergroud station, which continues the creepy atmosphere that this story has already set, & little moments like finding the dead body covered in the web adds further to the increasing suspense, as does the army group who seem nervous & shifty as they are laying the power cable. I love the bit where the Yeti start their spraying, whilst the Doctor is hiding! Meanwhile, Jamie & Victoria are captured by the army group after they're seperated from the Doctor, & the army boys trigger an explosion right where the Doctor is hiding. What a great first episode!
Whilst the first episode sets the scene really well, For some reason with this story in particular, i find it especially difficult to drop back to the audio or recon. Perhaps for this reason, Episode 2 doesn't have as much impact as the opener. The yeti attack scenes in the underground come over well, but then you get some quite dull bits like the two soldiers rambling on, & then all that bumbling about in the tunnels. This episode felt quite long, & the fact that it was Doctorless probably didn't help.
Episode 3 fares slightly better, but i still find it a bit of a plodder. At least the Doctor is back, & of course there's the introduction of a DW legend in Lethbridge-Stewart, excellently portrayed of course by Nick Courtney. I particularly like the way Lethbridge-Stewart deals with Chorley in this episode. A good scene for Nick Courtney. Ep.3 does seem quite a talky episode, but the cliffhanger where the yeti breaks into the Operations Room makes for quite an effective end to the episode.
I have to say that i felt a similar ambivalence about Episode 4, which again really just failed to take off for me. Almost nothing really stood out, & at this point, i'm quite surprised, considering it's reputatuon, at the lack of impact that this story has made on me after that great opening episode! Only in the last 5 or 10 minutes did things pick up for me with the Yeti v Army battle, which is quite exciting, & augmented by the Cybermen music used in 'The Moonbase'. Also, Lethbridge-Stewart's bewildered weariness at losing so many soldiers at the end of the episode was excellently put across by Courtney, & led to the best cliffhanger of the story so far, IMO.
Phew! A sigh of relief, as Episode 5 is a big improvement, & brings the story sharply back into focus, after the relative meandering around of the previous 3 eps. The scene where Travers is taken over by the Intelligence was excellent, & when Victoria is abducted i liked the little confrontation between Jamie & Lethbridge-Stewart, before Jamie tries to go after her but is stopped by a guarding Yeti. After which, i get the sense that Lethbridge-Stewart is impressed by Jamie's bravery when they agree to try to breakout, & they go off into the tunnels in search of Victoria. Meanwhile, Victoria tries to reassure her fellow captive; Professor Travers, & the working relationship between Anne Travers & the Doctor is well represented well as they work together on the sphere, which they later they use to control a Yeti in the tunnels. A good episode!
Episode 6 is a reasonable episode overall, though it's a bit slower, & the Intelligence isn't half as effective as it was when portrayed by Wolfe Morris in 'The Abominable Snowmen' if you ask me.
So there we are. I have to express a little bit of disappointment with this one. Apart from a few moments here & there , the only episodes that really live up to it's reputation IMO,are 1 & 5. Aside from that, i find it a very padded story that would be struggling to be anything like as good 'Tomb', even as a 4 parter. When all's said & done i think i prefer it's 'mother' story: 'The Abominable Snowmen', which despite Web's eerie setting, even wins out just on atmosphere alone, for me. On the plus side, the good bits are very good, & Nick Courtney is excellent, & raises the bar of all the scenes that he appears in. Little wonder they decided to bring him back.

Right, on Monday, my sister is coming to stay for the best part of a week, so i won't be starting my Troughton viewing again until next Saturday, by which time i also might have a narrated recon.
So in the meantime; Is 'Web of Fear' all it's cracked up to be? I think not, But what do the good people of PS think?

[Ralph]

I think I better check out Web of Fear specially now as I have the technology

[Wayne]

Be interesting to get your thoughts on it.

[Ralph]

The Ice Warriors

I watched this one for a second time after my first viewing early last year.

I'd love to like it more to be honest but often it's lacks enough to hold my interest.

I think it starts well enough and creates a good atmosphere but it meanders too much in the second half and I start to wait for it to end.

As said Bernard Bresslaw is definiely evident in that voice and I think he plays his part well enough as Varga. One of the Ice Warriors seemed to have a bigger head than the others, looks like two different people made the costumes?

The only other time I've seen Angus Lennie from recollection is "The Great Escape". His death isn't as spectacular here as in that movie clinging to the fence under machine gun fire... still as Wayne noted he's good at dieing. I wonder what else he appeared in anyway..Peter Barkworth seems OK. I've never been keen on Peter Sallis to be honest probably as I detest "Last of The Summer Wine". And yes the mini-skirts help lighten the burden.

From the second half of the story I've lost interest in all that dull discussion over the computer...I just want it to reach it's conclusion. Logo's totally right it does indeed feel like a relief when it ends.

I might be generous awarding it 6/10 but it probably deserves above average for launching a memorable new monster and the atmosphere on set
But I have to say otherwise I find it difficult to get too enthusiastic..

anyway watching Web of Fear shortly

My "review" is probably as skimpy as the girl's skirts...

[Wayne]

The Ice Warriors

I've never been keen on Peter Sallis to be honest probably as I detest "Last of The Summer Wine". And yes the mini-skirts help lighten the burden.





But I have to say otherwise I find it difficult to get too enthusiastic..

I don't like 'Last of the Summer Wine' either, but luckily this is something entirely different.
A point i made in my review was that i thought he was a good straight actor, & in a way it's a shame he's become primarily remembered for comedy. Had he got more 'serious' roles, (maybe he has, i don't know) he might've become more noted for his talents as an actor rather than a comedy performer. I think he puts in a very good performance here.


As to your lack of enthusiam, Perhaps it's 6 parter fatigue? I'm doing approx 2 eps a day for this thread, & that seems to work for me. Although admittedly, that's partly down to having so many missing episodes, many of which are only available to me on audio. I'll probably speed up slightly when i get to the complete stories in Troughton's last season.

[Stuart Wallis]

The Enemy Of The World

A reasonable story, though not too great. The low budget sometimes peeps through during the existing episode. The plot doesn't quite fill out the full six parts. The problem comes with the underground people; this seems to be the padding, and the earthquake making was a bit OTT as a concept.

The Web Of Fear

One of my favourites! The Yeti are much better than in their first outing, and the Great Intelligence is even scarier as played by Jack Watling. Courtney plays the Brigadier with his usual aplomb from the moment he opens his mouth. The atmosphere's amazing, and it's a shame that Jack wasn't available for the Invasion, he was a star here.

[Paul Clement]

Web of Fear
Even from reading the Target novelisation, the idea of setting a story within the confines of the underground network gave the story a claustrophobic feel to it. Based on the Target novelisation alone, this was my favourite Doctor Who story for many a year.
When I finally got to see the existing episode and watch the recon of the reat of the story, it lowered slightly in my opinion. Not because it wasn't as good as I thought it was, but solely because I couldn't see the bits that sounded so good, especially the final episode.
The Yeti coming back so soon and in such a stronger storyline is credit to the writers who manage to make the Yeti menacing despite taking them out of the Himalayan setting you associate them with. The military in this story are the original UNIT in all but name only, with Lethbridge-Stewart appearing later on in the story and. in hindsight, making Doctor Who history.
It's good to have Jack Watling back in a story, and as Stuart said, it's a shame he wasn't in The Invasion too.
The story has a great cliffhanger at the end of the first episode when the Doctor has gone off to check out what turns out to be a pile of explosives just as the military are about to blow them up.
My biggest regret for this story is that we haven't got an exisiting episode 6 as this would be perhaps one of the best episodes of Doctor Who of all time.

10/10

[Andrew Curnow]

Like Paul, I loved the Target version when I was a kid. When I finally got chance to watch episode 1 I loved that too - it has such atmosphere, and the music really adds to it. I particularly like that scene of the travellers emerging from the TARDIS and first exploring - in the late 80s?early 90s? that bit was on a South Bank Show about the Underground, and that videoed clip got a LOT of watching by me & bruv.

[Logo Polish]

The Web Of Fear

Another variation on the "isolated community threatened by monsters" theme employed by much of this season, although this one ups the ante a little, partly via its setting and partly via the use of a Whodunnit-type plot device. By the setting I mean partly the darkness and claustrophobia of so much of the story, which is achieved to better effect than any other of this year's, but also the relative novelty of locating it in the present day. This allows the story to show everyday and genuinely existing places (the London underground train system and stations) in a very different light to how the viewer would normally percieve them. Here, they become a virtual prison, like an enchanted labyrinth or set of catacombs with monsters and evil of various kinds lurking in secret corners. The human characters are more like a trapped expedition than anything else.

There is also some war films imagery, with some of the army characters reminiscent of the archetypes seen in Second World War epics in particular. Bored and cynical foot soldiers, gruff and authoritarian Staff Sergeant with a kindly streak underneath - it only lacks a cheery cockney type. Evans also feels more like a character from a story set during a time of war, in the sense that it feels odd that someone so cowardly would have volunteered to serve in the military, this being an issue that wouldn't arise had he been called up.

Chorley is a bit more interesting, although not especially sympathetic and the story doesn't seem to care for him either, reserving the same distrust for his practised smoothness via Travers as The Daemons does for Alastair Fergus, via Professor Horner. The implication seems to be that Chorley's obvious insincerity, his fixation with what makes the best or most attractive publicity, renders his integrity suspect in the others' eyes. Anne's critical comments on the lies told by the gutter press, which she clearly associates him with, are another example of that. The fact that Chorley also flees as soon as he hears of a posisble escape route is also taken to imply that he's ultimately a coward, hence spineless in that respect too.

The Whodunnit element isn't developed all that strongly and is slightly less effective in the light of Lethbridge-Stewart having later become a regular, even though he's meant to be one of the suspects here (and incidentally, like Crossland in The Faceless Ones, he is astonishingly open-minded about the TARDIS, seemingly convinced about it even without having to see it - Spearhead seems to be the first time he actually sees the ship for himself in the series). The story also drags a little after the first episode has ended, perhaps partly because that one is lifted by some enjoyable Doctor-Jamie-Victoria exploration scenes, whereas the Doctor is absent for the second episode, and the story develops little during the third and fourth.

What does come over quite well during the last half of the story is the increasing desperation of the situation, with more and more being killed and more exits blocked, until only a small knot of characters are left, without even a HQ eventually. The twist as to the Doctor's plan being thwarted by his friends' well-meaning intervention is good, although it does rather show up the Doctor's own lack of judgement in not taking anyone into his confidence about it beforehand - obviously he wanted the pleasure of surprising everyone, and arguably got too caught up in terms of stage managing it.

Many of the aesthetic elements are well achieved - the use of the dramatic Bartok music at the beginning, the various eerie sound effects and bits of music used to accentuate the lonely feeling, and the lighting, which helps to create the dark and gloomy atmpsphere the story needs. So, despite some pacing problems, and a Yeti design which looks a bit more B movie than the originals, there's enough to place this story above average for its time.

[MacNimon]

I'm another who grew up with the Target novelisation of The Web Of Fear, which I loved re-reading for many years. Simply because of this, it has always ranked among my favourite Doctor Who stories. Even listening to the audio, it kept my interest from start to finish. Like Paul said above, the only real disappointment with this story is that we can't see much of it!

As for The Ice Warriors, the only time I've ever watched it was when it was released on video, and I've got to say that I loved it! Whether it was just the thought of seeing a story I never expected to (barring the missing episodes being found), I don't know. But all the same, I loved it! I've never watched it again though, for some reason. But I've got a hankering for it just now, so it might make it's way onto my tv screen very soon.


btw sorry for not contributing much to this thread, Wayne...I've just been really busy over the last few weeks. I've been reading it regularly though, it's making good reading. Hopefully when things quieten down a bit over the next few weeks I'll comment on a few of the stories you've already covered. But for now, I'll just try to keep up with the stories you've still to cover...

[Captain Tancredi]

I do love 'The Web of Fear' and can't help thinking that with the one surviving episode, it's not too difficult to visualise what the other episodes would have looked like because we all know what Underground stations and tunnels look like.

The Colonel's moment of despair is one of the highlights of the story, not least because of what happens to the character in retrospect.

[Wayne]

Fury From the Deep

First of all, thanks to Pip for his splendid recon of this story!
I must admit though, that i found Ep.1 a bit slow going, which is something of a contrast to many recent stories, which i've found to start off quite exciting. However, it does set up a suitable sense of foreboding, & the cliffhanger is very good indeed. The 'seaweed' mixed in with white foam pouring out of the grill & surrounding Victoria made for an extremely effective climax to the opening episode.
The overall storyline still moves pretty slowly in Episode 2. In fact by the end of the episode, events don't seem to have advanced that much at all. But the episode is quite atmospheric in parts, & it's particularly enhanced by the downright freaky Oak & Quill segment, where they advance open mouthed on Maggie Harris.
I have to confess to having a bit of difficulty with this one. Despite the benefit of the beautiful quality narrated recon, i'm afraid Episode 3 went pretty much over my head as i struggled somewhat to maintain interest. I remember what seemed like lots of shouting from Robson, & the Doctor building his theory about what the seaweed might be, but the only scene that really stood out for me was the cliffhanger again, where Maggie Harris simply walked into the sea until it covered her. That was truly eerie!
Fortunately Episode 4 did come across a rather better; the tension increasing as the story progresses. The snippets of footage that exist for this episode give a tantalizing glimpse of how much more powerful this story comes across when seen in it's intended visual medium. The death of Van Lutyens down in the depths of the base for instance, was quite a scary scene! There's also a nice little moment between Jamie & Victoria, when Jamie thinks that she's dead, & Victoria follows on to voice her feelings further about her travels in the Tardis.......
Episode 5 is stronger again, IMO. Oak & Quill's attack on Jamie is a tense moment, & the further attacks of foam/weed also make for some quite exciting sequences. Meanwhile, the infected Robson escapes from his quarters & kidnaps Victoria. I feel that this story has only really started to gather pace is the last couple of episodes, & Episode 5 kept up the tension for me, right through to another great cliffhanger, where Robson emerges covered in foam & seaweed. Love the incidental music for this bit!
Episode 6 is a good finisher. I enjoyed the Doctor's helicopter flight, & as in the previous episode; Megan Jones comes across as a good, strong female character. Again, it's pretty exciting stuff as the foam/weed begins to engulf the base; the scenes of which are enhanced by actually being able to see the action via the few surviving clips.
I suppose there's an ironic sort of poetic justice in the fact that it's Victoria's screaming that helps to save the day in her final story, Though i can't pretend that i'm upset exactly to see the screaming ninny go. But the final scenes as Victoria decides to stay behind are actually quite touching, & well played, particularly by Watling & Hines. The ending is rather sweet, really.
On Debbie Watling: I think she was actually quite a good actress, as evidenced by the few decent moments during her tenure that they gave Victoria. The shortfalls in her character are down to the fact that she was never written for particularly well, IMO.
So, all in all i have mixed feelings about this story. Whilst it doesn't sag in the middle like other 6 parters i've viewed recently, i do feel that like some of those other stories, that there's basically only enough story here for a 4 parter. It seems to take forever to get going, & i can't help but feel that pretty much everything that happens in the first 3 eps would've made a great first episode! However, it's definitely a story of 2 halves for me, because once the pace picks up in Ep.4, it's pretty much good viewing all the way to the end, IMO.
I know Pip loves this story, & i greatly appreciate the recon, but i must admit to a certain amount of surprise that it could be anyone's favourite story ever. Having said that, i do think that the good stuff outweighs the bad, & i'd be prepared to give this story a 7/10 score, even that's mostly based on the latter half!
I'm curious to hear any other thoughts on 'Fury From the Deep'?

[SiHart]

I'd pretty much agree with you Wayne. It's good, but it's not brilliant in my opinion, and it's just fatiguing having yet another base commander who goes insane when something goes wrong (though this would be done, even more thoroughly in Wheel in Space).

There are some admirable things about this story- no-one actually dies, which is nice, there's a good creepy atmosphere and I do like the way that Victoria's leaving is well sign posted (even if she does come over as rather annoyingly whiney in this one) but I agree that the storyline doesn't quite fit to the length.

Si xx

[Stuart Wallis]

I'll get the sofa ready now.



Fury doesn't really get going til the last episode for me; I think the plot's very pedestrian, and that the characters don't really rise above the dull cliche parapet. Oak and Quill aren't really sinister, and the clip where they breathe out the gas seems a bit daft; how do they generate the gas, and they look silly when they're at it. Funnily enough, i preferred the book, but not by much; it did help not to have to listen to Tom's slightly embarrassing comedy.

Please don't hit me too hard...

[Pip Madeley]

Lovely review, Wayne.

I suppose it does seem an odd choice for my favourite story ever, I mean, the enemy is seaweed (!), but I just love it to bits. The plot can move slowly at times, but that just adds to the atmosphere for me, and there's bags of it. I feel the shiver down my back as I hear that cliffhanger at the end of episode five. There's a lot of arguments, but the story is about their reactions to the menace of the Weed creatures, and it makes for tense viewing.

The casting is superb, I don't think anyone does a bad job. Patrick Troughton gives a blinder - one of the reasons I dearly love 'Fury' is because of the real sense of fear that the Doctor has. By the end of episode three he knows what the threat is, but that doesn't make him feel any better, and it's a tense moment when Harris asks him where he his wife has gone: "I don't know... I just DON'T know." Chilling. And then of course, that eerie episode three cliffhanger, as the tortured Maggie, against her will, is dragged into the sea. Wonderful. As Wayne pointed out, there are some terrific cliffhangers in this one.

And Robson, well, Victor Maddern does a fantastic job. On one side you've got the inhuman unemotional Weed, and on the other you've got the very human, very emotional Chief Robson, who is losing it big time. The moment where he lets the hysteria overcome him, screaming at his crew, is a highlight. I love that psychological stuff. Just as you think Maddern could almost go OTT with it, the Weed takes him over, and he completely changes. Calm, mindless, creepy. Robson's attempts to regain control over his mind make for gripping viewing too, as Megan shouts at him to snap out of it. And Margaret Johns (Megan) is a very strong female character, just what the story needed (Victoria being the opposite, and Maggie under the control of the Weed).

Then there's Harris, a character who goes through a hell of a lot. He starts off as a cheerful, quiet man at the beginning, and by the end he's almost turned into Robson, a loud, rude man, worried sick about his dear wife. Roy Spencer does a terrific job of it, and I told him so when I had the pleasure of meeting him at 10th Planet the other year. As I said earlier, it's the humanity and the emotion juxtaposed with the threat of the unfeeling threat of the Weed creature, that makes Fury a favourite of mine.

Then there's the incidental music. It's superb. Devastating effective, particularly when coupled with the heartbeat of the weed. And that moment, as Mr Oak and Mr Quill invade Maggie's bedroom, is most definitely the scariest Doctor Who moment of all time. It seems comical at first, as Mr Oak flashes his sinister smile at Maggie, but the moment Quill stares wildly at her and opens her mouth... scared me stiff when I was 12. Then there's Van Lutyens being dragged down into the mass of foam by the tentacle - his terrified screams coupled with the overbearing music is scarily effective stuff.

The conclusions seems rather simple, but sometimes these things are, and it's nice that Fury ends with an emotional high, rather than a massive explosion etc. And Victoria saves the day for once, with the scream that so many people derided! The fact Victoria wants to stay makes perfect sense, and works so much better than previous companion departures (unbelieveable romances and disappearances). Victoria was a very timid, quiet Victorian girl when she joined the Doctor and Jamie. She was never cut out for their life, and she questions her future with them, practically the only family she has, and it's a very painful decision, superbly portrayed by Deborah Watling. The genuine affection between the TARDIS crew is a strong part of the appeal of this story. You really feel as if Jamie is in love with Victoria, certainly there's deep feelings there that were never fully explored on-screen. The Doctor, more understanding, intervenes and pulls Jamie back. Poor Jamie.

I just love it.