Arriving on a post-apocalyptic Earth, The Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companions, Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter), quickly realise they are not alone...
While I would not call myself a Dr. Who fan, I have had an interest in the series for years. I read a couple of the novelisations, and caught a couple of episodes of the revival series, but apart from that, my experience is limited.
The main obstacle for me was the sheer number of episodes.
Last year, I came up with a way to get into the series that would allow me to get a sense of its diversity, from the different performances of the various actors, to the divergent tones and focus of their incarnations.
The formula was a set of rules:
Rule One: I would select stories highlighted by critics and fans. This felt like a good way to find entry points into the series.
Rule Two: Due to earlier production practices, there are several missing episodes of Sixties-era Who. Because of this, I decided to only review stories with complete existing episodes.
The BBC are in the process of animating missing episodes so there might be a time where the series is ‘restored’. With these reviews, I also wanted to get a sense of their original flavour and aesthetics, which is why I decided not to review the animated version.
Rule Three: I would review one story from each Doctor’s era, so I could get a feel for each of the performers, and the style, tone and themes of their runs.
These rules are not set in stone, and this is the first review where I dropped one of them.
Because of its low regard, I was weary of reviewing Baker’s first story, Robot. While I was hopeful my experience would contradict the consensus view, I only managed one episode.
While the story is fairly underwhelming, it is worth talking about for the star.
Before the 2005 reboot, Tom Baker’s Doctor was the one I could recognise by sight. However, I had almost no concept of his performance before viewing Robot.
From what I have read, Robot was prepared by the outgoing production team under Barry Letts (much as had been the case with Jon Pertwee’s debut).
The intention was to massage the transition to a new lead by surrounding Baker with the supporting cast and locale (the UNIT complex) of his predecessor.
While my only experience thus far is the dynamic between Pertwee’s Doctor and the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney), Baker’s introductory scene immediately sets him apart.
Pertwee had a warmth and closeness with his companions. From the moment he reawakens in the UNIT lab, Baker’s cheery but more alien and aloof approach is a complete aboutface.
However, his characterisation is less of a shock when the history of the programme is taken into account:
We started with William Hartnell’s irascible, vaguely ominous First Doctor, followed by Troughton’s cosmic trickster and Pertwee’s more personable mature man of action.
In an era when physical media was non-existent, and fans had to rely on memory and occasional repeats, Baker’s first appearance must have felt like a bit of a shock.
Baker’s wide, expressive eyes and booming voice are immediately arresting. He comes across as rather Holmesian on his own wavelength - in a whimsical touch, he uses a rope to engage in a skipping contest, before tying up his doctor.
A rarity for classic Who, The Sontaran Experiment is a two-parter. In another singular feature, it features some more overt continuity from the previous serial, The Ark in Space - this story takes place in the same time, on the Earth the station is orbiting.
Our heroes have teleported down to Earth, with the Doctor wanting to see if he can provide some assistance for the Ark’s inhabitants’ imminent return to the planet.
Considering its brevity, the episodes are well-paced, with the simple story giving space to build atmosphere.
Over the course of the first episode, we get a slow roll-out of information:
The terrified human crew (who get the drop on the Doctor), the mysterious probe, and the reveal that an unseen alien has them all under surveillance - with the added suspense that one of the humans is a spy for the unseen antagonist (who is only glimpsed as a hand).
On this outing, I can see why Baker became so beloved and long-lasting: there is an enthusiasm and confidence that is infectious - when he revives to discover he has been captured, the Doctor shows more curiosity than fear.
This quality never comes across as arrogance - and it does not deflate the stakes of the situation. Baker does show more steel after he discovers one of Styre’s victims, and there is an urgency and sense of outrage as he prepares for his final confrontation with the Sontaran scout.
Sarah Jane is a long-running companion. I am sure she gets better showcases than this one: The script does not give her much to do - she blunders into trouble and has to be rescued.
As the Doctor’s other companion, Ian Marter is likeable - he has good chemistry with Elisabeth Sladen - but he is also somewhat sidelined, spending Episode One trying to climb out of a hole.
Kevin Lindsay essayed the Sontaran’s first appearance in 1973’s The Time Warrior, and returns for his final appearance as Styre. His appearance is brief - he is only revealed at the end of the first episode, but he is effectively taciturn - the character’s makeup only makes his staccato delivery come off more unsettling.
I cannot say much more - most of my experience with the Sontarans is based on the character of Strax (Dan Starkey) from the modern series. From what I have heard, Lindsay gets more to do in his first story as the cloned warrior.
In a clever sleight of hand (and endurance), the Doctor plays on the Sontoran’s adherence to their codes and routines in order to defeat him.
Styre’s demise feels like a sign of the shift in tone with the Baker era - his face collapsing is delightfully grotesque. Accomplished by some kind of reversed footage of a facsimile of his face, it is one of the serial’s best effects.
The serial’s one real flaw is that it was shot entirely on video - it was not as detrimental as I thought (the fact it was shot largely on location helps), but it does highlight the limits of the make-up and effects.
Short and slightly creepy, The Sontaran Experiment is a solid if minor key story but a fine showcase for Baker’s interpretation.
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