View source for The Doctor is in (2005)

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| publication = Bay Windows
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| date = 2005-09-29
| author = J. S. Hall
| pages = p. 4
| language = English
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| categories = video recordings
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The Doctor is in 

New Doctor Who is gayer, but the originals are cult classics


Doctor Who: [[broadwcast:The Mind Robber|The Mind Robber]]

By Peter Ling

Directed by David Maloney

Starring: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury

Doctor Who: [[broadwcast:Horror of Fang Rock|Horror of Fang Rock]]

By Terrance Dicks

Directed by Paddy Russell

Starring Tom Baker, Louise Jameson

BBC, one-disc DVDs, suggested retail price

$24.98 each 

The many producers and directors of Doctor Who -- that venerable science fiction/time travel series from the BBC -- always waged an uphill battle in making quality, watchable television on a laughably paltry budget. The two latest Doctor Who stories to come out on DVD, "The Mind Robber" and "Horror of Fang Rock," had more than their share of production problems, yet succeeded in spite of these difficulties.

In "The Mind Robber," the Doctor's space/time machine, the TARDIS, is engulfed in a lava flow and in danger of destruction. A last-ditch escape maneuver brings the Doctor (Troughton) and his companions Jamie (Hines) and Zoe (Padbury) into another dimension altogether, where literally anything can happen, such as meeting characters out of myth and fiction. Meanwhile, the master of this realm has plans for the Doctor.

"The Mind Robber" inherited an additional episode from the story before it at short notice, and the script editor had to make due with very limited sets and props. That the first episode succeeds admirably in spite of these limitations is a credit to all involved. Later in the production, Fraser Hines contracted chicken pox and had to be temporarily replaced with another actor; luckily, this story's surreal nature allowed this transformation to take place with little disruption to the proceedings.

While its visual effects are on the primitive side and rely heavily on photographic enlargements (it was made by the BBC in 1968, after all!), "The Mind Robber" boasts some intriguing premises that call to mind Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next book series. Unfortunately, the shortsighted BBC destroyed most of Patrick Troughton's Doctor Who episodes, and this story only highlights what a loss to posterity their policies caused.

"Horror of Fang Rock" was a last-minute replacement for a vampire story that the BBC nixed because executives feared this would "send up" their adaptation of Dracula that would've aired around the same time in 1977. Set in a remote Edwardian lighthouse, this variation of Ten Little Indians was one of the last Doctor Who stories that genuinely sought to frighten its audience.

The Doctor (Baker) and his savage companion Leela (Jameson) arrive at the lighthouse shortly after a mysterious object crash-lands in the nearby ocean. Soon the time travelers, the lighthouse keepers and some shipwreck survivors are at the mercy of a creature that can kill with a single touch. Has the legendary Beast of Fang Rock returned, or are deadlier forces at work here?

Although realized in a cramped Birmingham studio, the lighthouse sets are credible even by today's standards, and Tom Baker's somber gravitas, combined with Louise Jameson's air of conviction, add the proper weight to the grim proceedings as the humans are picked off one by one. This story remains one of the under-appreciated gems of Tom Baker's long tenure as the Doctor.

Both DVDs contain numerous extras, including commentaries by some cast and crew, mini-documentaries on the writers, actors and/or directors involved, greatly improved picture quality (compared to the previous VHS releases) and other bonuses that will appeal to the dedicated Doctor Who fan. Casual viewers will probably take better to "Horror of Fang Rock" because of its tense pacing and the fact that it's in color, but both stories have their merits, and stand as artifacts representative of the times in which they were made.

In fact, these stories could easily serve as hors d'oeuvres to whet one's appetite for the recent relaunch of Doctor Who, which aired earlier this year in Britain and Canada (a U.S. broadcaster has yet to be found). Helmed by Queer as Folk creator Russell T. Davies, the new Who has a far more openly gayer sensibility than the original series (which is still beloved by its many gay fans for its camp/kitsch sensibilities in addition to the previously mentioned reasons). Some episodes of the revived Doctor Who are written by openly gay men, feature performances by openly gay actors like Simon Callow, and even have queer characters in a few. One such character, the "flexible" (i.e., omnisexual) Captain Jack Harkness, playing by openly gay stage actor John Barrowman, even joins the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in their adventures in time and space on board the TARDIS!

Boasting high production values, wonderful scripts and great actors, the new Doctor Who reaches heights that its predecessor often dreamed of, but had no hope of reaching due to the technological limitations of the time. However, that never stopped its crew from trying to achieve cutting-edge effects. While their efforts may seem quaint to viewers from 2005, they admirably embody the spirit of persevering in the face of unexpected difficulties.

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