Destiny of the Daleks Episode Four

The one where the Daleks turn kamikaze...

Davros, ever the self-preservationist, demands that the Daleks call him a cab in the form of a deep space cruiser to take him away from Skaro and to safety. Unfortunately, the cruiser (which I'd love to see) will take six hours to get to Skaro, which just isn't quick enough for Davros's liking. The Kaled crackpot is also annoyed that there's such a thing as a Dalek Supreme ruling the roost, and insists that as Dalek creator, he should be the one deciding the Daleks' destiny. It's a fascinating set-up for Dalek stories to come, in which the Daleks are factionalised and start fighting among themselves. The fact the Dalek battle computers are too logical in their stratagems also hints at gruesome developments seen in Remembrance of the Daleks and Bad Wolf, where we see human beings wired into Dalek tech to outwit the constraints of logic.

Davros continues to jiggle his way around in his little wheelchair spouting about his personal supremacy and how the Daleks will thrive under his command. But at the end of the day - and this isn't really any fault of David Gooderson's - Davros just isn't up to scratch here. Gooderson doesn't do a bad job of portraying Davros, he's just different to Michael Wisher, and different in a way that isn't as good, sadly. There's nothing specific about Gooderson's Davros that's wrong, it's just that he's not Michael Wisher, and you can't really criticise him too much for that!

Destiny of the Daleks Episode Three

The one where the Doctor takes Davros hostage...

"The resurrection has come!" claims Davros, rather presciently it turns out. Davros has been asleep for rather a long time, and in that time he's changed somewhat. He still looks pretty much the same, and he's using the same wheelchair, but his voice is a little more hoarse, and he's developed a penchant for florid proclamations of his own invincibility, and the superiority of his creations, the Daleks. It seems that Davros didn't die at the end of Genesis of the Daleks, it was just his primary life support system which was damaged. Luckily, he had a back-up, which put his main bodily organs into suspension and set about regenerating synthetic tissue. So the Davros we see here is less Davros than we saw in Genesis of the Daleks. He's more synthetic now.

Something else that's changed is the man playing Davros. Michael Wisher was unavailable to reprise the role, so the part went instead to David Gooderson, who had to perform using Wisher's mask and wheelchair. Vocally, Gooderson makes Davros growlier and more theatrical, less calculating and more in the line of a generic monster of the week. It doesn't help that the character is treated with such disdain by the writer, but then Terry Nation reportedly had little to do with the serial as broadcast (director Ken Grieve claimed script editor Douglas Adams wrote 98% of the script). And you can tell, because I do not believe Nation would have treated his creation quite as poorly as Adams does.

Destiny of the Daleks Episode Two

The one where the Doctor discovers what the Daleks are digging for...

Watching the reprise made me realise that it's just Terry Nation fashioning a retread of his very first cliffhanger way back in 1963, in which Barbara was pressed against a wall and screaming as a Dalek advanced on her. Here, it's similarly done, with Romana pressed against a wall and suitably terrified. Nation was never afraid to reuse a good idea if it worked, although the number of times he reused those good ideas did get a little tiresome (Planet of the Daleks is the ultimate in reused ideas, although that feels more nostalgic because Nation had been away for so long).

Lalla Ward really sells Romana's fear here, presenting her as utterly terrified of the Daleks, which are content to shriek at her repeatedly until they get the answer they demand. Romana seems so scared of them that she temporarily loses the ability to speak, and when she does respond it's with a burst of terror-stricken emotion. When the Daleks interrogate Romana in their control room (ooh, it's that lovely Dalek heartbeat sound!) the questioning is relentless and merciless ("You will not remove your hand from the sensor!"), and Romana is actually brought to tears by it all.

Destiny of the Daleks Episode One

The one where Romana changes her body as if she's changing her clothes...

Even the opening titles of this story deserve comment. Right from the start we know that this is going to be a Dalek story, and that's quite exciting because it's the first time the Daleks have appeared in Doctor Who since Season 12's Genesis of the Daleks in April 1975 - almost four-and-a-half years ago. It's also the last story to be written by Dalek creator Terry Nation before he handed over the narrative reins to Eric Saward. Finally, it's the first story since The Green Death to have "episodes" rather than "parts", as well as the last time "episode" would ever be used (it's parts from now on).

The opening five minutes have divided fandom over the years, principally because it's taking liberties with the established way of things. In the past, the Doctor has regenerated into a seemingly random new body, certainly not one chosen by himself, but here we see Romana chopping and changing bodies as she regenerates as if she's shopping in Dorothy Perkins. She first appears as Princess Astra from the last story, then cycles through a number of ridiculous forms (including a blue midget and a Greek giantess) until settling once again on Astra's form.

The Armageddon Factor Part Six

The one where the quest for the Key to Time finally comes to a climax...

Drax reduces first the Doctor, then himself, to miniature proportions in some bizarrely misguided attempt to escape the Shadow's Mute, but actually makes the whole situation much worse because before he was miniaturised, the Doctor left the TARDIS door open. This means that they are now powerless to stop the Shadow waltzing into the TARDIS and snatching the five segments of the Key to Time for his boss, the Black Guardian. Well done, Drax.

Except the Mute is not the sharpest knife in the box and gets distracted by looking for the Doctor rather than taking some initiative and grabbing the Key. This is perfectly in keeping with the rest of the plot at this point, which has ground to a halt somewhat. The Doctor can't do anything because he's roughly the size of an inch; Romana can't do anything because she is the Shadow's prisoner; and the Marshal can't do anything because he's still stuck in a time loop. The only character who can do anything to move the plot on is the Shadow, who is now free to obtain the Key to Time and ultimately destroy the Universe.

The Armageddon Factor Part Five

The one where the Doctor bumps into an old school friend...

Astra is behaving very oddly. She's transfixed by the Key to Time, just standing staring at it as if it's the answer to life, the universe and everything (which it kind of is!). She speaks in a voice which screams "I am under the influence of an evil power", and the Doctor's already clocked the fact she's got a control device on her neck. So why oh why does he let Romana go off with Astra without telling her his suspicions? Surely that's a pretty reckless thing to do, to not tell your companion that they're walking off with the enemy. It's something the Seventh Doctor might do.

It seems the Doctor has more confidence in Romana than he should, telling the Shadow that she can look after herself, because she's a Time Lord. But that's not really the case, is it? Because Romana is actually a very inexperienced adventuress, someone who does not naturally gravitate toward violence or self-defence. So when she's faced with the muzzle of a gun, she doesn't try to escape, or charm her way out of the situation. She just gives in. And that means she ends up wracked with pain inside the Shadow's torture chamber, because Romana very rarely fights back. So Doctor, you were wrong: Romana cannot look after herself, and you were negligent in not telling her about Astra. Case closed.

The Armageddon Factor Part Four

The one where the Doctor stops the entire Universe...

So because Mentalis thinks it's already won the war between Zeos and Atrios, it's not bothered any more about self-preservation and is content to allow the Marshal to obliterate Zeos, and itself with it. What's the use of a war computer that just goes into hibernation after the war? It's not a very clever computer: it's good for just one thing, and then it's about as useful as a blunt cheese grater.

Even less clever is Mentalis activating its self-destruct mechanism, which means that despite having saved Zeos from the war with Atrios, it's doubly content to allow Zeos to go to Hell after the fact, it's job now done. It's happy to let the Marshal blow it to smithereens, and just as happy to blow it up itself when it self-destructs. Mentalis is bloody mental!

The Armageddon Factor Part Three

The one where the Doctor discovers there are no Zeons on Zeos...

Merak's a bit of a thicko, isn't he? He's supposed to be a highly intelligent and qualified surgeon, but he's written and played as if he's really dense. His whole existence seems consumed by the need to find his beloved Astra safe and well. Forget the fact he has loads of ill and dying patients to care for in his bombed out hospitals. Merak seems content to dedicate his life to walking around calling "Astra!", or asking stupid-ass questions like "What are bees?"

I got a personal pang of pleasure from seeing Romana set about him with her previously unseen self defence skills, because he really is such a wimp. And now he's joined the Doctor's gang on Zeos, along with the slightly less annoying Shapp, played by Davyd Harries as if he's in a children's play. Up to now, his presence has been largely forgettable, but now he has his own story strand (if that's what you can call it), he's let a tendency for silliness rise to the surface (perhaps influenced by Tom Baker?). The truth is, both Merak and Shapp are completely surplus to requirements, following the Doctor and Romana around like lost sheep. I'm hoping they're being set up as canon fodder, but somehow I doubt it.

The Armageddon Factor Part Two

The one where K-9 almost gets melted down for scrap...

This episode must have had the younger viewers anxiously biting their nails in fear that sweet little K-9 would be melted down as scrap metal in the Marshal's furnace. It is, admittedly, quite a nervous time for those with a fondness for the canine computer, watching him roll inexorably toward a fiery furnace (although we never see a single flame!). As he approaches the end of the line, K-9 sorrowfully has to close down and face his combustible demise. Luckily, the Doctor manages to rescue him in the nick of time, leaving K-9 barely singed (but a bit smoky!). He's a very hot dog.

All this jeopardy comes well over a year before the world saw C-3PO broken down for scrap and headed for the furnace in The Empire Strikes Back. As a child, I always found the dismemberment of C-3PO intensely upsetting, so I can only imagine how Doctor Who viewers felt about the prospect of losing their favourite comedy robot.

The Armageddon Factor Part One

The one where the TARDIS lands on a planet ravaged by nuclear war...

So, here we are: the Big Finale! The sixth and final adventure in Season 16's epic quest for the Key to Time, and this is also Doctor Who's 500th episode. That's nice serendipity, that the 500th episode falls within the same series as its 100th story (The Stones of Blood), topping off a season which began in Doctor Who's 15th year. So expectations are slightly raised, as there's a lot at stake.

The episode opens with some appalling CSO, some appalling acting and some appalling music, but it soon becomes clear - thank goodness - that this is all on purpose, as we're seeing footage of a TV programme on the planet of Atrios. It looks like a soap opera (it has a soapy score and corny dialogue), probably the Atrian equivalent of Crossroads. I'm not sure if the dialogue is intentionally funny, but it's certainly laced with double entendre: "There is a greater love. Men out there, young men, are dying for it!"

The Power of Kroll Part Four

The one where the Doctor works out why Kroll is so big...

After a tedious reprise going as far back as Rohm-Dutt's death, the episode continues with an anti-climax, as Kroll decides to simply go back to bed (sea bed?) and not terrorise the Doctor and Romana at all. But Kroll does re-emerge elsewhere to terrorise the terrified Swampies, and this time the terrible split-screen effect just gets worse. I thought it had been bad enough so far, but when Kroll attacks the Swampie settlement, the harsh line dividing the screen between the Kroll puppet and the actors on location is embarrassing. It's the best they could do, blah, blah, blah. Yes I know, but their best on this occasion just wasn't good enough!

Meanwhile, at the refinery the technicians are turning on themselves, or rather Fenner and Dugeen are turning on their increasingly megalomaniacal leader. Thawn's thirst for genocide hasn't exactly come out of nowhere - he's made no secret of the fact he thinks little of the Swampies - but his rather steep descent into madness has been signposted less subtly. The truth is that Neil McCarthy isn't equipped to portray a nuanced collapse of this man's sanity, so all we get is a very melodramatic face-off between a man with a gun and a man with a conscience.

The Power of Kroll Part Three

The one where the Doctor saves his life with perfect pitch...

Harg is gone, but I doubt anybody will notice, and he certainly won't be missed, because right from the start he was a one-dimensional character who had "Dead By Part Three" written all over him. And, like the other three technicians, he has about as much personality as a grape. It's really difficult to believe that the great Robert Holmes - the man who gave us Spearhead from Space, The Talons of Weng-Chiang and The Caves of Androzani - is responsible for this tedious dirge. There's no colour in the writing at all, it's all dialogue and no expression. Maybe he was having an off-day (we're all entitled to them) but this really is his worst work since Season 6 (but even lows like The Space Pirates have something to enjoy).

Reflecting the lifeless scripts they're given, the actors playing the refinery staff are equally as morose, especially Philip Madoc, who looks like he's struggling to stay awake through proceedings, even propping himself up against the scenery at one point, and often looking to the floor in despair. Madoc is in such a mood, and you can tell! John Leeson achieves nothing more than mastering the art of twiddling knobs, while Neil McCarthy struggles to convince even himself that this is a good part for him. He has flashes of steel which work (he was always a good bad guy), but there's no escaping the fact the role of Thawn would have been much better in Madoc's hands (or even George Baker's, who pulled out).

The Power of Kroll Part Two

The one where Romana is rescued from being sacrificed to a man in a rubber suit...

Oh. My. God! Just when you think you've got a hold of the fact that the unconvincing pincers mauling Mary Tamm at the end of part 1 are being operated by an actor in a rubber suit, it's revealed that it really is a man in a rubber suit! Rather than the mighty god Kroll come to take away his juicy sacrifice, it's actually Swampie Skart in a pretend monster suit. What a brilliant way to undermine viewers' expectations! What's less brilliant is the fact Romana actually believes it to be a real monster. It probably looked more convincing from the front, as the Doctor says...

It's nice to have Tom Baker and Mary Tamm reunited because they're so good at the witty repartee. They bounce off each other so well. I wouldn't call it a natural screen chemistry (such as Baker had with Elisabeth Sladen), but they were definitely on the same page as actors, and riffed to the same thespian rhythms.

The Power of Kroll Part One

The one where Romana is sacrificed to a giant squid by green savages...

The very first thing you see as The Power of Kroll begins is Philip Madoc looking up for his cue to start the scene. It's easy to miss, but once you see it, you can't miss it, and it's a shame it's there at all because it wouldn't have been much effort to shave that tiny bit off the front in the editing suite to make it smoother. As it is, it's very Acorn Antiques!

Straight away I can get the measure of this story. Even though it's written by the indomitable Robert Holmes, the fact we have middle-aged men striding round post-Star Wars sci-fi sets in what Terry Nation might call "space clothes" and acting very seriously tells me that this is going to be quite laboured stuff. The guest cast are almost universally bland (Grahame Mallard as Harg is especially forgettable), and I can't help thinking that Neil McCarthy - so heartbreakingly good in The Mind of Evil - is terribly miscast here as plummy leader Thawn. The part just doesn't suit him.