1)The "big" casting in this is Jason "Son of Sean" Connery as Jondar. Haven't seen him in anything else, hopefully he improved after this. To be fair, he's not given much to do in this.
2)It's interesting how many elements of so-called "reality TV' this story predicted. You know they would kill contestants on these shows if they dared.
3)Whiny Peri is whiny. Seriously, her character is way more annoying than Tegan ever was.
4)Nabil Shaban certainly is unforgettable as Sil. Sort of a predecessor to the Ferengi.
5)It's hard to tell, but it sure looks as if the pages of the TARDIS Manual are blank.
6)They really should have learned not to use those golf carts in this show, they're never convincing.
7)The acid bath scene is a bit jarring - not that the guys died -I never had the feeling that the Doctor killed them or anything - but that he jokes afterward: "You'll forgive me if I don't join you." That's so out of character that it leads to fanboy theories of this as a "failed regeneration".
8)You have to feel bad for those guys who played the two cannibals - talk about a thankless part...
9)Some fun quotes:
- "When did they last show something worth watching, eh?" I dunno, "Caves of Androzani"?
- "Is he sane, this Doctor?" "Sometimes."
- "All these corridors look the same to me." I gather Baker and Bryant tried to work that line into every story. I shall have to keep an ear out for that.
- "Do you always get the priest parts?"
- "How dare I be spoken to like this?"
- "I think he needs more than water, Peri, eh?" Yuk-yuk-yuk!
10)Cliffhangers:
- Part One: The Doctor shows no signs of life!
- Part Two: There's nothing good on TV!
Overall:
I have no problem with what they were trying to do here - although it may've been dangerous for this show to do a story critiquing violence on TV - but the execution (no pun intended) causes the whole thing to fall through for me. One misses Barry Letts or Philip Hinchcliffe.
[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]
Replies
I never liked this story. Ever. And some people think it's a "classic". Between this and MINDWARP, Philip Martin impresses me as possibly my least-favorite writer to ever work on this show (and that's really saying something).
What got me was, when I read that this was written as a COMEDY. And then, somebody cut out most of the jokes. There must be some reason I love DR. STRANGELOVE, but hate FAIL-SAIL.
By comparison, PARADISE TOWERS was also written as a comedy... but what wernt out actually WAS funny. Someone online once commented that PT was so sick, twisted & violent, that if it hadn't been played for laughs, it would have gotten more complaints than THE DEADLY ASSASSIN did.
"Nabil Shaban certainly is unforgettable as Sil."
Nabil Shaban reprises his role on the Big Finish audio (#182) "Antidote to Oblivion."