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Label: BBC/2Entertain Chasing a distress signal leads the Fourth Doctor, Romana II and K9 to the planet Chloris. Metal is a precious commodity on this jungle world and it is all controlled by the powerful Lady Adrasta who doesn’t take too kindly to a trio of strangers turning up. As the TARDIS crew get caught up in events the Doctor escapes by plunging down a pit but a vast creature is imprisoned down there and it’s looking for its next meal. Trailers are funny things aren’t they? Clever editing could make one thing look like anything else. Maybe Merlin could be a sitcom or Father Ted a romantic comedy? The first glimpse I had of this serial was the Coming Soon section on the last DVD release and it looked pretty rubbish. The team behind it were all solid though: Tom Baker and Lalla Ward in the TARDIS, Christopher Barry directing and Douglas Adams editing a script by David Fisher. This is another serial which doesn’t exactly have a good reputation and some of that is due to a cumbersome creature which was described by producer Graham Williams as “a giant green blancmange with a four foot phallus”. He’s right on the money there, although if you want something that will scare the kids then that will probably do it. Watching the serial for the first time and expecting the worst I was surprised to find myself enjoying it as much as I did. Written at the time of the infamous Winter of Discontent (1978/79) in Britain this story both reflected the times of civil unrest and proved to be remarkably prophetic when, upon transmission, Margaret Thatcher had just come to power. Lady Adrasta (looking remarkably like the Wicked Queen from Snow White) controls the metal mines, women outrank men and any stranger or threat to the status quo is thrown down the pit. This is where the Doctor spends most of the serial no doubt to the delight of Tom Baker who gets walk around the caves talking to himself and the silent monster. He also meets up with the astrologer Organon who is surely one of the best supporting characters ever to appear in the series with Tom Baker and former Catweazle Geoffrey Bayldon making a fine double act. Romana gets to be kidnapped by a Dickensian gang of bandits and bicker with Adrasta although she is a little out of character. The timing of the script meant that it was written for her snootier first incarnation and while this would be fine for a post regeneration story but although it was filmed first it was broadcast later in the run. Thankfully this doesn’t affect the show that much but Lalla does seem to overact a little when K9 is in trouble although overall she and Baker work well when they finally get scenes together. The monster, Erato, is a sticking point but like the best (or worst I suppose) it works better when kept in the shadows and only partially seen but a touch of green lighting works wonders. Unfortunately when it’s brought into the light you can see the joins. A clever little device allows Erato to speak through someone else’s larynx which works effectively when all the cast are gathered in the (extremely roomy) caves for a Poirot-like dénouement and Adrasta tells us her scheme in her own voice while simultaneously denying it. This would have been a fine ending except there wasn’t nearly enough peril so we get some guff about Erato’s people blowing up the planet with a neutron star because Adrasta, as the Doctor says, “tipped the ambassador into a pit and threw astrologers at him”. The humour in this story has become a sticking point with some and includes one of the most disputed scenes in the series history. After the Doctor leaps down the pit he pulls out a book on mountain climbing only to discover that it’s written in Tibetan and duly refers to a Teach Yourself Tibetan volume. Where you stand on this and much of the humour here depends on your opinion of Douglas Adams. For the record I found the humour in this story much more palatable than last month’s The Horns of Nimon. It says a lot about the regard that this story is held in that I don’t have a Continuing Adventures section this time. It seems no-one has really wanted to return to the events on Chloris in over thirty years but despite not being up there with the classics this is a perfectly watchable evening’s entertainment and is best taken with a healthy dose of friends and alcohol. Giggles and double entendres expected. Extras: Commentary by Lalla Ward, Myra Frances, Christopher Barry and Mat Irvine. Two documentaries are included: Team Erato sees the BBC Visual Effects team discuss the making and operating of the creature whilst Christopher Barry: Director takes the retired helmer back to Aldbourne in Wiltshire (main location of The Daemons) to talk about his life and career. In a clip from a 1979 edition of Animal Magic and on location from Chloris the Doctor (stuck in a yoke) talks about some of the fearsome creatures he has faced. Also included are a text commentary, photo gallery, PDF Radio Times listings, subtitles and a Coming Soon trailer.
Discs: 1
Video: 4:3 Non-Anamorphic
Audio: English 2.0
Subs: English HOH Production notes
Running time: 100 mins approx.
Region: 2
Web: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic
Release date: May 3rd 2010
Trivia learnt from the disc: Eileen Way (Karela) has the dubious honour of being the first person ever to die in Doctor Who. She played the role of Old Mother in An Unearthly Child back in 1963.
