'Everything in creation has a shadow. Make sure you outrun yours... for a shadow will follow you.'
Producer Graham Williams' ambitious Season Sixteen showcasing Tom Baker's fifth year in the role of DOCTOR WHO would come under the unique, never-before-attempted 'Umbrella Theme' of six connected stories linked to the vital search of the mysterious and powerful Key to Time, whose disconnected pieces have been split across the galaxy and are now urgently needed so as to stop an impending visitation of chaos and darkness. It was a season that, over time, has deservedly become much more appreciated by fans and proved a sustained hit with TV viewers, regularly notching up to nine million viewers a week. The stories were, on the whole, well chosen within the realms of space fantasy, in a season of humour, fun and adventure now transferred to an all-new six-story special edition compilation from BBC BOOKS, featuring revised adaptations of the original Target Books that accompanied those stories from 1979-1980.
Set-up with a pleasingly nostalgic introduction from our beloved Tom Baker, the stories are fused into one cohesive narrative, via unique, all-new bridging Interludes (presumably conceived and written by James Goss and Robert Shearman) that further integrates the dreaded character of the Black Guardian and his overall sinister presence into the saga.
Here's a look at the six stories...
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| The Doctor and his new companion Romana are out to bring balance to the universe. All episodic images: BBC STUDIOS. |
THE RIBOS OPERATION by JAMES GOSS
Abandoning the adaptation techniques prior used with Ian Marter's still highly recommended original novelisation of 1979, James Goss gives us an overall delightful new interpretation of the late, great Robert Holmes' humorous tale set on the primitive ice planet of Ribos - of two intergalactic con men out to rob the dangerous and determined Graff Vynda-K out of his money. Meanwhile, the Doctor and new Time Lady companion Romana have also arrived there, to begin their important search for the first segment of the galaxy re-shaping Key to Time.
Goss tells the story from the unique perspectives of three of the story's characters. Firstly, Romanadvoratrelundar, aka Romana (also aka 'Fred'), fresh out of the academy and on her first adventure outside the halls of Gallifrey. In this debut, her capable, classy self regards the elder renegade Time Lord companion of legend merely as her 'designated driver' during the search for the six segments - the quaint Doctor and his quant Tardis, creating an intellectual sparring of opposites yet also near equals. Romana displays cool qualities and occasional posh aloofness with the 759 year old but won't admit she's out of her depth early on, though she adapts quickly. They'll make a great team, as she ultimately predicts. Goss clearly enjoys bringing her first observations to us with amusing, insightful clarity.
The second viewpoint is from the young and appealing character of Unstoffe, companion in criminal cons, and blessed with 'a very trusting face', to the arrogantly egoist but resourceful Garron (a worthy sparring adversary to the Doctor himself), whom Unstoffe describes as a 'shameless ham', as the two plan their ultimate set-up/heist on Ribos. An orphan from Earth, Unstoffe has learned a lot from Garron over the years and the two have become a unique kind of 'chalk and cheese' pairing within Robert Holmes' best tradition of creating duos throughout his time in the series.
Unstoffe has to do all the lifting work, the grunt stuff, for Garron, but he remans loyal and enjoying of the elder's company, and the experiences and adventures they get up to for material gain.
Finally, there's the viewpoint of the experienced war veteran of the universe that is Sholakh, the unswerving, totally loyal commander (i.e. battle hardened but not truly very bright) / bodyguard from the legendary but now small in number force of legend that is the Black Skull legion, in service to the grim and power hungry Graff Vynda-K, whose thirst to reclaim his once power knows no limits or sacrifices, believing that Ribos has the rare Jethrick mineral needed to restore his glory once and forever, despite early suspicions about Garron being brushed aside by the Graff.
James Goss's wide media experience adapting the quirky work of Douglas Adams WHO stories over the last ten years or so makes him the perfect choice to handle this more lightweight but highly enjoyable tale that originally opened the show's Season Sixteen, at a time in the Tom Baker era when the horror elements of the mid-seventies were toned down, and the classy humorous interplay between characters, within more fantasy environments, were turned up in replacement. Goss also sneaks in some worthy in-jokes too, a few relevant to the year in which the story was made and broadcast.
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| The bizarre Captain and his acolytes continue their world stealing. |
The Doctor and Romana get a major shock when searching for the Second Segment on the doomed planet of Calufrax. A confrontation with an evil, planet-devouring Space Pirate soon follows...
Not to be confused with the earlier hardback release of the adaptation, which is based on a longer and even more outlandishly fun version of the tale, this is James Goss's other inventive adaptation of the original four-part version of Douglas Adams' first-ever WHO script, written over a period just before the late author became a genre legend with the eventual The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Pirate Planet is everything you could want from Tom Baker's post-Gothic Horror era on the show- a four-parter brimming with invention, colourful characters and terrific dialogue, whilst featuring some of the most OTT but incredibly interesting villains ever seen during the seventies run for the spirited Doctor and the haughty Romana to encounter.
Another creditable adaptation job from Goss that I'm sure Adams would tribute applaud were he still with us..
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| The Doctor and Romana tend to a battle damaged K9. |
THE STONES OF BLOOD by DAVID FISHER
Landing on modern-day Earth to find Segment Three, our duo becomes immersed in witchcraft and blood sacrifices. An alien renegade is soon revealed, protected by a pair of terrifying stone Ogri creatures...
Finding regular writers who could fully grasp the nature of the incredible DOCTOR WHO concept and its universe, whilst also being capable of crafting exciting, memorable stories that would grab the regular viewers' attentions, was and continues to be an always difficult task for any producer and script editor of the series. That Tom Baker's middle phase era managed to secure the talents of the witty and imaginative David Fisher would be a god-send for the programme over the next three years - a talent truly made for the inventive heroism of the Bohemian nomad Fourth Doctor.
Fisher's first story, The Stones of Blood, would prove an exciting and popular debut back in 1978. Fisher's special novelisation from his original audio book script is full of expanded story depth (most notably linked to the villainous Vivian Fay and her enforced time living through Earth UK history), character backgrounds (fun material for fans of the lovably dotty Professor Emilia Rumford), quirky humour and scary atmosphere that's all highly enjoyable.
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| A captured Romana is in peril on the planet Tara. |
THE ANDROIDS OF TARA by DAVID FISHER
On a fairy-tale like planet of honour and swordplay, The Doctor and Romana are caught up in a fiendish plot by the dangerous Count Grendel, involving android duplicates, to take control of the realm.
The late David Fisher's splendid novelisation of his second 1978 story for the Key to Time season is a genuine hoot from start to finish. Its tribute roots to the classic novel The Prisoner of Zenda deliberately showing, The Androids of Tara is full of rich story and character detail (notably the well-thought out history of Tara's robot civilisation and its diverse participant nobles), some subtly naughty bawdiness, and often laugh-out-loud humour via certain historical incidents/revelations (handled in a style that would make Douglas Adams proud). It's also effectively fused with a lively page-turning sense of adventure and intrigue that builds well on the original televised tale. With such a fond confectionary as this, Androids is another sure-fire, blade-hits-the-spot purchase for Classic WHO fans.
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| Beware Kroll! |
THE POWER OF KROLL by ROBERT SHEARMAN
Big monster, big problems for the Doctor and Romana as they arrive on one of the swamp moons of the Delta Magna system in search of the fifth segment of the Key to Time, and swiftly caught up in the machinations of a Methane Protein refinery crew and the hostile population know as the Swampies, whom worship the legendary and now resurrected beast that is the mighty Kroll octopi!
Easily one of Modern WHO's finest new writers, Robert Shearman, like Goss with The Ribos Operation, brings an all-new take on Robert Holmes second story of Season Sixteen, in this second all-new adaptation.
Not one of the series best stories by any means, nor one of Holmes's best, either (having been a brief by the production team to write a story abut a very large monster), Shearman, whether he took the project on by choice or lost a pub bet, works hard to make his interpretation of The Power of Kroll better within a majorly revisionist and plotting restructured form, breathing his own unique perspectives to the supporting characters, especially the main refinery 'heavy' character of Thawn (hired by another one of those dodgy intergalactic companies the likes of whom we'd see in Blade Runner and Alien) and the seasoned gun runner Rohm-Dutt, who gets himself a quarrelling son for a partner (which doesn't end well), keeping the tradition of the double act characters that Holmes enjoyed bringing to his stories from Carnival of Monsters onwards. The rest of the human/Swampie characters also get some exploratory depth and enhanced origins, all proving far darker and even more unlikeable in nature than they were in the TV version. In this new adaptation, however, they all feel too Modern WHO in their revelations and interactions rather than anything linked to the Classic WHO era of which this book and story are a part, a situation which made me uncomfortable as a reader. For a while, it also seems like The Doctor and Romana have become second fiddle players within their own adventure, but things improve by the time the legendary Kroll itself comes to the fore. And kudos to Shearman's worthy attempt to give Romana more to do in the story.
The octopus Kroll would be the colossal star of the televised story, and he's also the colossal star of the book as Shearman boldly decides to tackle the inner thoughts and viewpoints of it for our consideration - from its once meagre and innocent life as a small octopus creature to pondering its eventual existence and often loneliness whilst revelling in its new, immense one-of-a-kind form, then its ultimate demise (of which, along this journey of life, Kroll even has a conversation with the Black Guardian!). Personally I didn't like these sections - it felt too pretentious for my taste, as well as being a little too Douglas Adams-y in all the wrong ways. It reminded me of the Hitch Hiker's sequence with the whale heading towards its atmospheric doom and only just getting used to its environment, and itself as a being, before perishing. Perhaps this was Shearman's personal tribute to that, but his interpretation of Kroll regardless seems a bit schizoid - one minute he makes it funny, the next minute he's recreating the thrills and chills that Robert Holmes enjoyed bringing to his tales during Baker's 'Gothic' period as Kroll ensnares its victims. I would have kept the beast purely in its beast mentality, driven and instinctive, generating and heightening the background atmosphere, the way Peter Benchley did with a certain terrifying shark back in 1974.
Holmes' story has hints of King Kong mixed in with the anxieties and consequences of colonialism transferred to the realms of outer space. More than ever we can also see selected plot elements from Kroll making their way into Holmes next story, the superior in every way all-time classic, The Caves of Androzani. Shearman builds on all that, impressively connecting the two stories in specific and noteworthy ways within 'Easter Eggs' that fans will enjoy. He also cleverly compensates for the story's legendary on-screen production woes, like the green painting of the actors playing the Swampies, which is fun.
So kudos to Mister Shearman for his bold take on the story, but I'll personally stick to the basic but enjoyable 'no frills' original adaptation by Terrance Dicks in this particular instance.
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| The Doctor, Romana and ever-faithful K9 find themselves caught in an engineered war... |
THE ARMAGEDDON FACTOR by JAMES GOSS
Bob Baker and Dave Martin's final story together for seventies DOCTOR WHO is intriguing and clever, its six part anti-war message effectively conveyed and built on by James Goss, who rounds out the compilation book by returning to the purest of adaptation formats whilst bringing his own staple distinctive flavour to its telling. The flippant and humorous pairing of Time Lord and Time Lady continues as they confront the evil servant of the Black Guardian, the Shadow, as their search for the final piece of the powerful Key to Time nears its end - the galaxy standing on the brink of enveloping darkness. But this finale adventure proves to be a trap that has been millennia in the planning by the Black Guardian, aided by his most fearsome acolyte yet.
Once again, Goss has a fine grasp of the Adams era Fourth Doctor (the legendary writer having partially taken over as script editor with this story's final episode) of which Tom Baker no longer acts the part - he is the part! And great fun it is too!
With his own revisionist ending, Goss satisfyingly tightens up the final confrontation for control of the Key to Time with the Doctor and Romana's concluding battle against the evil, wraith-like Shadow and his dark minions, removing an unwanted, fan controversial character who appeared in the original TV version: the cockney Time Lord mechanic known as Drax (played by Barry Jackson). This proves an interesting removal on Goss's part, presumably because the revised narrative doesn't need him (Drax is referenced, however, in one of the book's prior Interludes). With the supporting character's comedic sparring with The Doctor (aka 'Theet'), I would have thought Goss would have enjoyed further fleshing out Drax, that tech-savvy ex-resident of Brixton Prison.
All the better for Drax's removal is K9. Though no longer the 'Trojan Dog' seen in the TV version, he nonetheless gets a welcome piece of the action alongside his Master and Mistress within Armageddon's printed revision.
Of the primary villain, this book's incarnation of the Shadow, literally as death, works well, whose appearance and his dominion are presented in a way that could never have been done justice visually on the small screen of 1978. Additionally, the finale's mixed response following the outcome of the televised story is retained but given some extended material by Goss so as to make it more substantial and rewarding as our time in the reading vortex comes to an end.
All in all, a superb collection of adaptations in a thoroughly pleasing weighty-tome, from a super talented group (both old and new), bringing new life and alternate insights for fans to enjoy and speculate on for years to come. The delay of the Key to Time Blu-ray box set as part of The Collection series range may have been delayed for a bit, likely sabotaged by the Black Guardian, but this more than compensates until it eventually Vworps in!
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