I don’t know about you, but I love the stone circles that litter the English countryside. There’s something really interesting about this ancient architectural form that engages and excites my imagination. I know I’m not alone in this, and if you are such a person, Stones of Blood may appeal to you for that reason.

This four part serial originally aired October 28 to November 18, 1978. It starred Tom Baker and Mary Tamm. I could also mention John Leeson as the voice of K-9 and that it was written by David Fisher.

Strange things are afoot at a stone circle (think Stonehenge), and the Doctor and Romana proceed to investigate, a normal setup for Doctor Who. It’s not too much of a spoiler to tell you the stones have come to life and require a blood sacrifice for survival. There’s even a great scene where they find a camping couple to feed on. Yum Yum. What makes this so good though is the guest stars, few as they are, they are the ingredient that makes the first two episodes of the serial so good. Unfortunately, the story takes a turn, and goes off in a completely different direction.

As I have mentioned before, at three times during Graham Williams tenure as producer, the villain (or one of them) was a woman with weird makeup, and this is the second of those. I can’t get into guessing which of these three is the worst, because they are all bad in their own way.

Thankfully, in this case, it’s a minor detour before a more major one. I mentioned how much I like the set up in the first two episodes, but I’m less fond of the odd place this story goes toward the end. Without being spoilerish, I give kudos to Mr. Fisher for taking the tale in an unexpected direction, but question wether that direction improved the serial in any way. My obvious opinion is that it doesn’t, but I could see other people liking the silly comedic elements and overall surprise.

Technically, there’s a lot to admire about Stones of Blood. Unlike most Doctor Who stories, where location footage is on film and studio footage is on tape, this was shot entirely on tape (one wishes they’d saved the expense for a better story). Secondly, there’s a really good set that cost a lot of money in the latter part of the story. Even though I have trouble connecting the interior/exterior, as I did with the bridge of the Pirate Planet, I’m going to hand it to them for making something really special for this episode. Of course, you may have to listen to the commentary (like I did) to understand why it was so different. But even a novel set can’t save weak story and misplaced humor. Some may like it, but I suspect most will not. One thing I can guarantee though is that you will, at some point, be surprised at the turn things take. To me it’s the only redeeming thing about how this story closes.

In conclusion, if I could give two reviews, I’d give a strong recommendation for the first half and a hesitant one for the latter half. Of course, if you are watching the Key to Time season, you can’t miss this one, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed either, except in wishing they could have kept up the quality from the beginning to the end.

What to say about this one . . . It’s the one that started it for me (which you know, if you read my last review). Had I not seen the cyborg Captain, I might have never discovered Doctor Who at all, or maybe would have, but much later. This story is far from perfect, but, having said that, it has a lot going for it thanks to an inventive script by Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame.

Tom Baker once agian reprises his role as the Doctor and Mary Tamm is back as Romana. This story has four parts and aired 9/30/78 to 10/27/78. It is the second story in the Key to Time season story arc.

The first episode opens with our villains (notably, the captain, yelling at Mr. Phibulie, as he does throughout this four part serial), and then introduces more supporting characters, one of whom is ill, having been targeted by a cult of yellow robe clad zombie types. It is soon revealed that they have psychic powers, which it bears noting a lot of respectable people actually believed in in, back in 1978, along with ESP and Pyramid Power. I mention that, because it would have seemed much less fantastical than it does today.

Tom Baker is his entertainingly nuttiest, sort of an early indication of how his portrayal will develop over the next few years. He’s having fun with the role, and as is the audience, right along with him. Mary Tamm’s Romana is a great foil for him, more serious and bookish. I adore her and wish she had stayed on for more than one season. As much as this is the Key to Time season, it is also the Mary Tamm season. Lalla Ward’s take on the role was different, and I don’t think I like it much less, but it seems like one is always going to like the companion one starts with more than the others. That’s the case with me, though I do have a soft spot for Elizabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith and Wendy Padbury’s Zoe, and . . . well, you get the idea.

Douglas Adams really delivers with this script. This is a very inventive tale, with twists, new tech, great characters, and lots of jokes, some stolen from himself. He had not yet sold Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to the BBC. For those unaware, before it was a movie, or television show, or stage play, or record, or book, it was a radio drama on the BBC, and if you have never heard it, I recommend you get all five seasons (phases, they call them), as it is the very best way to experience that story, bar none. People attached to the book will note that it is quite different in sequence and substance, but remember, it is the original, so it’s the book that is the departure, not the other way around. I also think, the people in the radio cast influenced him in the book writing and helped solidify the characterizations he employed in novelizing his radio play. I honestly can’t imagine other people playing those parts though I have seen the movie. Interestingly, most of the radio cast came back for the TV production, but a limited budget ensured that that series would be severely lacking. Still, worth checking out an early visual realization of Adam’s signature creation. He had a deep imagination and a real knack for comedy and liked to say he invented the sci-fi comedy genre. I’m not sure about that, but I believe he did give us it’s greatest contribution thus far and it’s not a stretch to say his view of the world greatly influenced mine, but I digress.

Acting wise, The Pirate Planet is quite good. Almost everyone is very convincing in their roles, save the Captain, who is completely over the top. but even that works, given how his part is written, and when he later warms up and calms down. The art direction is mostly good. I don’t see the relationship between the interior and the exterior of the ‘bridge’ but like the design of both. You can see the budget limitations here and there, but mostly it all quite well done. I’ve always had an issue with the effects in this one, mostly on account of the Captain’s flying robot parrot, which only really flies -convincingly- on one occasion, a real disservice to a nicely realized robot design.

I highly recommend this one, but only to fans. There’s enough goofiness and production foibles to turn casual viewers off (he says, admitting this was his own introduction to the series, lol). It’s fun to try and spot the Adams recycled jokes and also nice to see a fairly successful Doctor Who that’s a space fantasy, because that’s not a genre Doctor Who does to often. It was surely a Star Wars influence, but not overtly so. It does drag a little in the middle, but it opens and closes with such aplomb, one ends up almost forgetting the sagging center.

I’ve waited so long to write about this, and I’m so excited to write the next six reviews. Season 16 in Doctor Who is unique in that is was the first time the show had ever attempted to do a season long story arc. One can argue how successful it was, but ambitiousness, or over ambitiousness aside, this one is very important to me.

One day, many years ago, I was flipping channels and caught a glimpse of a cyborg on PBS. I dismissed it in my mind as a trick, but clicked back to PBS, just in case it was there for real . . . And it was. It was the Pirate Planet, the second story of Season 16, and I was in shock, having no idea that PBS had a sci-fi show. Soon, I saw Tom Baker and recognized that this must be Doctor Who. I was totally disoriented. It was interesting, sure, but not riveting. Why was it shot in video? Who were these people and where was it going? I called my best friend and told him to turn it on too. If I was getting sucked into something new, I wasn’t going alone. Pirate Planet is a very odd story with multiple change ups where the villain is concerned. But probably more unsettling is the fact that Pirate Planet was written by Douglas Adams, who also wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If his brand of humor is new to you, it can be unsettling while you get used to it. Fortunaletly for me, my local PBS station was playing the stories out of order, so, next, after Pirate Planet was The Ribos Operation, the story which precedes it and sets up the whole season long story arc.

At the conclusion of Invasion of Time, Leela (played by Louise Jamison), decides to remain on Galifrey, leaving the Doctor companionless as The Ribos Operation opens. This story originally aired 9/2/78 – 9/23/78 and stared Tom Baker as the Doctor and newcomer Mary Tamm as Romana.

Alone in his Tardis, the Doctor is summoned by the White Guardian to seek and assemble the ‘Key to Time’. The reason being that the universe has been slipping into imbalance and needs restoration, which can only be provided by the key. The six parts of the key are scattered throughout time and space and are in disguise. To help in the quest he is given the ‘tracer’ and an assistant, Romana, a time lady from the doctor’s own planet of Galifrey.

Romana was the latest in a long line of attempts to give the doctor a companion who would be his equal, rather than the ‘cute girl who asks questions and screams at the monsters’. And, at first, Romana seems to be smarter than the Doctor, but as time goes on, she often winds up asking questions and screaming at the monsters, because, at the end of the day, those are the most important jobs for a companion on Doctor Who, as they are the on screen representation of the audience. But I digress.

The tracer leads our heroes to the planet Ribos, and this is where the real fun begins as writer Robert Holes serves up his usual high quality banter and a few really good stories. The basic premise is that a pair of con men are trying to sell the planet to a disgraced Prince, after tricking him into thinking that the planet is rich in mineral resources which he can sell and use to rebuild his army and regain his former glory. Of course, we know that there is no mineral wealth, and that the two men in question have no right to sell the planet in the first place, but that’s part of the fun in seeing how the story unfolds.

If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of The Ribos Operation, and highly recommend it, but, it’s not without issues. This story is a kind of futuristic period piece. The costumes and sets are kind of Middle Age looking but are mixed with futuristic technology (by 1978 standards, lol). This is not bad, by any stretch, but, given the BBC’s deep well of all things period (costumes and sets), it’s clear that Ribos was done ‘on the cheap’. Plus, the monster is pretty awful, from a functional point of view. It’s not crucial to the story, and looks okay, but is totally unconvincing.

Holme’s trademark are his character pairs, and here we get two sets, the two con men, and the Prince and his general. These four characters are what make this story great and worth watching. There is lots of comedy and a good bit of drama too. The Prince is both revolting and sympathetic, a nice balance. While the con men are rendered in a way that is so friendly and slightly buffoonish, one can’t help but like them, despite the obvious criminal intention of their enterprise.

One exchange that always comes to mind when I think of this episode (paraphrasing):

Romana: Is he really a theif?
Doctor: Certainly
Romana: But he has such an honest face,
Doctor: he would make much of a thief with a dishonest face.

So, The Ribos Operation, first story in the Key to Time season story arc, super highly recommended and a pretty good bell weather. If you like this one, chances are, you are a potential fan of classic Doctor Who, if this one doesn’t float your boat, I’d abandon ship where this series is concerned.

*To learn more about Doctor Who see previous posts here on Robot Panic.