Rate and Discuss: Inferno

[SiHart]

So sorry guys, just realised we never got round to reviewing Inferno!



Drilling! Eye Patches! Evil Doubles! Sir Keith Gold! Has this story got it all or what?

What do you think of Inferno?

[Stephen Morgan]

I've just found some notes in a folder tucked away on my pc, I must have written these some twenty years back, originally on an old type writer of my sister's

"My all time favourite story, Inferno, an epic stretching over seven episodes.

With a theme echoing contemporary drama Doomwatch, Inferno is an early “Green” story, with the Doctor as the “Eco Warrior” in a sole mission to save the earth from the madman Stahlman who is determined to mine the gasses held at the planets core.
Many great memories of watching this one back in 1970. I missed episode five though as we were in Southsea or Weymouth for a week's holiday. Fortunately I caught up with events in episode six, but I remember being more than a bit miffed at missing an episode, but that didn’t stop this story from making a real impression on me, and becoming an all time favourite. Bits of it stayed in my mind for many years after its transmission, and I remember eagerly awaiting the Target book in 1984, it neatly captured the feel and atmosphere of the story, but seemed shorter than I’d remembered. Consequently the early nineties video release was my most wanted, and impatiently awaited release.
I've heard it said that the stark industrialism and grittiness portrayed in these early Pertwee stories begins to wear after repeated viewing. Not so, I think all this “realism” is effective, and proves that the series has moved on from its sixties black and white roots, and was willing instigate further change. However, with the placing of Barry Letts as producer towards the end of the 1970 season, a lot of the “Gritty realism” was forgotten, the stories became lighter, but no less popular.
Inferno marked the end of Jon Pertwee’s first season as Doctor Who, a season which saw a lot of change for the series, a season which saw the series grow up, and move away from the roots of what was essentially a children’s series. Pertwee’s portrayal as the man of action was a breath of fresh air, and over the next four years consolidated the series success, ensuring its survival, and becoming increasingly more popular, and, in the early part of the seventies, some surprisingly topical stories."


Inferno never disappoints me, I can always find something new with every viewing. I remember being excited about the early 90s video release, and then a few years later the DVD, which I thought picture wise a great step up in quality from that old VHS, and now we can expect a further upgrade in quality due to the advancement of the reverse standards conversion and chroma dot recovery with a new DVD release early in 2013.
No doubt we'll all find something new to enjoy in Inferno all over again.

[Andrew Curnow]

So sorry guys, just realised we never got round to reviewing Inferno!

That's OK Si, you didn't have to put the thread up if you didn't want to - free will is not an illusion, after all! (Sorry!)

[SiHart]

@ Andrew!

[Si Hunt]

Keith Gold. He's got the power to love. He's invincible. Always believe in. Keith Gold (Gold).

Si.

[SiHart]

It's brilliant isn't it? All the way through there's a palpable atmosphere and tension- due to ever present sound of the drilling, the incredible performances from the whole cast and the idea of the parallel world where anything can happen- including, in the end, the death of the whole cast, including the alternate versions of our heroes. Fabulous!

Great cliffhangers throughout too- especially the one with the clock ticking to penetration zero, Pertwee standign as a lone sane voice in a world he doesn't understand, trying to make them understand their predicament, the countdown... and then it hits and all hell breaks loose. Fantastic!

[Rob McCow]

I missed episode five though as we were in Southsea or Weymouth for a week's holiday.

If you're going to miss an episode of Inferno, I reckon that number Five would be the one to go for. It's all about the build-up, but episode five probably has the most running around and delaying tactics.

It's hard to say anything too bad about Inferno. Yes the make-up is ludicrous, but in the context of the story it doesn't seem to matter.

The alternate universe characters are extremely well written. It would have been easy to have made everyone go totally over the top and laughingly evil, but instead they just turn all of the characters most negative qualities up a notch. Everyone is essentially the same only more arrogant.

Which makes you wonder what a 'more arrogant' Pertwee could possibly have been like.

[Jon Masters]

As I beleive I've said before on PS, I've always found Inferno quite boring and have never really understood why so many fans rave about it.

Carry on as you were

[Stephen Morgan]

If you're going to miss an episode of Inferno, I reckon that number Five would be the one to go for. It's all about the build-up, but episode five probably has the most running around and delaying tactics.

Episode five can be a bit of a runaround, and yes, it is all about the build up but it never lets down the pace, I remember being very agitated about missing it at the time as I was enjoying it so much, I suppose if I'd asked the landlady of the hotel would have put it on for me, but we may have been out and about enjoying the area.
I have a photograph in an old family album somewhere of us at the hotel with the landlady.

[Rob McCow]

Carry on as you were

It's alright Jon - we know the drill. Most of us here think Inferno is a gas.

I have a photograph in an old family album somewhere of us at the hotel with the landlady.

Ah... are you looking very cross in that photo?

I remember being heartbroken at missing five minutes of Ghost Light back in 1989, so I understand how frustrating it can be.

[Terry Leptil]

Inferno is one of the all-time best Doctor Who stories. It flows along nicely for seven episodes and is full of action with some scary moments. (The ending of Episode 5 made me jump and the ending of Episode 6 scared me when I first saw it.) The trip to the parallel universe is an interesting aspect as it shows how the world may have looked had Hitler won World War II.

The best of season 7 in my opinion. 10/10