N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!
Well, that was certainly a rollercoaster!
When a season opens with a story that’s up there with the best of them and follows it up with a story that’s down there with the worst, you know you’re in a for a bit of a ride, which after the consistency of the Philip Hinchcliffe years, marks a stark contrast with which to kick off Graham Williams’ tenure in the producer’s seat.
In a way, Image of the Fendahl stands as the only run-of-the-mill story in season fifteen. With both The Sunmakers and Underworld offering something new (with varying degrees of success it must be said) and with The Invasion of Time seemingly able to capture the best and worst of the season within single scenes, it’s been the rarely dull, up-and-down, warts ‘n’ all kind-of-season we haven’t had since the 60’s. (It’s a nice touch, perhaps coincidental, that the season starts with the Rutans and ends with the Sontarans, which is as close as they ever get to meeting on screen. Maybe one day we’ll drop in on their interminable war?’)
Britain’s rampant inflation in the late 70’s has, though, had a big effect on budgets (or at least the constraints put on already constrained budgets). Set design – virtually non-existent for half of Underworld – and monsters – the Vardans and the shrimp most noticeably – looked to have suffered the most.
And I’m still not sure how I feel about K-9. I must’ve loved him at the time, and he is of course fabulously voiced by John Leeson, but the TARDIS, despite all those seemingly endless corridors, really only has room for one smug, self-satisfied character at a time and that position is usually reserved for the Doctor.
The tin dog has also had an obvious effect on the direction – far too many low angles are required now to keep him and the regular actors in shot.
“I’ll miss you too, savage.”
The Doctor, The Invasion of Time: Part Six
Last, but not least, we shouldn’t forget Leela. Yes, she might have given a rushed and frankly rubbish send-off – possibly the worst since Dodo – but Leela has been an intriguing change from the usual type of companion we’ve seen in Doctor Who.
It’s a shame they didn’t make more of the Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle nature of the characters’ relationship, a core part of which had been the Doctor trying to prevent Leela from slaughtering everything in sight. The toned-down nature of the violence in season fifteen perhaps made it more difficult to explore this aspect in more depth. (But does makes you wonder where Hinchcliffe and Holmes might have taken the character if they’d still been in charge.)
Nevertheless, like so many of her predecessors, Leela will be missed (as indeed will Louise Jameson’s always-excellent contributions to the DVD extras).
"My favourite Fourth Doctor stories so far are Genesis of the Daleks, The Seeds of Doom and The Deadly Assassin."
"My least favourite Fourth Doctor story so far is Revenge of the Cybermen."
