4 episodes featuring Tom Baker as the Doctor with Louise Jameson as Leela
written by Chris Boucher
directed by Michael E. Briant
“Please do not throw hands at me.”
- D84
written by Chris Boucher
directed by Michael E. Briant
“Please do not throw hands at me.”
- D84
Story Review
One thing that so often destroys a Doctor Who story is the exposition, people wandering around reminding each other of their names, jobs and self-evident facts of life. The Awakening has a line “Why, Miss Hampden, you of all people, our schoolteacher, must appreciate the value of re-enacting actual events.”. Now, I don't have children but if I did I'd like if the woman educating them didn't need to be reminded of her name and profession on a regular basis. “My God, where am I? Who am I? Why am I surrounded by small children and covered in chalk dust?” “Please, Miss Hampden, you are our schoolteacher.” Oh yes, thank you for reminding me.”
The Robots Of Death is a masterclass in exposition. The first episode keeps the TARDIS crew and the guest cast separate so every time we see the guest characters they're saying or doing something that contributes to our knowledge in a perfectly natural, unhurried way. Facts are slipped naturally into the dialogue, such as lucanol. Lucanol does not exist, Chris Boucher created it and doesn't explain to us what it is but when the Sandminer sensors detect it Pamela Salem's face lights up and thus we know it's valuable. Context is the key to creating a world. Who exactly “the Founding Families”, let “the Twenty”, are is never explained but the specifics don't matter, what matters is that they're a big deal and Commander Uvanov has a grudge against them.
Even Episode Three isn't bad, Boucher uses it to bring out a bunch of revelations before moving into an all-action Episode Four. In my Five Doctors review I bemoaned the episode format as a disruption to pacing but Boucher works it really well.
This story also looks brilliant, the sets and costumes are fantastic. The script calls for a decadent, robot-dependant society and so the Sandminer is decorated in an art deco style with art deco robots and stained glass artwork hanging on random walls. The crew walk around on duty in elaborate colourful costumes and complicated make-up is the style regardless of gender. Even the most sympathetic characters act like slave-owners in the presence of robots. You can see how devastating it would be for them if their robots turned killer not only on the personal level but on a societal one.
The guest cast is universally good with even the early victims getting well-rounded characters. Russell Hunter's Commander Uvanov really stand out: snide and sarcastic and only even sightly lovable once events have descended to the level of utter desperation. Plus, he has one of the most hilarious accent slips in Doctor Who history. David Collings' Poul as the Doctor's initial ally is the most sympathetic of the cast but even he has a sinister edge to him. But better than all of these is Gregory de Polnay as undercover robot D84, one of of the great almost-companions, a service robot with a dry sense of humour and a friendly nature. Certainly superior to the bloody dog that'd join the TARDIS crew a few stories down the line.
Now, received fan wisdom calls this “Doctor Who does Agatha Christie” which, apart from being the sort of pornographic fanfic I never want to read, is really not accurate. Christie never wrote a novel called The Vicar Did It With Poison, the identity of the killers is there in this story's title. The only element of mystery is in the identity of the robots' controller but if you pay any attention to the costumes that's spoilt by an ill-judged glimpse of trouser early in the story.
This is not classic murder mystery but it is absolutely classic Doctor Who.
Moments of Charm
When imprisoned in a room with comfy chairs, Leela's first reaction is to jump on the over-stuffed sofa and bounce up and down a few times because it represents the greatest comfort she has ever seen. This story is actually full of little moments to remind us that she isn't from a modern society, such as her description of Poul as a hunter. Written by her creator this isn't really surprising and Louise Jameson would rarely be as well served again.
DVD Presentation
Still early days so the sole featurette (imaginatively titled “Featurette”) is a jumble of bonus material: a BBC1 continuity announcement from the serial's original transmission; a “comparison scene” with the robot's voice untreated; a set of black and white test shots of the Sandminder model; and a BBC title card featuring Baker and Jameson.
One thing that so often destroys a Doctor Who story is the exposition, people wandering around reminding each other of their names, jobs and self-evident facts of life. The Awakening has a line “Why, Miss Hampden, you of all people, our schoolteacher, must appreciate the value of re-enacting actual events.”. Now, I don't have children but if I did I'd like if the woman educating them didn't need to be reminded of her name and profession on a regular basis. “My God, where am I? Who am I? Why am I surrounded by small children and covered in chalk dust?” “Please, Miss Hampden, you are our schoolteacher.” Oh yes, thank you for reminding me.”
The Robots Of Death is a masterclass in exposition. The first episode keeps the TARDIS crew and the guest cast separate so every time we see the guest characters they're saying or doing something that contributes to our knowledge in a perfectly natural, unhurried way. Facts are slipped naturally into the dialogue, such as lucanol. Lucanol does not exist, Chris Boucher created it and doesn't explain to us what it is but when the Sandminer sensors detect it Pamela Salem's face lights up and thus we know it's valuable. Context is the key to creating a world. Who exactly “the Founding Families”, let “the Twenty”, are is never explained but the specifics don't matter, what matters is that they're a big deal and Commander Uvanov has a grudge against them.
Even Episode Three isn't bad, Boucher uses it to bring out a bunch of revelations before moving into an all-action Episode Four. In my Five Doctors review I bemoaned the episode format as a disruption to pacing but Boucher works it really well.
This story also looks brilliant, the sets and costumes are fantastic. The script calls for a decadent, robot-dependant society and so the Sandminer is decorated in an art deco style with art deco robots and stained glass artwork hanging on random walls. The crew walk around on duty in elaborate colourful costumes and complicated make-up is the style regardless of gender. Even the most sympathetic characters act like slave-owners in the presence of robots. You can see how devastating it would be for them if their robots turned killer not only on the personal level but on a societal one.
The guest cast is universally good with even the early victims getting well-rounded characters. Russell Hunter's Commander Uvanov really stand out: snide and sarcastic and only even sightly lovable once events have descended to the level of utter desperation. Plus, he has one of the most hilarious accent slips in Doctor Who history. David Collings' Poul as the Doctor's initial ally is the most sympathetic of the cast but even he has a sinister edge to him. But better than all of these is Gregory de Polnay as undercover robot D84, one of of the great almost-companions, a service robot with a dry sense of humour and a friendly nature. Certainly superior to the bloody dog that'd join the TARDIS crew a few stories down the line.
Now, received fan wisdom calls this “Doctor Who does Agatha Christie” which, apart from being the sort of pornographic fanfic I never want to read, is really not accurate. Christie never wrote a novel called The Vicar Did It With Poison, the identity of the killers is there in this story's title. The only element of mystery is in the identity of the robots' controller but if you pay any attention to the costumes that's spoilt by an ill-judged glimpse of trouser early in the story.
This is not classic murder mystery but it is absolutely classic Doctor Who.
Moments of Charm
When imprisoned in a room with comfy chairs, Leela's first reaction is to jump on the over-stuffed sofa and bounce up and down a few times because it represents the greatest comfort she has ever seen. This story is actually full of little moments to remind us that she isn't from a modern society, such as her description of Poul as a hunter. Written by her creator this isn't really surprising and Louise Jameson would rarely be as well served again.
DVD Presentation
Still early days so the sole featurette (imaginatively titled “Featurette”) is a jumble of bonus material: a BBC1 continuity announcement from the serial's original transmission; a “comparison scene” with the robot's voice untreated; a set of black and white test shots of the Sandminder model; and a BBC title card featuring Baker and Jameson.
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