4.7: Planet of Evil

In which a spaceship is imperilled by some evil rocks.

Broadcast: September-October 1975

Watched: June 2020

Planet of Evil, Part One

“...the very edge of the known universe” feels like a cosmologically doubtful phrase.

Anyway, this one would be best described as “outsider art”. The model work is a bit shit (could they not run to stars around the spaceship?), the planet is incredibly unconvincing, and all the effects are rubbish. Also, the way the spooky stuff is accompanied by what sounds like African drumming is a bit dubious.

But... I actually enjoyed it? Have I broken? This one’s rubbish, why am I enjoying it? Not for the first time on this journey, I suspect it’s because it’s so different from what came immediately before it. I’m sure it won’t last.

Oh, that monster is shockingly rubbish for a start.

Some nice shoulder pad action.

I have just realised that Michael Wisher played Davros when he was 39. [Guess how old I was when I watched this.]

Planet of Evil, Part Two

“Launch the oculoid tracker. I want his movements followed.” The dialogue here is a problem. So is the total lack of characterisation. So is the way people scream and fall off things without it being clear why.

It’s basically an example of a genre we don’t really get in Who – scifi horror like Alien, or The Thing, or something like The Cube. The monster doesn’t have a goal, it’s just an elemental force. But nothing has really replaced it. I’m not bored yet, which is a surprise, but it’s very po-faced without the production being able to support the seriousness with which its done.

I like the way the soldiers are clearly just tolerating Sorenson (sure, new energy source, sir, yes, of course). The way a whole new cosmology is introduced without warning is weird – think this may be the first time in Who?

Planet of Evil, Part Three

“Those minerals are endangering the safety of my command!”

Louis Marks has one of the weirdest collection of writing credits in Who doesn’t he? Planet of Giants, Day of the Daleks, this, The Masque of Mandragora... no common features whatsoever. None of them have many jokes in the scripts I guess?

Nice for Prentis Hancock not to be the worst actor in something for once. Oh no! I misread the cast list, I thought he was Vishinsky, he is the worst one after all, sorry.

The Doctor falling into the void is a bit like “You will fight the dark side of my mind” in The Three Doctors, the production just can’t do it.

Planet of Evil, Part Four

It’s definitely the lack of jokes that’s the problem, isn’t it? It’s all played as deadly serious but looks silly.

The voiceover with the racist accent isn’t great is it. The whole notion of the anti-man is worse. Why do elemental forces in Doctor Who always turn people into slavering zombies with long hair? Is this a hangover from the 60s thing?

“We’ve an appointment in London, we’re already 30,000 years late...” How long are they going to pretend they’re still going back there?