Classic Dr. Who Review: The Talons of Weng Chaing
Article By: Tribrix
I have to admit, I’m a little sad writing this review, as it is the last Doctor Who story produced by Philip Hinchcliffe, arguably the show’s very best helmsman. It is also writer Robert Holme’s most wonderful contribution (he had many) to the show. It is also, like Robots of Death, one of the very best episodes to get your feet wet with, where Doctor Who is concerned. This is a six part serial that originally aired from 2.26.77 to 4.2.77.
In this story, the Doctor and Leela arrive in Victorian London, ostensibly, to attend the theatre. Leela, a primitive ‘savage’ has never had the pleasure of culture and the Doctor is anxious to share it with her. On arrival, they discover young women are going missing around town, and word on the street is that the ripper is up to his old tricks. The Doctor and Leela do eventually make their way to the theater, but not before they discover more strange mysteries with a distinctive Chinese bent.
I have read the novelization of this story 3 times and seen this broadcast 4 or more times, so the story is very familiar to me at this point. Despite that, it’s still always a joy to watch this, even though Victorian England is not that interesting to me. Credit the writing of Robert Holmes. This story blends Conan Doyle/ Sherlock Holmes and My Fair Lady, with Phantom of the Opera, and throws in both future tech and Asian flavor to spice it up even more. Holmes love of alliteration is showcased a lot (keep those ears open), and he offers tons of quotable lines: When the Doctor tries to sneak out of Li H’sen Chang’s magic act, Chang says, “One of us is yellow,” Not PC, but hilarious, and one of many such moments in the story.
The BBC is at it’s best doing period drama, and that is on full show in this production. Seriously, during my most recent viewing there were times this felt like a feature film on video tape, because the lighting, costumes, acting, and ambience were all so right and wonderfully done. Which is not to say this is a production without problems, and of that I will say, there is a giant rodent who is much to cute and not nearly menacing enough, and there’s nothing to be done about it now, but it’s the sole blemish on an otherwise remarkable serial. I say sole blemish, but recognize others might have issue with the visual effects, and the ‘cheapness’ thereof. In their defense I’ll just say that they aren’t so bad.
The acting in this story is great, even by classic Doctor Who standards. Top British talent were always eager to go on the show because it offered them such wide exposure and usually had fairly decent writing, plus the chance to do something a little off the beaten track. In a totally un-PC move, John Bennet plays the heavy, Li H’sen Chang, for the first 5 episodes. The prosthetic eye makeup is good and John delivers a convincing performance. According to the producer, they’d have loved to hire a ‘real’ asian actor for the role, but didn’t feel the BBC had any Asian leading men on the roster. Also of note in this story are Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter, playing Jago and Litefoot, respectively. These two characters are present and interesting from the first episode on, but once they begin to work together in a later episode, they play off each other in a lightly comedic way that completely steals the show from the hero. Speaking of which, Tom Baker does a great job as the Doctor this time, though that is no real surprise, and Louise Jameson has a chance to shine as Leela, the savage in Victorian London, the sort of ‘Tarzan’ role the character was created to be placed in.
Talons of Weng Chiang is an excellent place to start watching Doctor Who because the overall quality is rarely equalled in the classic series, however, I’d recommend watching Robots of Death first, because, being set in the future, it’s more sci-fi-esque and a better representation of the show, but Talons of Weng Chiang is a better story and an even better production. As it happens, they are sequential, with Robots coming first, so it makes a great double bill. These were the first two Doctor Who DVDs I purchased, so you know they’re high on my list of favorites.
*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.
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
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