Horror of Fang Rock

Review: To the lighthouse with Tom and Louise.

It's the one that replaced a vampire story at the behest of BBC Drama. It's the one where a strike meant it had to be made in Birmingham. It's the one where Leela's eyes change colour. And it's the one where we meet the Sontarans' most dreaded enemy – a balloon covered in green slime.

Horror of Fang Rock is also a good story, but not a great one. It's wonderfully claustrophobic and is a fine example of 'the base under siege' plot, but watch it and you begin to tire of the numerous scenes on the rocks, in the light room and on the stairs. There are some wonderful scenes - the Doctor realising he's fallible, a chilling grin from Reuben and a brief moment where we sympathise with Colonel Skinsale. But then there are some truly dire ones – the Rutan climbing the lighthouse and any scene where Adelaide speaks. Who doesn't get some guilty pleasure when Leela gives her a slap?

The main strength of Horror of Fang Rock lies in its writing. The ditching of what later would become State of Decay forces Terrance Dicks to focus - and he rises to the challenge. Yes, it's a touch Agatha Christie, yes the characters are a tad one-dimensional, but there's barely any padding, everyone is integral to the plot, and there's a fair few surprises along the way. Whether you actually love the story is probably down to personal taste. Tom Baker's well-documented dislike of the character of Leela results in a Fourth Doctor at his most dour. It's a love-hate thing.

Now, onto the extras. After recent commentaries from the likes of Lalla Ward and Peter Davison and co. you can't help but be a bit bored with the commentary. It's lovely to have Terrance, Louise and John Abott (Vince) to witter on, but you just yearn for them to be a bit bitchy and take it just a bit less seriously.

Signs that the Restoration Team struggled to find extras for this release comes in the form of The Antique Doctor Who Show, originally one of the shorts shown prior to the 1993 repeat of Planet of the Daleks. It's interesting and amusing but has nothing to do with Fang Rock.

Fortunately the DVD sports two specially created features: Terrance Dicks: Fact & Fiction and Paddy Russell – A Life in Television prove real assets. Particularly the latter, since Paddy Russell's story is fascinating and one seldom told. One of two of the BBC's first female directors, Russell began her career working as a floor manager for Rudolph Cartier, on such dramas as the Quatermass serials (soon to be released on DVD). The feature is lovingly put together with rare studio footage of a rather glamorous looking Russell. Her comments about her time on Doctor Who are also rather candid.

The Dicks feature is also interesting, although the scale of his involvement with the show means that you are left yearning for more. It may have been better to have taken the Horror of Fang Rock reminiscences from both features and created a third.

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