N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!
Biggest. Monster. Ever.
That one line pitch may not be on a par with ‘Top Gun on wheels’ (Days of Thunder), or ‘Dances with Wolves in space’ (Avatar), or ‘snakes on a plane’ (Snakes on a Plane) but it makes The Power of Kroll almost seem like high concept Doctor Who and, I keep saying this, perhaps shows once more that Graham Williams was ahead of his time.
“Kroll! Kroll! Kroll! Kroll! Kroll! Kroll! Kroll! … Kroll! Kroll! Kroll!”
“Swampies”, The Power of Kroll: Part One
It may not have been a brief that particularly enthused Robert Holmes but, to his credit he gives it his all and delivers a tale that, whilst suffering a little in comparison to the stories that precede it, is nevertheless a solid segment in the search for the Key to Time.
In fact, there’s more than an hint of King Kong about the end of Part One and, as the “swampies” work up a good beat in their sacrifice preparation, Romana dutifully gives us her best Fay Wray.
“I can tell by the expression on your face that you’re putting two and two together.”
The Doctor, The Power of Kroll: Part Four
At first I was surprised that they didn’t hold off showing Kroll until the final episode (or at least the Part Three cliffhanger), but looking back, it does prevent the whole thing from descending into Doctor Who and the Tentacles of Doom.
There’s lot of excellent support here too, particularly from Glyn Owen as gunrunner Rohm Dutt and the ever-reliable Philip Madoc as Fenner (last man standing of the refinery workers); it’s nice to see John Leeson in a role that doesn’t require him to crawl around the rehearsal room floor (K-9 here being confined to the TARDIS rather than risked on a swamp!)
All in all, The Power of Kroll is dependable mid-season Doctor Who – not the best story you’ll ever see, but certainly not the worst.
"Kroll is huge!!! That is all."
"I think the refinery workers are racist to the natives, whom they call the Swampies. The leader is especially racist."
"I love that smile at the end. The Doctor looks like he’s happy."
Son of UT Rating: 8/10
