N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!
There’s a moment in The Seeds of Doom where you’re convinced the Doctor has deliberately broken someone’s neck.
“Hired thieves and murderers don’t usually work for love.”
The Doctor, The Seeds of Doom:
Part Three
Indeed, my son and I were both shocked enough to exclaim a simultaneous ‘Whoa!’. I’d even seen the story before and couldn’t believe I hadn’t remembered it. Given how twisting a neck this way is almost always shown on film and television to be terminal, it’s all the more remarkable that henchman Scorby is back up-and-running again within minutes.
Perhaps more surprising still is that the BBFC rated The Seeds of Doom a ‘U’ back in 1994. Snapping someone’s neck is just the kind of act of replicable violence they don’t want kids to see and yet here it is, apparently suitable for all.
What it does illustrates though is, hot on the heels of Condo’s gruesome shot in the guts in The Brain of Morbius, that Doctor Who was continuing to push the bounds of acceptable amounts of violence allowed in a Saturday teatime family show. Times and sensibilities change, but I don’t think we’d see the like of Condo’s bloody gunshot wound or Scorby’s neck snap in 21st century Who, not even in the later time slots afforded Series 9 back in 2015. Of course, by the time of The Seeds of Doom, Doctor Who was no stranger to complaints about its levels of violence (Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks having to deal with the issue at least as far back as Terror of the Autons). We also know that yet further trouble is around the corner in the show’s fourteenth season, but whilst mid-70’s Doctor Who may never approach the amount of onscreen violence we see in the show today, these specific incidents of violence are somehow far more shocking.
“I haven’t come ten thousand miles to discuss the weather.”
The Doctor, The Seeds of Doom:
Part One
In fact, the Doctor is generally more violent here than we’ve ever seen him, Scorby coming off particularly badly in numerous fights (although it has to be said that the Doctor has always liked to indulge in a bit of fisticuffs). Perhaps it’s the heightened sense of anxiety at the Krynoid threat that makes the Doctor so disposed to this fists-first approach to conflict resolution?
Indeed, for much of the story I was reminded of the seriousness of season seven (which, for me, is no bad thing). From the moment he and Sarah arrive in Antartica, the Doctor is keen to stress that the presence of the Krynoid pods ‘could result in the total destruction of all life on this planet’ and that doesn’t let up once he’s back in England and, in between scrapping with Scorby, up against the ruthless Harrison Chase – arguably one of Doctor Who‘s greatest one-off villains – marvellously played by Tony Beckley.
If there’s one disappointing thing about The Seeds of Doom, it’s that we don’t get to see a single familiar face in amongst the UNIT troops brought in to stave off ‘aggressive rhubarb’ and ‘homicidal gooseberries’. No Brigadier, no Benton, no Harry – and as this really is the last we’ll see of UNIT for some time, that’s a bit of a shame.
But other than that, for the second story in a row, this really is just about as good as it gets.
"If this story was about its setting, it would be a 2-parter, followed by a 4-parter."
"They never say for sure why Chase goes crazy, but they think it's because he's possessed."
"There might still be a Krynoid on the loose in Antarctica!""
Son of UT Rating: 9/10
