Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World Review

 

SYNOPSIS

Arriving in Australia in the near future, the time travellers meet

Giles Kent, and discover that the Doctor is the physical double of

the globally famous Mexican politician, Ramon Salamander. Most

of the world regards the figure as a philanthropic hero - he has

devised a means of supplying and storing solar energy, thereby

ending famine, and preventing natural disasters is his next aim.

Kent however, believes that Salamander is a would-be dictator,

and the Doctor uncovers the truth by impersonating his doppel-

ganger. Gaining access to Salamander's base, the Doctor finds a

bunker where scientists have been undergoing an endurance test

for the past five years (a concept reworked for Invasion of the 

Dinosaurs).

Salamander had convinced his team that a war had broken out

on the surface, and had them engineer the apparent natural

disasters against their unseen enemy. Kent is exposed as a

 traitor, and destroys the station. Salamander then tries to

escape in the TARDIS by pretending to be the Doctor, but is

ejected into the vortex.

ANALYSIS

The greatest asset of a unique programme like Doctor Who is 

its equally unique format. The past fifty-three years has seen a

plethora of stories and genres across every conceivable medium

- Doctor Who is the 'everyman' of television. 

But in 1967 an unusual drama like The Enemy of the World was

proof that the programme could present a brave and competent 

espionage adventure at a time when the James Bond film series

 was well established and in vogue, albeit on a meagre television 

budget.

David Whitaker presents an atypical Troughton-era narrative

here, resulting in a welcome break from the popular monsters

and base-under-siege formula of season five.

The show was no stranger to serious tales of political corruption,

conspiracy and courtly intrigue - The Crusade and The Massacre

both combined politicking with religious dogma. The Power of

the Daleks essentially concerned a military coup manipulated

by aliens, and The Macra Terror featured a dictator controlled

by giant crabs. 

The Enemy of the World however, was probably the show's first

conscious attempt at the contemporaneous 'urban thriller' that

 typified Pertwee's tenure, and one that a modern audience is 

now familiar with. Salamander wasn't a puppet or a figure-head.

He was the archetypal Machiavellian politician, long before

Francis Urquart, besides being the spitting-image of the Doctor!

The spy canon might appeal to adults, but younger viewers still

hankered for the Cybermen, Yeti and Ice Warriors that menaced

our heroes elsewhere during this season. Espionage and natural 

disasters didn't send children behind the sofa.

The real legacy of this neglected little gem however, is that it 

showcased the need for gritty, dark, and more grown-up fare.

The introduction of UNIT just a year later and the eventual

Earth-bound format of the early 1970's meant a more adult

approach for a series that was itself maturing. The typical sci-

fi elements that were missing from The Enemy of the World

were present in like-minded stories like The Invasion and The 

Ambassadors of Death, with the show now tackling issues such

 as the dangers of big-business, technology, and xenophobia.

Consequently, the story is also considered the weakest link of 

the season, with a markedly different style, and it's obvious

lack of monsters, but the highlight is the notable dual

performance from Patrick Troughton.

Then in October 2013, almost forty-six years after their original

transmission, the BBC announced that The Enemy of the World

and The Web of Fear had both been recovered from Nigeria,

and were subsequently released on iTunes.

BACKGROUND

• this six-part adventure was broadcast over December 1967 and January 1968, and achieved average ratings of 7.4M
• this political thriller is the closest the show ever got to the Bond films and The Avengers - the action spans continents, features glamorous girls, and sees a villain, complete with underground base, intent on ruling the world (footage of an exploding helicopter is courtesy of From Russia With Love)
• the Radio Times sets the adventure in the year 2017
• before the story's discovery, only the third instalment escaped the mass junkings of Doctor Who episodes between 1972 and 1978, and the episode was issued on VHS in 1991 (see The Troughton Years) and later on DVD (Lost in Time) in 2004)
• Fraser Hines (alias Jamie McCrimmon) provides the linking narration on the CD version (2002, 2012)
• the story ranked 139th in the DWM Mighty 200 Poll of 2009, then following its release on DVD in late 2013, its standing rose to 56th place

Doctor Who @ 62: Nothing at the End of the Lane

Sixty-two years ago today, issue 2089 of the Radio Times previewed

 a brand new drama series it called Dr. Who, scheduled to begin on

BBCtv at 5.15 pm on Saturday November 23rd 1963.

This article explained that William Hartnell plays the titular Doctor

 (his first role for the Corporation), an alien "exile" from the far future,

who cannot control his travels through time and space. He is joined

in his weekly adventures by grand-daughter Susan, and two of her

curious teachers Miss Wright and Mr. Chesterton..

The article concludes by foretelling stories on a dead planet, and

in Cathay: "The whole cosmos is their oyster."

The rest, as they say, is history.

Doctor Who: Canon Fodder?

"THE TIMEY-WIMEY CHARM OF DOCTOR WHO CANON MAKES

IT THE BEST IN SCI-FI

Whovians are given more freedom to explore than Star Trek

and Star Wars fans, and [the show's] contradictions should

be celebrated"

Thomas Ling, Radio Times

To Whovians, the immense body of work that is more than fifty-five years

worth of Doctor Who is open to interpretation. What exactly do we as fans

consider to be part of the resultant 'Whoniverse'? Frankly, this is a personal

choice, one which will be continually debated in every forum open to fans.

Unlike the makers of Star Wars and Star Trek, the BBC has never made an

official announcement on the subject of Doctor Who lore - why should it,

 the franchise keeps developing, and is too vast to easily quantify.

Whovians will always want a complete narrative, but this ever-evolving

series makes that virtually impossible, but everything within the

Whoniverse can co-exist, or be made to fit anyway.

The consensus amongst fans is that true canonicity in the Whoniverse is

defined purely by those adventures broadcast on TV by the BBC - which

must now encompass the tie-in stories of The Sarah Jane Adventures,

Torchwood, Class, K9, Prequels, Tardisodes, the forthcoming The War

 Between the Land and the Sea, and the proposed CBeebies animated

series.

Everything outside the medium of television is therefore NOT canon. Yet

 the list of officially sanctioned Doctor Who spin-offs is almost endless,

and continues to grow. Since 1964, there has been all manner of story-

telling that endeavours to contribute to the original programme's mythos.

We've witnessed features films, plays, radio, audio, novelisations, comic

-strips, books, magazines, collector-cards, charity specials, RPG, computer

games, webcasts, exhibitions, DVD extras, even a live arena tour, and a 

musical, alongside the ever-expanding Big Finish ranges, and the fan-

fiction seen via convention stages, fanzines, websites, and independent

 films (et al, etc, ad nauseum!).

In the so-called wilderness years of the 1990s, between the original and 

revived runs, fans welcomed any form of fresh Doctor Who, so let us

embrace our show in all it's incarnations in that same spirit.

Radio Times Review of 2024

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal

Doctor Who supporter, the Radio Times, revealed the results of their

annual multi-channel TV survey this week.

Their top fifty shows of the year were elected by the magazine's TV

critics, and Ncuti Gatwa's first full season polled in twelfth place.

RT columnist Louise Griffin wrote:

"What a joy to have fallen more in love with Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor this year. Crashing onto our screens at Christmas 2023 as if he’d already spent a lifetime in the role, Gatwa continued to stun as he returned to us weekly in season 14 and there will be no forgetting his performance – just look at the final scenes of Dot and Bubble. He and co-star Millie Gibson won over fans globally, bringing something new to every single episode. It’s an interesting time for Doctor Who, as the show’s future with Disney remains uncertain. But, perhaps more than any other series, it’'s built to survive. And, 61 years later, sitting in front of the telly on a Saturday night and knowing you’ve got a very big adventure ahead of you in the TARDIS is still one of the greatest joys in the world of TV."

Britain defined by 'Doctor Who' (and some other stuff!)

The Radio Times recently published an article by Dominic Sandbrook that
celebrates Britain's television heritage. The historian mourns the loss of the
nation's status as the greatest superpower in history, but rallies with the
claim that Britainnia now commands a new Empire, that of Imagination.

Sandbrook explains that in the last 70 years, no other medium, "not fiction,
pop music, video games, even film" has rivalled "the sheer power on the box".
Britain is a major TV exporter, and since 2011, we have sold six times more
programming than Germany, a larger economic power. "Our cultural success is based partly on our penetration of the [all important] American market, where [hits] like The Avengers and Downton Abbey have come to define not just Britain's global brand but Britishness itself".

The author then lists his own most influential television shows, were Doctor 
Who is only beaten to the top spot by that other iconic veteran of British TV,
Coronation Street. Of the former, Sandbrook writes: "When I was growing up,
most people regarded Doctor Who with contempt. I never imagined that one
day [it] would become a colossal international brand. That's testament to the brilliance of the basic idea, as well as the skill with which it's been updated. The Doctor has become one of the great fictional embodiments of Britishness, rivalled only by Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. The show itself - sentimental, spine-chilling, silly, earnest, clever, populist - could surely only have been made in Britain". The complete top ten is:

• The X Factor (ITV, 2004-present)
• Cathy Come Home (BBC, 1966)
• Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1969-74)
• That Was The Week That Was (BBC, 1962/3)
• The Avengers (ITV, 1961-69)
• Dixon of Dock Green (BBC, 1955-76)
• Brideshead Revisited (ITV, 1981)
• Dad's Army (BBC, 1968-77)
• Doctor Who (BBC, 1963-present)
• Coronation Street (ITV, 1960-present)

Radio Times TV Review of 2014

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal Doctor Who supporter, the Radio Times, has revealed the results of their annual survey. Their top forty shows of the year (headed by Happy Valley) have again been selected by the magazine's critics, and Peter Capaldi's first season has been placed at a respectable number nine (up from twenty-two last year). RT writer Huw Fullerton comments:

9) Doctor Who BBC1 

"After eight years of young, romantic Doctors, Capaldi’s more hostile, older Time Lord was a hard sell. Twelve (mostly) great episodes later, it’s hard to imagine anyone else at the helm of the Tardis. Bank heists, Cybermen attacks and creepy monsters were no match for Capaldi and his attack eyebrows, and it feels like we’re still learning the true nature of this newly mysterious Doctor. But Capaldi wasn't the only draw this year. Jenna Coleman’s Clara has finally been allowed the personality she was denied in previous series and showed new depths to the role of companion. Here’s hoping she stays past Christmas".

Radio Times TV Review of 2013

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal

Doctor Who advocate, the Radio Times, has revealed the results of their annual survey. Their website's top forty shows of the year has placed the programme at a respectable number twenty-two (down from number fifteen last year, and probably due to a reduced run of episodes). Mark Gatiss' one-off anniversary drama, An Adventure in Space and Time - his "love letter" to Doctor Who - also polled in thirteenth position.

  RT writer and resident Whovian Patrick Mulkern comments:

22) Doctor Who BBC1 
Despite peripheral distractions (stamps, books, docs, a Prom), fans could be forgiven for thinking the golden anniversary was lean in terms of transmitted episodes. The concluding chunk of series 7 was a stew of corkers and stinkers, with Mark Gatiss’ juicy pastiche The Crimson Horror (with Diana Rigg) eclipsing Neil Gaiman’s Cyber-tripe Nightmare in Silver. Steven Moffat’s big celebration special, simulcast in 94 countries, ticked fan boxes by deftly weaving old Who with new. Yet at a time when ever-younger Time Lords seemed in vogue, he and Gatiss boldly volleyed Peter Capaldi (55), David Bradley (71), John Hurt (73) and even the majestic Tom Baker (79) into primetime TV as viable Doctors. 

13)  An Adventure In Space and Time BBC2 
Taking its title from a tagline printed on every 1960s RT billing for Doctor Who, Mark Gatiss’ account of the show’s origins was meticulously and lovingly mounted, celebrating the team of outsiders who, 50 years ago, shook up the fusty Corporation and gave birth to a TV phenomenon. Doubly poignant, An Adventure was the last drama made at BBC TV Centre and showed how Doctor Who captivated, then cast aside, its original star William Hartnell. So much more than a startling looky-likey, David Bradley brought a terrier’s bite, a twinkle and immense pathos to Hartnell and the character he created. He deserves a Bafta.

Vintage 'Doctor Who' Scripts Discovered

The Radio Times website has reported that a collection of the earliest Doctor Who scripts has been unearthed in Kent by local prop maker and researcher, Jason Onion.

Six documents, hidden for fifty years, were loaned from Joan Coburn Moon - the widow of writer Anthony Coburn - and include two versions of the first episode, An Unearthly Child, an alternative draft of The Cave of Skulls, and the complete scripts for The Masters of Luxor. This 'lost story' was ultimately replaced by Terry Nation's The Daleks but was eventually dramatised last year by Big Finish.

Tom Cole writes: "You can see that the template for the Daleks came from [Coburn]... these episodes [see] a device to unlock TARDIS, which became the sonic screwdriver, and the science [of] regeneration" said Onion. “This find completes the genesis of [the show] from Coburn's imagination. The drafts explain the mystery of Doctor Who, his origins, his people and all the background.” 

Meanwhile, Rob Leigh of the Daily Mirror stated that Coburn was inspired by the sight of a real Police Box outside Televison Centre to devise the TARDIS exterior, and that the scripts provide the original names of the ship and the Doctor's planet. Susan (originally Suzanne) is also revealed as "a princess saved from another world" and Coburn is hailed as creator of "the cornerstones of Doctor Who that have been expanded on.. ever since".

Australian-born Coburn, a writer and producer at the BBC from the 1950's, lived in Herne Bay, and died in Canterbury in 1977, aged just 49.

Doctor Who @ 50: An Adventure In Space And Time [Updated]

Shooting on the Doctor Who 50th anniversary biopic resumed this morning in Central London. Writer Mark Gatiss accompanied the makers of An Adventure in Space and Time on Westminster Bridge to reconstruct some of the most iconic scenes in the series' history. The location filming for The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964) was represented by four replica Daleks and a Sixties BBC film crew. Also present was Gatiss' partner, Ian Hallard playing director, Richard Martin.

Meanwhile, further details on the programme's cast and crew have emerged online this week. Joining actors David Bradley, Brian Cox, Jessica Raine, and Sacha Dhawan are newcomer Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford, Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill, Sarah Winter as Delia Derbyshire, Jeff Rawle as Mervyn Pinfield, Andrew Woodall as Rex Tucker, Jamie Glover as William Russell, and Russell himself has a cameo role as Harry. Comic actor, Reece Shearsmith, friend and former co-star of Gatiss, has been cast as Patrick Troughton.
The latest issue of Radio Times has reported that Lesley Manville plays William Hartnell's wife, Heather. The IMDB website now has a tentative listing for the BBC2 production, and also cites child actor Reece Pockney as Alan.

The crew now includes Andy Pryor (casting), Terry McDonough (director), Philip Kloss (film editor), Suzanne Cave (costume designer), John Pardue (director of photography), Dave Arrowsmith (production designer), Lucienne Suren (art director), and assistant Oliver Benson.

Radio Times TV Review of 2012

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal Doctor Who advocate, the Radio Times, has revealed the results of their annual survey. Their website's 'Top 40 shows' of the year has placed the show at a respectable number fifteen (down from eigth position last year, and probably due to a reduced run of episodes).

Steven Moffat's other BBC One drama, Sherlock tops the list, voted for by the magazine's critics. You can read the complete list here. RT writer and resident Whovian Patrick Mulkern comments:

15. Doctor Who BBC1
"It was a lean year for [the programme], and the promise of “five blockbuster episodes” may have been puff, but there were classics in the mix. The (kind of) new companion debuted by surprise, unaware she was the maddest Dalek in the asylum with her obsession for soufflé: “Eggs-ter-min-ate!” Who could resist dinosaurs and Nefertiti running riot on a spaceship, or the mystery of the black cubes and Jemma Redgrave as the new Brigadier? She must return! Then the Angels in Manhattan robbed us of the Ponds. Their timey-wimey dispersal left a hole in the Doctor’s hearts. And ours. "

Why Mark Gatiss Should Write a Doctor Who Biopic

"A re-creation of the Time Lord's genesis would be a perfect 50th birthday treat" writes David Brown in the Radio Times:

Next year will be Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary and who knows what surprises there are in store. Past incarnations reuniting to save the universe? Matt Smith’s Doctor regenerating in the final moments of a feature-length episode? 

During Saturday’s Graham Norton show on BBC Radio 2, the host raised the possibility of a previously unconsidered idea – a drama documenting the programme's genesis back in 1963.

Norton's guest, Mark Gatiss, was quick to demur: “Am I writing a film about it? No,” he said, before playfully remarking that he was scribbling thoughts down on the back of his hand. “What a good idea that would be,” he confessed.

And yes, what a terrific notion it is. A re-creation of that bygone period in television production when young producer Verity Lambert was trying to carve out a career at a sexist BBC and Canadian Sydney Newman was coming up with the concept of a time machine bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. 

Then there’s Delia Derbyshire, the musical pioneer who created that otherworldly theme music; plus the casting of William Hartnell as the original Doctor. What scope there is for a well-produced bio-drama.

There is a positive precedent for this kind of project. In December 2010, Corrie celebrated its half-century with the sight of a tram careening off its tracks and onto those Weatherfield cobbles. Yet by far the most moving tribute was BBC4’s The Road to Coronation Street, an evocation of Granada at the start of the 1960s, when young scriptwriter Tony Warren was attempting to get his vision of northern backstreets onto our screens.

This 90-minute piece, penned by one-time Street archivist and scriptwriter Daran Little, scooped a Bafta for best single drama. Surely, the same could be achieved for Doctor Who, a programme every bit as revolutionary and enduring as the Street? 

And who better to pen the screenplay than Gatiss? He's famous for being familiar with the more recondite corners of Doctor Who history, and has a track record in TV drama that takes in everything from Sherlock and Agatha Christie’s Poirot to exploits with the Time Lord himself.

It’s this combination of insider knowledge and lifelong passion that makes Gatiss the ideal choice to conjure up Who in its nascent years. Such a production would be a perfect addition to all the birthday celebrations in 2013. The story of the Doctor’s very first adventure deserves to be told.

The Origins of Sarah Jane Smith

The latest DWM (issue 443) reviews the new Invasion of the Dinosaurs DVD release. The production notes for part five contains the "biggest bombshell in the history of Doctor Who facts, providing us with the ultimate Holy Grail.. the name of the actress originally cast as Sarah Jane Smith!" However, reviewer Neil Harris doesn't identify the actress ultimately replaced by Elizabeth Sladen.

The Radio Times has the honour of naming this enigmatic woman after almost forty years. Their website last week revealed that April Walker, a veteran of 1970's comedy shows, was cast by Barry Letts, and she actually worked on The Time Warrior rehearsals. William Gallagher writes: "allegedly the pairing of [Jon] Pertwee's Doctor and Walker's Sarah Jane didn't work: she was tall and obviously strong character, along the lines of  Liz Shaw. It's believed that Pertwee was unhappy with the decision but Letts recast the role. Walker was reportedly paid for.. the rest of that series.. [and] Sladen always refused" to name her predecessor.

The brilliant mocked-up Frank Bellamy-style Radio Times cover above was produced by artists Jason Fletcher and Westley Smith for the third issue of Richard Bignell's respected fanzine, Nothing at the End of the Lane. You can find more Doctor Who inspired artwork at deviantart.com, and read Walker's IMDB profile.

Fifty Years of a Time Lord

Doctor Who websites and forums are rife with speculation about the programme's forthcoming Fiftieth Anniversary, still almost two years away. The Radio Times website today published an interview (from The Scotsman) with Steven Moffat. The showrunner discusses the rumoured Hollywood reboot of Doctor Who, his eventual departure, and naturally, the anniversary special - read his comments here.

The latest edition of the SFX Collection, The Fanzine, asks writers and fans how the BBC should celebrate the show's half-century, whilst the current issue of DWM debates the pros-and-cons of re-casting past Doctors. The majority of Whovians seem to favour a traditional, multi-Doctor story, but personally, I thinks that Paul McGann deserves another television outing. Obviously, all other ten incarnations would feature in my adventure, but purely in flashback sequences. The story would open like this:

"An older and weary Eighth Doctor flees the ruined Capitol - the sound of death fills the air.

 The Doctor has fought the last battle. The Time War is finally at an end. The Daleks have been wiped from existence, but at the ultimate cost - the Doctor has sacrificed his own race. There are no victors, only one survivor. Gallifrey and Skaro, and countless other worlds and civilisations are dead.

As the Doctor lies dying in the last TARDIS in the universe, he reflects on all his past lives. We see snatches of his memories.."

Radio Times TV Review of 2011

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal Doctor Who advocate - the Radio Times - has revealed the results of another survey. Their website's "top 40 shows of" the year has placed the programme at a respectable number 8 - see the complete list here. Critic Jack Seale writes:

8. Doctor Who BBC1
A sometimes frustrating, often majestic second series for showrunner Steven Moffat. He trusted his audience to deal with a torrent of ideas, particularly in the series’ bewildering major story arc about the apparent death of the Doctor and his inside-out relationship with River Song (Alex Kingston). But the real highlights were the one-offs: among the strongest were The Doctor’s Wife, an ingenious story of the Tardis made flesh that encapsulated the Doctor’s fundamental Flying Dutchman predicament; the simple retro spooks of Night Terrors; and The Girl Who Waited, a stripped-down story that asked for and got a best-ever performance from Karen Gillan. More often than not, Moffat and his muse, Matt Smith, gave kids (big and small) sci-fi thrills of extraordinary quality and ambition.