Story #92 - Horror of Fang Rock (1977)

Sarah -
Base -- or, rather, lighthouse -- under siege!


Harry -
It's a refreshing change.


Sarah -
For old-school (or just old) Chicago Doctor Who fans, "Horror of Fang Rock" will always be tied to memories of the night Max Headroom broke into the WTTW broadcast with this:

Keep in mind that Doctor Who was shown in omnibus format from 11:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Sunday night. When I woke up the morning after the broadcast, I seriously thought I had hallucinated the whole thing!


Harry -
After all this time, no one has stepped forward to claim responsibility for that, have they?


Sarah -
No one has and I love that it's still a mystery!

I have to say, there are some things that One learns to appreciate over time when One is a Doctor Who fan. At the top of my list is that I don't have an unfortunate habit of showing up places when someone has just been killed or gone missing. I don't believe I could handle the pressure of constantly being under suspicion...


Harry -
What a brilliant first episode we got in this one. All dark atmosphere and murky noises -- I mean of course Reuben the ole lighthouse keeper, with his perpetual groaning about electricity. Not the same as oil, nay. T'ain't natural!


Sarah -
I love Reuben!


Harry -
He has a cuddly irascibility about him. My favourite character for sure.

It was nice to see Season 15 start with a continuation of the sci fi historicals, the TARDIS this time landing on a rock smack dab in the Edwardian era. And yes, just in time for poor Ben to become a terribly desecrated corpse within and without the lighthouse on Fang Rock. Leela puts it best early on: "You said I would like Brighton. Well I do not."

Perhaps the most unsettling thing early on was seeing the Doctor wearing a bowler hat. For some reason, people wearing bowler hats make me anxious.


Sarah -
I know what you mean. There's something terribly unsettling about a bowler hat.

It's season fifteen and we've got a new show runner in Graham Williams, but this story continues the tone set in "The Talons of Weng-Chiang". The opening scenes are all atmosphere. I love the lighthouse setting and the introduction of the crew is perfect. "Horror of Fang Rock" maintains the traditions of season fourteen in its high body count. Is there any other story where everyone dies? Every single person we meet in this story is dead by the end. It's so disturbing.


Harry -
Terrance Dicks spreads the slaughter across all classes, sparing neither the humblest seamen nor the poshest toffs, with the Doctor and Leela caught in between.

It was interesting how Uncle Terry arranged this story in comparison to "The Time Warrior." There, he introduced the Sontaran character immediately and kept him front and centre. Here, the alien character mostly lurks in the shadows until emerging in the final episode. The Doctor spends almost the entire story puzzling over who or what the alien menace might be. With the small cast and claustrophobic setting, it allowed for some nice character development.


Sarah -
I love that Dicks introduces us to the Rutans, who were last (and first) heard of in "The TIme Warrior". There's a nice full-circle sense of closure to the story.


Harry -
I have a soft spot for young Vince. He was so heartbroken when Ben died. I also liked his reaction when Leela started removing her Brighton getup and asked for some men's clothes. "I'm no lady!" Haha!


Sarah -
Vince's death is the hardest to bear. He's just so sweet. His scenes with Leela make him particularly endearing.


Harry -
As for the Edwardian Gits as I like to think of them, is there any group of people whose deaths came more as a relief? I know that's terrible to say, but wow did I hate that bunch!

It's fun to imagine Uncle Terry dreaming these characters up. "Let's see, I'll have this arrogant young Lord who bosses everyone around until everyone is pleased to see him die. I'll throw in this shrieking woman who keeps going into hysterics until Leela smacks her in the chops. Then I'll have this slippery old snake of a colonel who'd rather let everyone die than see his reputation sullied. Good. Now I shall kill them all horribly."


Sarah -
They are particularly awful. Palmerdale is clearly hideous from the beginning, but I like what Uncle Terry does with Skinsale. Turning him into the Doctor's ally in the final episode builds some sympathy for him and then BAM! -- he's taken down by his own greed as he attempts to collect the diamonds they've lifted from Palmerdale's corpse. Brilliant writing!

Adelaide has little to recommend her and Leela acts for all of us when she smacks her and tells her to shut up!


Harry -
I was particularly struck by how Tom Baker underplayed this story. Sure, there were the odd moments where he lashed out or smiled in the face of impending doom, but for the most part he was subdued, puzzling over the mystery at the lighthouse. Meanwhile, Leela stabbed about a dozen invisible enemies with that knife she picked up. At this point in their partnership, Leela seems happy to be along for the ride. She trusts the Doctor implicitly and very little seems to phase her, apart from giant cuddly rats.


Sarah -
She's definitely all in. It's a testament to Louise Jameson's acting that she makes Leela so strong and endearing. She was ready to leave the series after Season 14, mostly because of the horrible way she was treated by Tom Baker.


Harry -
Remember that video she played at Chicago TARDIS one year? It was a compilation of every time the Doctor had shushed Leela onscreen, and it was a very long compilation. Who wouldn't have gotten tired of that?


Sarah -
I'm glad she stayed on and they eventually became friends. Leela is one of those companions who has been kind of in the middle for me -- didn't love her, didn't hate her. Like Jo Grant, this marathon has made me better appreciate her character development and certainly bumped her up on my list of companions who are awesome!


Harry -
As with the previous story, "The Talons of Weng-Chiang", the production team knocked it out of the park with the set designs and costumes. If the Doctor had been marooned in the Victorian or Edwardian era for a time, I would not have minded more stories like these past two.


Sarah -
Both stories are just about as perfect as Doctor Who can be!


Harry -
Well, season fifteen is off to a cracking start. Let's see who we might meet next...


Sarah -
Best Line:
Vince: "You found the trouble, then?"
Doctor: "Yes, I always find trouble."

Favorite Moment: Leela slapping Adelaide

Lasting Image: The green, glowing Rueben

9/10


Harry -
Best Line:
Doctor: "Ahh! You want to get to London!"
Palmerdale: "Yes!!"
Doctor: "You've no chance in this fog."
Favourite Moment: Reuben grousing about electricity and the positive properties of oil.

Lasting image: the arrival of the Edwardian Gits

8/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #93 - The Invisible Enemy...

Story #91 - The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977)

Sarah -

You know, Harry, it's almost impossible to decide where to start discussing this story. There's much to say and there are so many reasons for it to be considered one of the greatest in the series' history. "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" was set to be Philip Hinchcliffe's final Doctor Who production and he decided to go out with a bang, approving expenditures that he never would have otherwise -- and it shows. The story just looks so damn good!

 

 

Harry -

This is the BBC at the height of its period-recreating powers. From the moment the TARDIS arrives in a thick London fog, this story oozes Victoriana out of every pore.

 

 

Sarah -

Doesn't it, though? If there's one thing you can count on from the Beeb, it's excellent Victoriana.

 

 

Harry -

The clothes are brilliant, from the retro bobby uniforms to Jago's flashy formal wear, and of course the Doctor and Leela's stylish headwear. I'm glad this was one of the few stories where the Doctor and companion dressed in the manner of the day. I wonder how quickly the production team realized that they would have to adapt Leela's clothing every time she travelled to Earth to avoid causing a stir.

 

 

Sarah -

It is a challenge of the character, isn't it? I couldn't help laughing during the scenes when she was in her underwear. Leela is the only character in Doctor Who history who has been MORE covered up when wearing her small clothes.

 

 

Harry -

The dialogue is infused with now-archaic sounding language from the Victorian characters. Jago in particular delivers one flourish after another, bursting with alliteration and "dash me optics!" exclamations.

 

 

Sarah -

How perfect is Jago, especially when teamed up with Professor Litefoot! They're such fan favorites that they've got their own Big Finish range. Do you have any of their series in your collection?

 

 

Harry -

I have the Big Finish Companion Chronicles story that they appeared in -- "The Mahogany Murderers" -- and broke it out immediately. It's a wonderful little episode and sets up the ongoing Big Finish series nicely. I'm eager to listen to more of these now, dash me eardrums!

Back to Philip Hinchcliffe.  What a run!  One of the show's best producers ever.  For his last hurrah, he gave us his homage to the Sherlock Holmes and Fu Manchu stories.

In the early going, the Doctor and Leela put on their best Holmes and Watson detective routine - the Doctor complete with deerstalker cap. They are immediately drawn into local events when they battle a gang of Chinese youths, one of whom is captured and dragged to a police station for questioning in connection to the discovery of a murdered man nearby. At the station, the Doctor and Leela meet Li H'sen Chang, a cold, mysterious character - one powerful enough to demand the suicide of his captured countryman.

 

 

Sarah -

Unfortunately, there's also an uncomfortable connection to the Charlie Chan film series. It's surprising that it was still acceptable for white actors to be cast as Chinese characters in 1977 Britain. John Bennett's performance as Chang is excellent, but I always find it a little uncomfortable.

 

 

Harry -

John Bennett was excellent as Chang, but for obvious reasons such a performance would just not be on today. The original broadcast drew complaints about the casting, so imagine the uproar if someone tried it now (in a non-ironic/deliberately-provocative way).

It's interesting that the passage of time not only lets us revisit the Victoria era, but also how TV producers in the 70s sought to portray the Victorian era. Several of the characters, including the Doctor, make racially-tinged comments about Chinese people. As I watched each episode, I wondered how much of it was an attempt to present the attitudes of the times, and how much of it reflected contemporary attitudes that were still around.

 

 

Sarah -

This is yet another story that gives us some gruesome images -- Weng-Chiang having young women kidnapped so he can literally suck the life out of them to keep himself alive, knife fights in the alleys, bodies being pulled from the river, and scary giant rats. OK, OK, the rats are a bit weak and not at all scary, but it's the only weak point in the entire story, so I'll let it go.

 

 

Harry -

The rat was too cuddly for its own good, and Louise Jameson put on a hell of an acting effort to appear terrified of it.

 

 

Sarah -

I'm pretty sure this is the only time Leela actually screams.

"The Talons of Weng-Chiang" is a great story for Leela. She gets to play dress up (Oh, look, another homage! Hello Pygmalion!), being coached by the Doctor and Professor Litefoot. My favorite moment of the entire story is when she's offered dinner by the Professor. He leads her to the side board, where she promptly picks up a hunk of meat and digs in. Not wanting to embarrass his guest, Litefoot grabs a chunk and tucks in. It's one of my favorite scenes in all of Doctor Who.

 

 

Harry -

The cold collation - another lovely historical bit.

It was amusing how often Litefoot's residence was besieged by the forces of evil. Mr. Sin popping out of the laundry to terrorize Leela was especially creepy. I lost track of how many times I wrote down "Litefoot attacked," "Leela attacked," and "Doctor attacked." There was a lot of personal violence done to our friends in this one.

Stereotypes aside, the baddies were particularly nasty. Chang was lizard-like throughout, and I always have a moment of panic when he points that pistol at the Doctor while onstage. Mr. Sin was an unpleasant little beast. It's almost like an afterthought when Magnus Greel is unmasked and his story revealed at the end.

 

 

Sarah -

I always appreciate the misdirect of thinking Chang is the baddie, only to discover that he's nothing more than a pawn. His passing was even a bit tragic. How shocking to have an opium den in Doctor Who!

Also shocking is the fact that this is the only story in which Tom Baker does not wear a scarf! Insanity!

 

 

Harry -

Speaking of Tom, this story marks the end of his third season as the Doctor. Imagine if he had followed Patrick Troughton's famous advice and left the show at this juncture. Would the Tom Baker era still be considered the greatest? I believe so.

 

 

Sarah -

It's amazing how much he did in just the first three seasons. I agree that his legacy would be assured on the strength of these three seasons alone.

 

 

Harry -

To this point, Tom's Doctor has echoed some of the characteristics of each of his predecessors, but he's added his own unique sense of manic eccentricity. He's especially added a wild unpredictability to the character and made him much more alien. He lashes out at people over inconsequential things, then smiles broadly in moments of anxiety. You never know what this character will do next. He's taken Jon Pertwee's "man of action" and made him even more of a dominant personality.

 

 

Sarah -

His Doctor certainly fills the room, doesn't he?

 

 

Harry -

He's had two companions, like Pertwee, with whom the Sarah Jane era was shared. There's Harry Sullivan too, but looking back now he's almost a kind of tag-along from UNIT who didn't want to stick around with the Doctor and Sarah - remember his season with the Doctor is presented as one continuous timeline and he returned to UNIT at the first opportunity.

 

 

Sarah -

Good Old Harry Sullivan, that lovable imbecile!

 

 

Harry -

As for Tom, he's spent far less time on Earth, which has been a welcome change. He's fought classic baddies and met new ones who will return later. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if we can identify the point in his tenure where Tom may have overstayed his welcome - or if we end his era still wanting more.

 

 

Sarah -

I have to admit I've been starting to think about this, as well. I always think of the Barry Letts and Peter Hinchcliffe Eras being the Golden Years of Doctor Who. The coming seasons have a lot to live up to!

Looking back, it took us a year each to get through three seasons of Hartnell and Troughton and less than a year to tackle five seasons of Pertwee. We seem to be flying through the Baker years. How long we looked forward to getting to "Our" Doctor!

 

 

Harry -

Shall we venture into season four of the Tom Baker era, and see what awaits?

 

 

Sarah -

Yes, Let's!

Best Line:

The Doctor: "Do you know what this is?"

Leela (with a smile): "You ask me so that you can tell me."

Favorite Moment: Leela's dinner with Litefoot

Lasting Image: Leela and Litefoot chomping their dinner

10/10

 

 

Harry -

Best Line:

Jago: "You've been drinking."

Casey: "Not a drop, sir."

Jago: "Well it's time you started."

Favourite Moment: Jago bullshitting Casey about being an undercover sleuth working with the Doctor.

Lasting Image: Chang points his pistol at the Doctor.

9/10

Our marathon continues with Story #92 - Horror of Fang Rock...