The Wheel in Space Episode 6

The one where the Cybermen show up in force...

It's the Season 5 finale! Don't expect anything too special though, judging on the previous five episodes. Doctor Who could do finales well, even in the 1960s (look at The Evil of the Daleks and The War Games for instance, and for a great example of a mid-season finale, look no further than Destruction of Time). However, The Wheel in Space brings Season 5 to a very disappointing end after a run of excellent serials through 1967-68.

The Doctor's ridiculous idea of sending two novice spacewalkers over to the Silver Carrier to get his Time Vector Generator takes a slightly darker turn when our hero openly admits that risking Jamie and Zoe's lives is worth it to save the lives of many. He's right, of course - maybe - but it's still surprising that it's his best friend he's willing to risk, and it gives this impiest of Doctors a darker tinge at the edges. However, this Doctor does not take the deaths of others lightly (as some Doctors do), and the moment he breaks the news of Gemma's demise to the others is a brief yet poignant counterpoint to his earlier pragmatism.

The Wheel in Space Episode 5

The one where the Cybermen kill the best character in the story...

I'll never forgive them. Never. It happens right at the end of the episode, but I'm going to address it straight away here: the Cybermen kill Dr Gemma Corwyn. She dies. The best character in the story, the best written and acted by far, and the silver giants go and murder her. I'm not happy.

These Cybermen are a pale imitation of their former glory. The best Cybermen so far for me were in The Moonbase, because they had a very definite and clear plan, and they didn't allow anything or anyone to divert their course. If the humans hit back in some way, they merely regrouped and returned in greater force. If help came from another source, they merely destroyed that help. But here, they lurk off-stage, never getting anywhere very fast. Some might say they're more threatening for the fact we don't see them as much, or that they are backstage rather than front and centre. I disagree. They're Cybermen, they're Doctor Who monsters, they need to smash through some doors or take over a control room or something. But instead they merely loiter.

The Wheel in Space Episode 4

The one where the Cybermen incinerate a corpse...

The Wheel in Space is written "by David Whitaker from a story by Kit Pedler", apparently. What story?! There's very little in this serial to show that it's been written by one of Doctor Who's finest scribes, the man who helped shape and sculpt the stories of Doctor Who's debut season, the man who wrote some of my favourite Doctor Who stories of the 1960s (The Rescue, The Evil of the Daleks, The Enemy of the World). A man who I believe understood Doctor Who on a fundamental level, and knew what made it work, and also what made good drama.

But The Wheel in Space is not good drama. It's laborious, runaround, talky, nonsensical hogwash. It feels like somebody pretending to write like Whitaker, so we've got a many and varied crew aboard the Wheel, but they have little of the Whitaker sparkle that turns them from mere names on the page into real people, with personalities and backgrounds (except, perhaps, the widowed Gemma). Whitaker was known for writing stories with interesting and realistic characters, and engaging plots, such as The Crusade, The Power of the Daleks and The Enemy of the World (and The Ambassadors of Death to come). But The Wheel in Space is just a mess, as if the input of Kit Pedler's "story idea" has muffled Whitaker's usually sparkling talent. Somehow I doubt that's to blame, but it sure feels like something went very wrong in the script development process for it to end up this messy.

The Wheel in Space Episode 3

The one where the Doctor stays in bed all day...

What exactly are those Cyber-egg things? We've never seen the Cybermen "born" in this way before. The original white spheres came out of a pod in the hangar, which we can assume the crew of the Silver Carrier either took on board in space, or brought from Earth before setting out for Station 5. And these two Cybermen, now grown from lickle foetuses to full men, came from the spheres, which appeared to grow in size by absorbing energy from the ship itself. I think.

In fact, when you actually sit and think about what the Cybermen are up to, it doesn't make very much logical sense (and these guys are supposed to be the most logical creatures in the cosmos!). They arrive aboard the Silver Carrier inside little spheres, which then absorb the power of the ship to grow in size. Two Cybermen then pop out and take control of the ship (inexplicably taking the weight off their cybernetic limbs by sitting down). Meanwhile, some other spheres have floated across the void and absorbed themselves into the Wheel, seemingly spawning Cybermats who then proceed to destroy the Wheel's stock of bernalium. The loss of bernalium means the Wheel is unable to use its x-ray laser, leaving the Cybermen to hope/ expect that the humans will space-walk over to the Silver Carrier to see if there's any bernalium on board there.

The Wheel in Space Episode 2

The one where we meet a know-it-all librarian called Zoe...

I think the designers and directors of Season 5 had "busy and bustling control room" off to a fine art, and did it very well. Whether it's Britannicus Base, the Eurogas oil refinery, or the Wheel, they all feel authentic, a convincing place of work. This episode opens with an extremely busy workforce who, by the sound of it, love flicking switches on and off repeatedly. It's great to finally get some new characters to get to know after the lethargic introduction of episode 1, and although they're not fleshed out all that much, already we've got Leo Ryan the ladies' man, and Tanya Lernov, the ladies' man's lady.

Their boss Jarvis Bennett is yet another brusque commander type so typical of this season, a man far too convinced of his own opinions and judgements to possibly consider those of his colleagues (echoes of that Season 5 stalwart, the Conceited Authority Figure; see also Klieg, Clent and Robson). He is adamant he wants to blow up the Silver Carrier before it careers headlong into the Wheel, and he and Leo are very keen on seeing the big bang it'll make in space. But it's the ladies on the staff who are more cautious, as first Tanya and then Gemma voice their concern that the Silver Carrier may not be empty. This is a very real concern, because I see absolutely no good reason why Bennett assumes it is empty.

The Wheel in Space Episode 1

The one where not very much happens...

After a run of stories which seem quite modern and contemporary for the time (stories set in Earth's present, near and far future), this episode feels like an echo from Doctor Who's past, as if it was a leftover script from Season 1. It reminded me very much of The Daleks and The Sensorites. It has that slow-burn exploration of a seemingly abandoned location, but sadly with this particular exploration, there isn't very much to find, and it proves really quite tedious at times.

The first thing that took me back to the Hartnell era was, of course, the fluid link, which vaporises and gives off a toxic mercury gas which the Doctor and Jamie have to be careful not to breath in. The Doctor's rather extreme reaction is to dismantle the time vector generator, which essentially disconnects the TARDIS's interior dimension from the exterior dimension. Suddenly, the TARDIS interior begins to shrink - the "walls shimmer and fold in on themselves", as Wendy Padbury's soundtrack narration puts it - and the Doctor and Jamie have to get out of the Ship before they're presumably squished.

Fury from the Deep Episode 6

The one where the seaweed creature is defeated by Victoria's screams...

Ah, the old new theme tune is back! That feels better. This revamped theme feels much more energetic, which suits the Troughton era better I think (just as I much prefer the galloping version of the theme tune in 2008's Series 4 to the earlier Eccleston version).

It's a blissful irony that what finally defeats the weed creature is Victoria's ear-piercing screams. The Doctor notices that the possessed Robson shrinks away when he hears Victoria's scream, and realises that sonic power is the key to defeating this underwater menace. After 11 months of listening to the power of Deborah Watling's formidable lung capacity, I can well believe that it would destroy just about any alien menace! It's actually a really poetic way to bring the adventure to an end, especially as it is Watling's swansong.

Fury from the Deep Episode 5

The one where the Doctor goes to the Weed's nerve centre...

Ooh, it's the Hartnell theme again! Has the production team decided the 1967 version of the theme tune just isn't up to scratch, and ditched it in favour of the original? Is it just the music that's different, or is the title sequence too? Was it the 1963 title sequence, or was it the 1968 titles with the 1963 theme over the top? Well, the telesnaps for episode 5 show Troughton's face, so this combination of 1963 audio and 1967 visuals refers back to The Macra Terror and the first two episodes of The Faceless Ones, where it was old music with new titles until the debut of the updated theme in episode 3. Still, it's odd that this aberration occurs in the middle of a story.

This is another excellent episode, written with balanced pace by Victor Pemberton, who manages to squeeze in jeopardy and action alongside some real human scenes too. The scene where Megan Jones goes to Robson's room to try and convince him to help them is so well written and acted, a moment of tenderness between the two which hints - nothing more - at a possible past between the two. They revert to calling each other by their first names (Megan and John), which is one subtle way of showing that both have let their guard down a little.

Fury from the Deep Episode 4

The one where the seeds are sewn for Victoria's departure...

Quite randomly, this episode opens with the William Hartnell version of the theme tune rather than the new one. It makes me feel quite nostalgic, as do the sound effects used for the refinery computers, which just remind me of WOTAN and his War Machines!

Deborah Watling is on great form here, given some meaty dialogue by Victor Pemberton relating to Victoria's state of mind and how she feels about her aimless wanderings with the Doctor and Jamie. Throughout her time with the Doctor Victoria has been a nervous traveller, simply because she is an inexperienced Victorian teenager who had previously led a sheltered life. To suddenly be thrown into a world full of metal monsters, silver giants and hissing reptilians would be equally thrilling and terrifying. Now, at last, Victoria is starting to tire of the terror, and I'm pretty sure is expressing symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Fury from the Deep Episode 3

The one where the sentient seaweed really starts to take control...

So far, I've felt episodes 1 and 2 of this story have been just shy of meeting their potential, but episode 3 comes blazing in and surpasses all expectations by really upping the ante. We join the Doctor and co in the Harrises' apartment, where Frank is understandably very concerned about his ill wife Maggie. But what's most disturbing, at least for an arachnophobe like me, is that Victoria describes having seen the frond of seaweed on the floor as moving like a spider. I mean, how utterly terrifying is that? Seaweed that stings to the touch which scuttles about like an eight-legs?

Another surprising turn this episode is that our heroes take a detour back to the TARDIS, now having very conveniently washed up ashore (so why have it land in the sea in the first place, hey?). The telesnaps don't show much detail of the TARDIS laboratory (I spy no roundels), but I love that writer Victor Pemberton has Victoria rolling her sleeves up and getting involved, running a Bunsen test and showing herself to be just as capable as the Doctor in these situations. Jamie, the 18th century troglodyte, is left to ask all the questions for the viewer!

Fury from the Deep Episode 2

The one where we meet Mr Oak and Mr Quill...

Deborah Watling really goes for it in the scene where Victoria is trapped with the seaweed in the oxygen room. She's got the most piercing scream of any companion, and almost shattered the speakers on my CD player before she was rescued by the Doctor and Jamie! As Robson says of Victoria, she's hysterical!

Most of this episode is spent in the company of the guest cast, with the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria sidelined slightly in favour of building up the story elsewhere. Fury from the Deep is a slow-burning horror mystery, but I quite like spending time with the Harrises, as they seem such nice people, and utterly devoted to one another. It's a very sweet, loving marriage, and both Roy Spencer and June Murphy give the pair a lot of heart. They've got a seriously questionable taste in kitchen decor though, judging by the telesnaps!

Fury from the Deep Episode 1

The one where the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver for the first time...

OK, so why does the TARDIS materialise in mid-air and then descend to float on the surface of the sea? It seems so random, and goes unexplained, as if that was the plan all along. It also begs the question of how the Doctor manages to get an entire dinghy out of the TARDIS doors. It's all so wonderfully strange, but in a way, kind of wasted because there's no explanation. There's very little reference to what's happened generally, except for the Doctor saying that the TARDIS can float.

There's a fascination for the TARDIS landing on beaches in the 1960s. Off the top of my head I can remember the Ship landing beside open water in The Keys of Marinus, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Time Meddler, The Smugglers, The Enemy of the World, and now Fury from the Deep. In fact, since Victoria joined the TARDIS, it's only landed on a planet which isn't Earth once (Telos). She's one of the Doctor's least widely travelled companions. And we get some delightful larking about from the regulars once more, as we have in several Season 5 stories, proving just what a fun team Troughton, Hines and Watling were.

The Web of Fear Episode 6

The one where the Doctor is about to have his mind drained by the Great Intelligence...

A feeling of suspicion runs deep through The Web of Fear as each character has their own idea about who the traitor in their midst is. The viewer is constantly being fed red herrings by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln, so we're never quite sure who to not trust. Is it Evans, whose cowardice may all be a smokescreen? Is it Chorley, who has mysteriously reappeared after two episodes? Or is it Arnold, another sudden returnee?

The Doctor trusts nobody, especially the Colonel, but seems to blindly believe that Anne and Jamie couldn't possibly be the culprits. Yes, he trusts Jamie as a friend anyway, and Anne appears to be completely benign (albeit with very long claws), but how can he be sure that neither of them have been taken over by the Great Intelligence, as Professor Travers was?

The Web of Fear Episode 5

The one where the Doctor gains a pet Yeti called Fred...

"I. Am. The Intelligence!" The first five minutes of this episode comprise one scene in which the Great Intelligence - now possessing Professor Travers' body - imparts its dastardly plan to the surviving band of heroes (and Evans). Jack Watling is genuinely unsettling as the possessed Travers, with staring blank eyes and laboured blinks, and a rasping, croaky voice which sounds like it's being forced out of a dead man's throat. His zombie-like performance, complete with awkward motor control as the Intelligence deals with an unfamiliar human form, reminds me of that given by Dinsdale Landen 21 years later in The Curse of Fenric - and especially when we see Travers moving along gloomy tunnels with Yeti in tow, just like Fenric and his Haemovores.

The bit where the Doctor asks what the Intelligence wants, and Travers rasps: "Yooouuuuuuu!" has given me chills ever since they used it in the trailer for the DVD back in 2013. This is a lengthy scene, but the tension never lets up, thanks to the intensity of the acting and the subtle use of a twinkling, ethereal soundscape (Martin Slavin's ubiquitous Space Adventure (Part 2)) beneath it all. The whole thing must be horrifying for poor Anne, to see her father being used in such a way.

The Web of Fear Episode 4

The one with the Yeti attack on Covent Garden...

What a bloodbath this episode is! Starting off in the wake of the death of my lovely Weams (episode 3), this installment gets right on with the business by having the savage Yeti cut down both Professor Travers and his doting daughter Anne, before dragging the elderly man's body off with them. It sets the episode's stall out quite plainly, because over the next 25 minutes there will be a lot more loss of life to contend with. Luckily, Anne isn't dead, but we know no such thing about her father.

The abduction and possible death of Travers noticeably rattles the Doctor when he learns of it. As soon as he discovers his old friend Travers has been harmed, perhaps used in some way by the Great Intelligence, Patrick Troughton's entire demeanour alters, making the Doctor introspective, understated and thoughtful. No more histrionics, the Doctor has been slapped in the face by the sheer gravity of what he's facing. The loss of a personal friend rocks him, and he's the only one to react in any noticeable way to the news of the death of Weams.

The Web of Fear Episode 3

The one where we first meet the future Brigadier...

I always thought it was a real shame this episode was the one that didn't come back with all the other recovered film cans from Nigeria, because it's the first time the Doctor meets Nicholas Courtney's Lethbridge-Stewart. This is where a 40-year relationship between the Time Lord and the future Brig began. But the truth is, you don't actually see them meet for the first time, as is evident from listening to the surviving soundtrack of episode 3 and looking at the telesnaps. The two have already met by the time the episode opens, so perhaps we were never really meant to witness their first meeting?

The introduction of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart is an interesting twist in an episode that, by and large, runs on the spot. He is a pretty cold and officious man, seemingly unmoved by the loss of his entire platoon at Holborn ("All the men dead, I'm afraid"). All he really wants to do is sort out the somewhat unregimented mess Captain Knight has been presiding over at Goodge Street HQ and move forward with a plan. He's a no-nonsense chap with no time for irritants like Chorley (his lack of respect for the media would also be witnessed in Spearhead from Space). He prefers "practical soldiering"!

The Web of Fear Episode 2

The one where suspicion falls on our time-travelling heroes...

The Yeti in The Web of Fear are ten times better than their earlier versions in The Abominable Snowmen. Their new, slimmer look makes them more agile, so they're quicker to get to you than their lumbering, waddling Tibetan versions. They're pretty ferocious things too, roaring their way along the dimly lit tunnels, their eyes blazing in the gloom. Their attack on the soldiers is pretty brutal stuff ("Will nothing stop them?"), as they chop people down without mercy, or spray their web guns right in people's faces. Early in the episode we listen to the massacre at Holborn, with soldiers obviously being slaughtered by rampaging Yeti. Then the sound stutters and cuts out... so eerie! When journalist Chorley says "Great stuff!", the withering look on Captain Knight's face says it all.

The presence of the Yeti can mean only one thing, as pointed out by Jamie, who comes over as much more intelligent this week because the Doctor's absent! If there's Yeti, the Great Intelligence must be controlling them, and it's probably the Intelligence which captured the TARDIS in space and brought them there. But what does the Great Intelligence want? Well, revenge, I'll wager! But I'm not sure why its vengeful plan involves the London Underground just yet...