Classic Dr. Who Review: Horror of Fang Rock
Article By: Tribrix
Tom Baker returns as the Doctor and Louise Jameson in this, the first story of the first season produced by Graham Williams. It originally aired 9.3.77 to 9.24.77 and was written by Terrance Dicks, easily the most prolific Doctor Who author ever (with over 400 books to his name, not all of them Doctor Who related, but many). Graham Williams era with the show is marked by a bit of a decline in quality compared to his predecessor, which I think shows in this very first story. However, Baker is still in his stride here, and that helps overcome scripts that are not quite as good, and productions that may have been a bit too ambitious at times.
The story concerns a lighthouse on the English coast in the early 20th century, isolated by fog and under attack by the Rutans, mortally enemy of the Sontarans, with whom they’ve been at war for many years. I’ll spare you the detail of how the lighthouse is involved in their plan, as I’m not all that convinced of it’s soundness. In the lighthouse, are the three men who run it, and later, when a ship runs aground, owing to the previously mentioned fog, the three surviving passengers join the small party already coping with the Rutan’s machinations. These new passengers add some juice the plot really needs at that point and bring with them their own intrigues and drama, compounding all the problems already present.
I’m not a big fan of this story, and this most recent viewing marks my third time out with it. I really like the premise, even if it calls to mind Robots of Death, a mere two stories back, and that it is a period piece, like the story previous, set not too much later either. Having a group of strangers trapped in confined quarters as they then start dying one by one has made for many a good murder mystery, but this is not one of them.
As for the production, well, you take the good, you take the bad, and there you have . . . well, Graham Williams was less interested than his predecessor in trying to produce a show of the highest quality based on the budget he had. One finds Graham reaching higher, and sometimes missing the ring. The lighthouse set is awesome, and really shines. The Rutan, well, not so much. I was happy it was out of focus a lot of the time, but there also seemed to be a scale issue.
In the end, what this group of episodes had going for it was atmosphere, that it has, in spades. If there were any reason to recommend it, that would be it. The acting is alright, but I didn’t catch any standouts. The Doctor has a few good quips, which Baker delivers wonderfully. But I’m hard pressed to recommend this one, unless you are a completist like me.
*About Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching, know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.
Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges, on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.
In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male and/or robotic.
Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids, but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of just children. This tradition continues today.
I am in the process of watching every episode of Doctor Who in chronological order (where those episodes have been destroyed, I am watching one of the recons). I have been at it for a couple of years and expect to be at it a couple more. I may occasionally post reviews out of order, but mostly I’m going to post them as I watch them.
Table of contents for Classic Dr. Who Review
- Classic Dr. Who Review: Robots of Death
- Classic Dr. Who Review: The Talons of Weng Chaing
- Classic Dr. Who Review: Horror of Fang Rock
- Classic Dr. Who Review: Underworld
February 19th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
I’m really enjoying these articles, man. Keep ‘em coming!