N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!

You can’t blame Henry Lincoln for someone using his ideas and turning them into something earth-shatteringly terrible. But enough about The Da Vinci Code …

Whilst The Dominators isn’t quite on that level of awfulness, it’s not exactly the most riveting start to a Doctor Who season. Sadly, all the behind-the-scenes script and rights issues that dogged this serial also led to Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln never writing for Doctor Who again, which for one meant we never got to see The Laird of McCrimmon.

“Oh, I’m not frightened, I’m looking forward to it.”

Zoe, The Dominators: Episode 2

For the most part the Dominators stomp around like petulant hot dog mascots (the Dulcians on the other hand appear to be wearing curtains). Probationer Toba is hellbent on destruction, whilst Navigator Rago is fond of the mid-distance-staring method of proclamation of intent. Their ceaseless bickering and in-fighting is mildly diverting to begin with, but the interminable shouting and aggression just gets a bit much in the end.

On the plus side, the sonic screwdriver gets another airing in the final episode, expanding its range to include digging tunnels, marking this as the first time it is used to expedite the plot (and not just as a fancy screwdriver). Despite the tedium that precedes it, the concluding Episode 5 ultimately seems a bit rushed. With the quickfire tunneling and the frantic running to get off the island, there’s no time for goodbyes here.

The late Mervyn Haisman, interviewed for the Recharge and Equalise DVD extra, a few years before the return of The Web of Fear, captured my sentiments towards The Dominators perfectly: “The annoying thing is that so many of the others are missing and this one – they’ve got the whole damn lot!”