Rate and Discuss: Black Orchid

[SiHart]

The TARDIS lands at Cranleigh Halt railway station and before he knows it, the Doctor is embroiled in a strange case involving cricket, murder and fancy dress. Just another day for this TARIS crew!

What do you think of Black Orchid?

[J.R. Southall]

It's a diverting watch, fun enough in its own way, but it makes precious little sense and the payoff is signposted from the very first scene, leaving very little Who in the dunnit. So a 6 for being unafraid to be different, and for showing that Doctor Who doesn't have to be about spaceships and rayguns.

[Terry Leptil]

I like the story. Either this or The Sontaran Experiment is my favourite two parter.

It's a nice break from the norm: purely historical, last seen in The Highlanders and hasn't been done in Who on TV since. I know that you can guess the twist before the end but I don't mind. Peter Davison and Janet Fielding have said that they don't like the serial due to it's lack of sci-fi.

I enjoy it nonetheless.

9/10

[Rob McCow]

There are elements of Black Orchid that are fabulous. Not least of these is seeing the TARDIS crew actually relax and enjoy themselves for a change. You can get away with that for about an episode, provided you set up some kind of threat in the background, which to be fair this story does. You know that there's something evil afoot and the resolution is pretty spectacular.

However, there's a lot about the story that is silly or irritating. Why bother having two Nyssas? Wasn't one enough? The whole business of 'mistaken identity at a masque' is a fine plot device, but it's a bit much doing it with both the Doctor in the Harlequin outfit and Nyssa in her blue... thing.

But my massively over-riding memory of this story is Tegan 'dancing' the Charleston. I've never seen such a bizarre wiggle!

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

My Mum used to unexpectedly launch into dancing the Charleston and to be fair Janet's version is pretty much the same thing that my Mum used to do!
I think it was just a weird dance!!!

Oh, and I really love this story, mainly for the reasons that Si has stated regarding the TARDIS crew relaxing - the fact that they keep having a go at Adric for eating everything always makes me chuckle too.
I agree with Steve about the 2 Nyssa's but I do like the double Harlequin costume idea. The quiet bits in the upstairs where the body is discovered in a cupboard etc are good and I like the whole 'old fashioned mystery' side of things.
I think Davison should have kept the dressing gown for his costume!

I'll give it an 8 out of 10

[Nyder]

I loved this story - it was such a refreshing change, and a cheeky little 2 parter as well so the story was quite pacey. 8 out of 10 for me too!

[Andrew Curnow]

I haven't watched Black Orchid in yonks, but I do remember really loving it in 1982 - not least for the chance to see Tegan in something a different, and kicking her legs about!!

[Stuart Wallis]

Tegan's legs...

There's a cricket match in it - how could I not like it? The story's a nice bit of Boy's Own fun and the costumes are fab.

8/10

[SiHart]

I rather like this. It's nothing special, but considering what's to come, it's a nice little interlude showing this crew happy, comfortable and above all relaxed, which doesn't happen very often.

Watching it back what struck was how much better Sarah Sutton was playing Ann- so much more fun than Nyssa and she seems to be relishing letting go, having fun and doing things she wouldn't get to do in Doctor Who. It's something of a shame that Ann wasn't on the crew instead of Nyssa!

The 1920s setting works really well and Davison's Doctor fits in perfectly there, being such a gentle innocent character. Nice to see him playing cricket too.

So just nice, really.

[Larry]

just 5/10 it's another one of those nothing stories that I neither like or dislike and then there's the baffling moment when the Doctor invites everybody into his TARDIS.

[Stephen Morgan]

Back in the day I never really warmed to the fifth Doctor in his first season, seven years of Tom, new producer, new broom etc. Even though I enjoyed Kinda and The Visitation, to see Doctor Who in a period setting just didn't seem right. I clearly remember thinking, when Davison was creeping down that dark, secret passageway, "he's not the Doctor, no way" and took against Black Orchid.
Last night I watched the first episode for the first time in quite a while and I thought how much of a refreshing change the story was, a relaxing time for the Tardis crew, a game of cricket, a fancy dress party and a murder mystery, this is very Agatha Christie, and Davison seems taylor made for the period setting, indeed, his Doctor seems to fit in well too. I'm really looking forward to seeing part two.

Talking of Davison being taylor made for the period reminds me that not long after he left Who he was cast in thirties detective drama, Campion, and very good he was in that too, and much later he was cast opposite Dame Diana Rigg in another thirties set detective series, The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries, which I've just been enjoying again on BBC4, perhaps that's why I'm enjoying Black Orchid so much this time round.

[stephenhannan]

possibly my all time favourite Dw story

Everything about me is the fifth doctor

Quiet doctor but with no fear of failure