User Reviews

The Doctor begins tampering with the gas flow equipment, Jamie attempts to fend of the Macra that has set about him. Jamie manages to escape back to the surface, where they're holding dancing auditions. He literally falls straight into the hands of the guards, he's given away by Ben. The Doctor and Polly return to the surface and confront the Pilot, the controller begins losing control, The Pilot begins to believe the Doctor's story, he's disowned by control and Olar is placed in charge. The guards are ordered to turn on The Pilot. Ben begins to fight against his conditioning and fights for his friends.

I think the serial began better then it ended, there was a quirky charm to the first two parts, Part 4 is more serious in tone, still fun though.

Great episode for Polly, she got a lot more screen time, Anneke has some fun scenes with Pat.

Jamie's highland fling dance would have been a fun scene, again the whole 60's holiday camp theme works very well.

It's a fun serial overall, it just goes off the boil a little as it concludes. 7/10

I honestly thought I wouldn't like this after hearing a lot of not exactly flattering things about this serial in the past but I didn't take into account the improvements that the animation would make. A lot of people's main complaint when originally viewing this story back in the day was that the Macra were just too ambitious for the shows' budget for the time and when you look back at the photos and clips that remain, you really do understand what they mean. That being said. The animators have made the Macra exactly what they should have been back in the day, and it's bloody marvellous! They are really creepy, especially in black and white. And the story itself is just as enjoyable. This is a wonderful serial that no classic who fan should miss. It's no War Games or Tomb of the Cybermen but it's certainly worth a viewing. 8/10

Review for all 4 parts:

I have been able to reassess this story having seen the nice new animated reconstruction which allows me to find greater appreciation for the story and edit my earlier review.

This 4 part 'futuristic' story is set in an apparently idyllic world which has dark secrets underlying the society. It is enjoyable and interesting with strong ideas of a 'Big Brother is watching you' type society and political underlying themes about manipulation and control. The Macra creatures, often referred to as 'giant crabs' due to their claws and crustacean like forms are quite an unusual and interesting idea too, though obviously the low budget and age of this story limited their original realisation on screen. The animated version makes the Macra a good monster visually as well as conceptually.

Part 1 features the ultra cheesy musical number which I found slightly irritating along with the music throughout but to be fair it was meant to be irritating, as it represents the unthinking, unquestioning happiness of brainwashed people. All 4 parts are well written, well acted, fun and have deeper themes that add quality. The animation provides sufficiently good visuals to allow the story to be really appreciated. I always enjoyed parts 2 and 3 just as much as I did watching the animation but parts 1 and 4 went up in my estimation as the visuals enabled me to enjoy them better. Reviewing by judging an animated version which gives a fair idea of how it was intended (albeit adding colour which was unavailable to the makers in the first place but if it had been available I am sure they would have used it). I therefore think it only fair that I use the animation to help judge the original story.

Overall an entertaining if slightly unexceptional adventure with some interesting elements and some great scenes. The animated version has beautifully vibrant colour visuals.

My Ratings: Episodes 1 to 4 - 8/10.