4:18: Horror of Fang Rock

In which Doctor Who’s worst producer arrives, and we don’t notice. Yet.

Broadcast: September 1977

Watched: July 2020

Horror of Fang Rock, Part One

I seem to recall that Lance’s year by year essays he did for the 40th anniversary – 17 years ago, fact fans! [It’s now nearly 20] – talks about how horrifying he and his classmates found this one because it’s so wet compared to what came before. I call bullsh*t. It’s indistinguishable. Wouldn’t know there’s a new producer. [Lance helpfully clarified his six year old self was annoyed by the lack of monsters.]

This one’s all about building tension. We know horrible things are going to happen, we don’t know what yet. Even having seen it before I did not expect the cliffhanger to be a shipwreck (caused by multiple lights? Or is that a production screw up?), so god knows what viewers made of it at the time. Model work isn’t bad, but not entirely clear what’s happening.

Nice to have Terrance back. [The writer, Terrance Dicks, was last seen as the script editor between 1969 and 1974.] Well differentiated guest characters. An argument about new fangled technology from the 1900s is the sort of thing you can only do in Doctor Who.

There’s a point where Leela seems to snort something and it’s never explained. What’s going on there? Surely this isn’t a reference to the fact everyone in this era was off their tits on coke and smack the entire time?

Can’t be many times you get two historicals back to back. Anyone?

Horror of Fang Rock, Part Two

Structurally this is a repeat of episode one – new set of characters we get to know while tension gradually mounts but nothing really happens. I like Leela telling the Doctor not to be frightened, and Tom’s mad grin after, “...and by morning we may all be dead.”

Lord Palmerdale is an utter arse. Interesting that he clearly thinks this is a world much more hidebound by class than anyone else does, he’s going around expecting a bunch of people who think he’s a dick to defer to him.

Horror of Fang Rock, Part Three

Initially I wrote: “This is banging straight into my ‘horror is boring’ thing.” It’s very well made and acted. But I don’t care about the characters particularly, so a story based entirely on tension about what order people are going to die in isn’t going to do much for me.

...but then a few minutes later I realised I’d been watching it avidly for about 10 minutes without even realising. And the “I’ve made a terrible mistake” cliffhanger is great. Okay, scratch that, this is good.

Love Leela with an axe, though. Also her delivery of “...but of course I’m only a savage”. Also the way she slaps Adelaide.

Horror of Fang Rock, Part Four

“Dead with honour.” Is this the first story in which everyone but the regulars die? It’s very bleak. I wonder if this was a conscious choice.

After all that build up, the actual Rutan is a bit disappointing. It’s scarier when it’s in disguise and can’t talk. I do like that the deadly enemy of the Sontarans, a race of clones, is a shape-changer though.

Leela’s rolling her eyes when Adelaide faints is properly hilarious. I also enjoyed the Doctor hanging from the window, even if it does seem strangely pointless.

The last scene in which Leela is temporarily blind just so she doesn’t have to wear contact lenses next week is very odd.

Two more things: James Cooray Smith will be very annoyed if I don’t mention that this is one of the few Doctor Who stories to be based on a poem, Wilfred Gibson’s Flannan Isle (1912); and there’s a Big Finish 8th Doctor audio with the brilliant title of Horror of Glam Rock, which has Bernard Cribbins it it, before he played a different Wilfred.