Warriors of the Deep

Anything could happen in the next half hour... including lots of killing, unfeasible running and climbing in high heels and a pantomime sea monster.

This is a yet another review I am going to begin with a comment about how this story was one of the first Target novelisations I read as a nine-year old new fan. Yes, I did and I loved it. How was I to know that it was such an unloved story?

Fan opinion has been very harsh with regard to Warriors of the Deep. Many stories with far more significant faults, are dealt with more kindly. I would suggest that this story is far better than popular fan opinion allows.

This story does have a lot of flaws. Let's bring them up and then we can look at what is good about it.

Most obviously, the Myrka is bad. It really does look and move like a pantomime horse. Not that it is the worst designed monster ever. I love sea monsters. If it had just been filmed differently; if we had just been granted glimpses of it, it could have been a really effective and scary monster.

This failure with regard to the Myrka naturally leads on to the failure of Pennant Roberts' direction in general. It really is bad. The invasion of the sea base by the Eocenes looks dreadful. And just what inspired him to have Dr Solow attempting to confront the Myrka with some karate instead of running away? What was he thinking? The apparent drowning of the Doctor is also rather clumsily done. Turlough jumps rather quickly to the conclusion that he is dead. We get an awful lot of flat acting from the guest cast to make matters worse. It must have been lovely to see the late Ingrid Pitt in Doctor Who a second time. I was so saddened to hear about her recent death. She had a genuine enthusiasm for the show and even wrote an unmade episode (The Macross, which you can hear on Big Finish audio). I don't like to say anything bad about her so soon after her death, but it is fair to say that she was more of an icon than a really talented actress. She injected absolutely no life into the character of Dr. Solow.



The new look Eocenes are disappointing too. The Sea Devils look alright, but the actors can barely move in them. The Eocene costumes in Doctor Who and the Silurians look better than the later version here. It is quite remarkable how the two sets of monster costumes in the 70s were superior to these. I don't care for the flashing third eye when they speak; in Doctor Who and the Silurians they indicated speech by wagging their heads, which is fine by me. Their voices are also different. It has been suggested that the differences are due to the Eocenes having been enhanced by cybernetics. This idea makes sense, but it would have been better had it been indicated by the dialogue.

The Eocenes also come across as just a bit too evil for us to sympathize with for the most part. Their origin is brought up in the dialogue, but this is not enough to back up their case for being the original inhabitants of the earth and so they end up seeming like any old alien monsters (and with the continual repetition of 'Excellent!' they sound like Cybermen). We might ask what happened to the old race memory thing in Doctor Who and the Silurians. Yet we do see something of their compassion. We are told that they did try to make peace before. Okay, so the line about the "hand of friendship" does not quite fit the two previous Eocene serials, but Missing Adventure writers have filled in that continuity chink for us. They also tell us that they bear no malice against the Doctor and offer to let him and his companions depart freely. Not typical alien monster behaviour.

So what is good about this story? The set designs are impressive. The Eocene HQ looks interesting. The Seabase set might be a bit wobbly and look too much like polystyrene in places, but it still looks like an impressive 3 -dimensional set that captures how a futurist military base might look. The modelwork for the space probe and the Eocene submarine is also good.

We get some amazing acting from the regulars. Fielding and Strickson are great, but Davison is really on fire in this story. He is no longer the wet fish of season 19. Just watch him fighting with those guards and threatening people with guns! His moral outrage and despair at the conclusion seems so heartfelt.

The setting is really well-conceived. We are given a vision of a future cold war that is not specific enough for us to get smug about. The claustrophobia and tension of a constant threat of nuclear war is convincingly portrayed. We also get a cyberpunk element, with all that stuff about implants and neural connections. I can just imagine Warriors of the Deep with a score composed by Front Line Assembly!

Nevertheless, this story makes me hate the Doctor. This story sees every man and woman on the Seabase die a violent death. Yet the Doctor seems to care far more about the Eocenes who are trying to wipe us of the face of the earth. The Doctor even calls humans 'pathetic!' If only he had been willing to use the Hexachromite earlier, he could saved those people. We can be sure that the Second Doctor would have got the Hexachromite out in an instant. I want to hate him for his inaction in this story. However, I think it is right and good that sometimes we don't agree with the Doctor or feel able to sympathize with him. He is not one of us. He sees things from a different perspective. The Doctor has witness humans commit appalling atrocities and injustices in every corner of history. In this period of 2084, humans are poised ready to annihilate each other with nuclear weaponry. For the Doctor it really is an open question whether the humans or the Eocenes deserve the planet more. We can spit on the Fifth Doctor and call him a moral coward, but we cannot deny that he has a reason for his reluctance to take sides.

The very linear plot of Warriors of the Deep has been criticised; yet I think this is an important element. It helps to underline the sense of inevitable descent into tragedy. The final moments are gloriously tragic with Turlough's grim line "They're all dead, you know" followed by the Doctor's classic lament "There should have been another way." We find out in Timewyrm: Revelation that the Davison Doctor is the Doctor's conscience. In that novel, he manages to get his Seventh incarnation to choose "another way" and find a solution that does not involve death and destruction.

To my mind the individual stories of Season 21 have to be seen as an whole. In Season 21, Eric Saward gave Doctor Who a vision and theme. In every story of that season (and you can see the start of this in The Five Doctors) we see the Fifth Doctor faced with the horror, brutality and futility of the cosmos. In the end, he succumbs to that horror and after his death regenerates into a new incarnation that has succumbed to the horror and madness of it all, as we see in The Twin Dilemma. As an individual serial, Warriors of the Deep finds it hard to stand. Yet in it's relation to the tragic themes of the season, it really shines. I would say it actually rivals Resurrection of the Daleks in the same season.

On a lighter note, costumes are interesting in this story. The Seabase crew all wear shell suits and deck shoes. Nobody wears socks. I suppose there is no reason why military personnel in 2084 would not wear liberal amounts of eyeliner.

I am amazed at Tegan's ability to climb on chairs, crawl through ventilation shafts and run through endless corridors in those high-heeled shoes. THAT must be a result of cybernetic enhancement. Judging by The Stones of Blood, Romana 1 would have kicked them off and run about the Seabase in her stocking feet.

For all it's faults, I really like this story. I like it far more than The Sea Devils, which most fans seem to love so much.

The Sea Devils

"He used to be a friend of mine once... a very good friend. In fact, you might almost say we were at school together."

I love the idea that the Doctor and other renegade Time Lords were at the Academy together. You can just imagine the scene- The Doctor trying to prove he's cleverer than Borusa, the Master pulling the Rani's pigtails, Runcible hiding a porno mag in his textbook, Drax making paper spaceships and Borusa holding his head in despair and thinking that going into politics would be a pushover after this.

Fans of the Pertwee era tend to rate this story very highly, considering it to be a classic of it's era. Those who are less favourable in their opinion of the Pertwee years have strong reservations about the merits of The Sea Devils. As somebody with a very low opinion of the Pertwee era, I find myself in the latter category. I think this is an extremely disappointing story. It is not without some great moments, but fails to deliver on the whole. It is well produced and has an awful lot of action, as well as some great moments with the Master, but very little that could be described as thoughtful or intelligent.




The Sea Devils is often described as a sequel to Doctor Who and the Silurians because it features an aquatic variation of the prehistoric creatures in that story. A sequel needs to justify itself with some fresh ideas and variations on the original story. The Sea Devils has the Master and it has a maritime setting, but this is all. There is not much exploration of the fascinating idea of the Eocenes as the original inhabitants of the earth. The race memory thing that was so important in Doctor Who and the Silurians is noticeably absent.

The Sea Devils is far too long. Doctor Who and the Silurians was also a very long story, but each episode made a real impact and pushed a complex and effective plot. The plot of The Sea Devils does not sustain itself so well. The material is fairly strong up until the death of Trenchard and the end of the prison plot. After that point the story gets boring very quickly.

Like many other Pertwee stories, The Sea Devils spends an awful lot of time indulging the lead actors love of different modes of transport. The Doctor is not James Bond. It does get tedious to see Pertwee pretending he is an older version of 007. The story also spends a lot of time acting as a recruitment poster for the navy. There is a clear message-

"The Royal Navy is cool! Doctor Who says sign up now, kids!"

On the other hand, as somebody who is generally hawkish on foreign policy and a bit right-wing, it is refreshing to see an alien menace that can easily be dispatched by our armed forces. There is never any sense that the Sea Devils are any real threat to our Queen and country and we are left in no doubt that our forces could wipe them out of the water with a few coordinated missile strikes. For once, mankind actually has the upper hand. This might make a nice change, but it does not fit at all with the Quatermass-like ethos of Doctor Who and the Silurians, where an ancient alien intelligence was a clear menace to humanity.

The Eocene 'Sea Devil' creatures are well designed. Terrance Dicks cruelly mocked their netting tunics, but I think they look good. The problem is not with the appearance of the Sea Devils, but the way they are presented. Only one of them speaks. They are summoned and directed by the Master's radio device, which rather makes them seem like zombies. There is a real lack of personality and identity about these creatures, in great contrast to the Eocenes in Doctor Who and the Silurians. For a change, these monsters are not immune to bullets, though given his fact it is surprising none of them are killed or seriously wounded in the firefight at the prison.

I am not a fan of the Master. I think giving the Doctor an evil alter ego was a bad idea, as it just makes him into a shining white knight in armour, a figure of unambiguous saintliness. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that Roger Delgado steals this show and makes it worth watching. He has some wonderful moments, his swordfight with the Doctor, his exasperation at Trenchard's inability to get his joke and his laughter after pretending to have reformed. The Master might have been a bad idea of Letts and Dicks, but he is good camp fun.




Trenchard is also a great element in this story. Clive Morton really captures the part of a stuffy old colonial governor with a paranoid tendency. There is a real sense of tragedy in the way his patriotism has been exploited and manipulated by the Master. It's great the way the Master sends him to distract Captain Hart by harping on about his golf tournament.

As with many Pertwee stories, there is a pompous civil servant/ minister type to act pig-headed and overbearing. This time it's parliamentary private secretary Walker. His character is unfortunately far too caricatured to be convincing, particularly when he is revealed to be an horrendous coward. He is given some terrible dialogue.

In this story and in others of the season, we have that awful Jo Grant woman to torment us. She really was the worst companion, far more irritating than Adric in my opinion. Thankfully, she is a little more bearable in this story than in many of her other serials.

Please don't be fooled into thinking this story is a classic.

Doctor Who and the Silurians

The Third Doctor and Liz discover intelligent reptiles that ruled the earth millions of years ago.

Get the title right! Its not 'The Silurians,' it's Doctor Who and the Silurians. He really is called Doctor Who. 'Who' may not be his real name, but it is at least a pseudonym that he has used on occasions. Fans who insist that he is not 'Doctor Who,' but 'The Doctor' betray their ignorance of the show.

As I have said on many occasions, I am really not at all keen on John Pertwee's Doctor. However, Season 7 is a really excellent period in the history of the show. Season 7 gave us a new format, a new style and fresh ideas. Of the stories in Season 7, I think Doctor Who and the Silurians is the best. It is a lot better than the rather overrated Inferno. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, fans seem to be a little too faint in their praise of Dr Who and the Silurians. I am not sure why, but there is a peculiar reluctance to accord it the classic status it deserves. Fans make various criticisms of this story that are really not deserved or justifiable. This story should be recognised as one of the best written and most intelligent Doctor Who stories.

This story deals with the destructive power of nationalism. It considers the issue of immigration with some irony (mankind as immigrants). It deals with the inadequacies and wilful blindness of government departments (Lawrence and Masters). It questions the morality of a violent military response to threats, but avoids passing judgment (the Doctor gives his opinion, but Liz gives no reply- the viewer is left to decide).

Timothy Coombs gives this story some brilliant direction. On the whole, it has a really dark, gritty atmosphere. The location work creating the moor is excellent, the caves are convincing and the scene of people dying of the plague in London is really disturbing. The Silurians (or more correctly, Eocenes) are very well created. Their costumes are rubber suits with zips occasionally visible, but they have a texture that later monster creations lack. In the first episode, they are hidden from view which helps to build suspense. The acting in this serial from both the regulars and the guests is of a very high standard and the characters are given space to develop.

A common complaint is that this story is too long at seven episodes. It is suggested that with the story about the plague and then the attempt to destroy the 'Van Allen Belt' it loses the way. I disagree. It's easy to fall back on the old defence that it was never intended to be watched on DVD like a feature length, but even without this, the story is full of meaty bits. The slower pace allows the characters to develop and take on a life of their own, such as the mental breakdown of Lawrence, the paranoia of Barker and the relationship between Quinn and Dawson. We simply would not get this richness in a four-parter, let alone in the single or double episode format that we are tragically served up by BBC Wales.

Another complaint is that Eocene society is not well developed in this story, making it difficult to sympathize with the Eocenes. The example of the young Eocene killing the old Eocene is particularly pointed out as a sign of their violent and dangerous nature. The answer to this is that Eocene society is not portrayed in this story because it no longer exists. They have woken up out of hibernation and their civilization has been lost forever. It would be ludicrous to think that it is normal for an Eocene subordinate to kill his leader and take over. Surely you have seen how people behave in post-apocalyptic films and stories? It is to be expected that with the loss of Eocene civilization, the normal chain of command would be weak and a dispute might be resolved through a violent coup.

Some suggest that we will inevitably agree with the Brigadier's military response at the end in blowing up the Eocenes and will have little sympathy for the Doctor's disapproval. I am not sure that I don't disagree with the Brigadier's action. I think the story leaves it open to the viewer to agree or disagree with the Doctor. Note that Liz gives no response to the Doctor. We don't know what she thinks about it.

It would have been nice if the tension between the Brigadier and the Doctor had been maintained throughout the Pertwee era. The two men become just a bit too cosy during Season 8. We see a little of the disagreement about methods in Claws of Axos, but this is largely dropped after that serial. I cannot help thinking, however, that the Brigadier/ Doctor conflict is largely the Doctor's own fault. When I watch Dr Who and the Silurians, I get really frustrated at the Doctor's contempt for the Brigadier. He shows no enthusiasm for going where the Brigadier sends him at the beginning, he avoids sharing information with him and takes action without consulting the Brigadier. The Doctor wants the humans to trust the Eocenes and the Eocenes to trust the humans, but he deviates from this ideal in his own behaviour. If he cannot even trust his own closest ally, how can he expect his ally to trust an enemy? I suspect that the Doctor would have done a much better job of persuading the Brigadier to seek peace with the Eocenes if he had been open and honest with him right from the beginning. We see in this what I really dislike most about the Third Doctor, his arrogance. I really dislike the high-mindedness and contempt for others that this Doctor shows. This contrasts enormously with the more self-effacing Second Doctor, who had a very effective relationship with the Brigadier in The Invasion. It is also difficult to imagine the Second Doctor being at all bothered by the destruction of the Eocenes. He had taken enormous pleasure in blowing up the Dominators and had no moral objection to wiping out the Macra.

Quatermass and the Pit is clearly an influence on this story, with its idea of a prehistoric alien race on earth and the race memory stuff. There is that Quatermass sense that the alien holds an unimaginable terror for humans. Where it differs from Quatermass is in the belief that peace and goodwill is a real possibility.

I have no idea whether writer Malcolm Hulkes ever read any Lovecraft stories, but there are clear similarity of themes here. The fact that people are driven mad by the Eocenes is very much a Lovecraftian element. At the Mountains of Madness deals with a pre-human civilisation, though a very different kind of creatures. Lovecraft refers to a number of reptilian races in his stories, most notably The Nameless City.

John Pertwee looks absolutely terrible in a t-shirt.