Doctor Who Cuttings Archive

Doctor Who: The Ark

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  • Publication: SFX
  • Date: July 2023
  • Author: Ian Berriman
  • Page: 110
  • Language: English

★★★☆☆

RELEASED OUT NOW! 133 minutes CD/download Publisher Big Finish

AUDIO DRAMA Big Finish's latest archeological exploration of Tom Baker's debut season sees them dramatising the John Lucarotti scripts reworked as 1975 classic "The Ark In Space".

Script editor Robert Holmes stripped them for parts, taking the central idea of an ark ship full of humans in cryogenic suspension, plus elements like bodily transformation, a subsidiary ship and Sarah Jane squeezing through a ventilation duct. The rest was binned.

You can understand why - light years from Lucarotti's historical adventures for William Hartnell, it's deeply odd. For one thing, the writer seems to have had balls on the brain, giving the episodes titles like "Golfball" and "Puffball". The latter - a mushroom the Doctor happens to have been growing - plays an improbably major role in saving the day. And the alien menace - a floating head whose voice brings to mind Roy Hattersley's Spitting Image puppet - is bizarre. Tom Baker responds by trying to outdo the script's eccentricity; at times you wonder if he's on the gin.

It's an interesting curiosity, with the odd striking moment, like a human duplicating by parthenogenesis. But it can't hold a candle to the televised story, lacking its initial mystery, disturbing body horror and weird insectoid aliens. Fans' main takeaway will be renewed appreciation for Robert Holmes's genius.

Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org

  • APA 6th ed.: Berriman, Ian (July 2023). Doctor Who: The Ark. SFX p. 110.
  • MLA 7th ed.: Berriman, Ian. "Doctor Who: The Ark." SFX [add city] July 2023, 110. Print.
  • Chicago 15th ed.: Berriman, Ian. "Doctor Who: The Ark." SFX, edition, sec., July 2023
  • Turabian: Berriman, Ian. "Doctor Who: The Ark." SFX, July 2023, section, 110 edition.
  • Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Doctor Who: The Ark | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who:_The_Ark | work=SFX | pages=110 | date=July 2023 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 February 2025 }}</ref>
  • Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Doctor Who: The Ark | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who:_The_Ark | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 February 2025}}</ref>


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