Doctor Who - The Deadly Assassin [DVD] [1976]

Tom Baker goes solo on Gallifrey in this brilliant, high-calibre whodunit fired at the heart of Time Lord power by an old, old friend ... Robert Holmes is bang on target yet again with one of his very best scripts, an exciting, ingenious and satirical story that reboots the Time Lords and has politics firmly in its sights. 5*The previous story, `The Hand of Fear', ended in 1976 with the mother of all cliff-hangers that left young viewers (as I was then!) astonished and I expect in many cases, rather upset. Our Sarah Jane, wonderfully played to the last by Elisabeth Sladen, shoved out of the TARDIS without warning! What could possibly be so important that the Doctor would treat his best friend like that? A summons from home, from "Gallifrey - after all these years" - a vision of the murder of the Lord President of the High Council by a deadly assassin ...After a set-up like that, it's no surprise this story got huge viewing figures and it fully deserves them. According to the commentary, Tom Baker wanted to play the Doctor without a companion; Philip Hinchcliffe suggested a political whodunit and Robert Holmes brought the story to Gallifrey. It's a superb combination of ideas for a unique story, and Tom Baker turns in an thrilling performance as the lone hero, struggling to save his home world and the society he rejected, to save it from its own corruption and the scheming of another outcast Time Lord - because the Master is back ...Worn out, at the very end of his lives, this Master is a hideous, barely living thing of oozing flesh and bulging lidless eyes; created by an amazing mask / makeup and brilliantly performed by Peter Pratt, he's a wheezing, evil shadow of the Master we knew from the incarnation superbly played by Roger Delgado. Held together by hate and willpower, the Master now lives for vengeance against his own people and against the Doctor above all. And perhaps he still lives for something else too - "never underestimate the Master"...Unable to prevent the Lord President's murder, the Doctor finds himself framed for the crime and must find the true assassin to save his own life. The two sides of Time Lord society are well represented by cynical, political Chancellor Goth (Bernard Horsfall) and stuffy but fair Cardinal Borusa (Angus Mackay) in two excellent performances. With the Lord President now dead, his expected successor Goth wants the immediate transition of power - and if that means a show trial and the Doctor dead within hours, so be it. But Borusa is a just man and stands up for the constitution (and for his former student from the Academy), giving the Doctor the breathing space he needs to go on the hunt for the real killer.His unexpected allies are tough, worldly-wise Castellan Spandrell of the Chancellery Guard (George Pravda) and bookish little Co-ordinator Engin (Erik Chitty), the keeper of the Matrix - a data store holding the priceless memories and thought patterns of dead Time Lords. Their double act is one of the delights of this story, as they come to believe in the Doctor's innocence in a clever whodunit that twists off in unexpected directions.The most unexpected direction (at least in 1976) was into the Matrix itself. It's been used in `Doctor Who' since then, most recently as the `Nethersphere' at the end of Peter Capaldi's first season (and I believe something very similar has appeared elsewhere(!)) but this was the *original* Matrix, created by Robert Holmes as an almost casual stroke of genius to bring live action into a studio-based production. A collection of dead Time Lord minds held in a computation matrix, shaped by thought into a virtual world where the Doctor is forced to fight a battle of wills with the deadly assassin.Exciting and very cleverly filmed and directed by David Maloney (as is the studio part of the story), it incorporates scenes from nightmares real and imagined and homage to famous films across the whole `adventure' genre in a single action-packed episode. The cliff-hanger ending for episode 3 is one of the all-time greats. It upset Mary Whitehouse even more than `Doctor Who' usually did and was cut for later showings, but here we can see the full impact once more.Quite right too! Back in 1976 I was just one 12 year old among more than ten million viewers and we weren't stupid! We knew two facts that seem to have escaped the "ooh it's too scary for the kids" critics: The Doctor Always Wins and It Isn't Real! I wouldn't at that age have gone into long discussions about `Gothic horror' and `the Hinchcliffe / Holmes years' but I knew quality `Doctor Who' when I saw it and I knew I was watching the best seasons yet - and as it turned out, the best seasons ever made, so thanks to all involved for some great television memories.The Doctor (of course) does win his battle and it seems the story is over, but there's a twist and a spectacular one as the Master's real purpose is revealed, dredging up forgotten secrets from the origins of Time Lord power. The ensuing final conflict pushes 1970s studio work to the limit, but the story pulls it off successfully and in the process Robert Holmes (again) created more `facts' about the Time Lords that underlie stories to this day.His depiction of Gallifrey is an all-male world of politics and stately ritual, where ceremonial robes are a thin veneer over the raw struggle for power. With iconic costumes by James Acheson and superb, gloomily-lit sets by Roger Murray-Leach, this portrayal of the Time Lords caused a lot of angst among some fans at the time, but personally I thought - and think - it's terrific. If "all power corrupts" eventually, what would happen on a world of immense power to beings with many centuries of life? Robert Holmes didn't create the Time Lords, but he did give them two hearts and twelve regenerations, name Gallifrey and wrote the Master's first story, so if anyone could rewrite Time Lord history somewhat, surely it was him.Actually it doesn't seem to me to be that big a rewrite; I'd already seen the Time Lords use the Doctor as their agent several times since `Colony in Space', most recently in `Genesis of the Daleks' and `The Brain of Morbius'. Yet they'd once condemned him for interfering in the affairs of other worlds - as Robert Holmes later pointed out, they were hypocrites at least. In this story we are treated to some enjoyable satire on American - and British - politics. There is a President, a Constitution and a Celestial Intervention Agency, all very American, but those assembled Time Lords parading in their robes of state as Dudley Simpson's music fills the Panopticon look much more like an historical flashback to the King and the Lords of the Palace of Westminster to me. And the hushed broadcasting tones of Runcible "the fatuous" (Hugh Walters) obviously make him a caricature of a very British Royal Correspondent.This one-off solo escapade is yet another member of the High Council of Fourth Doctor classics. In the longer term, the Doctor does really need a companion and so we were soon introduced to Louise Jameson's fabulous Leela, but that's another story...5 / 5* for the Doctor's Gallifrey adventure, thanks for reading.DVD Special Features:The commentary is a very good one, with Tom Baker, Bernard Horsfall and Philip Hinchcliffe and some great anecdotes about what was obviously a happy production by a confident team. Many contributors to the Pertwee-era DVDs have also said how cheerful the atmosphere was back then too - and Bernard Horsfall says just the same here about his previous appearances, going back to the Troughton years. No wonder then that `Doctor Who' had such a long run of success at that time.`The Matrix Revisited' (29 min) - excellent `making of' feature with Tom Baker, Bernard Horsfall, Philip Hinchcliffe, director David Maloney (from archive interview clips) and designer Roger Murray-Leach.Photo Gallery (5 min).`The Gallifreyan Candidate' (11 min) - comparing `The Deadly Assassin' with the novel and film `The Manchurian Candidate'. I found this interesting but not that convincing at making any close link. It's true that both stories are based around a political assassination, but the novel involves brainwashing, sleeper agents and an alliance of foreign powers plotting to install their choice of President. `The Deadly Assassin' is by contrast a story of home-grown (and freely chosen) corruption fuelled by greed, revenge and a very personal lust for power. And Robert Holmes' satire seems to me to be aimed at British politics just as much as across the Atlantic.`The Frighten Factor' (17 min) - a varied set of contributors discuss just what makes `Doctor Who' frightening and explains how this is a *positive* experience. Good, but did the nation's youth really spend 25 minutes every week "hiding behind the sofa" or "watching from between their fingers"? I was glued TO the sofa by this terrific show for practically every episode from age 6 onwards and didn't want to miss a second of it! There's too much emphasis given here to the new series; yes, `Blink' was impressive, but `The Deadly Assassin' was just one story out of two whole seasons that they probably wouldn't have the nerve to make today - or at least I thought so before Peter Capaldi turned up with that `Mummy' and `Dark Water' ...

Great story of the 4th doctor

a four part doctor who story from tom baker's third year in the role comes to dvd. at the time when he was so into the part and on top of his game that he could ask the producers if the doctor could travel without a companion. That wasn't a suggestion they were going to go with long term, but they do try this one companionless adventure in the meantime.summoned back to his homeworld gallifrey at the time of a change in leadership, the doctor arrives just in time to try and stop someone killing the outgoing president. only there's more going on here than meets the eye. framed for murder the doctor has to race against time to save his homeworld from an old enemy.studio bound in the first second and fourth episodes but this doesnt seem to matter. all thanks to some good set design and some excellent costumes. the supporting cast all play it dead straight and turn in good work as a result. particularly appealing are george pravda as castellan spandrell - old and jaded but no fool - and erik chitty as his somewhat befuddled assistant engin.the third episode is set almost entirely in a virtual reality setting with the doctor battling a villain there. it conjures up some pretty nightmarish imagery. and even though it was made in 1977 it's so well done that no cgi would enhance the effect at all.the first cliffhanger resolution is perhaps a little bit of a cheat, adopting the old republic serials technique of getting out of things via judicious re-editing, and the third is rather violent and graphic and got the show into a lot of hot water. but those are minor complaints. this is classic who and it's great to have it on dvd at last.the extras are as follows:as usual: production information subtitles that will give informaiton about the production whilst you watch the story.a photo gallery of stills from the story and it's production.radio times listings for the broadcast of the story that can be viewed as pdf files when watching the disc on a computer.english language subtitles.english language language tracks.english audio descriptive.a trailer for the next release in the range, the seventh doctor story delta and the bannermen. like some of these it tries for drama via lots of fast cutting and thus epileptics and those who have a problem with such things might find it not easy to watch.for an easter egg watch the disc on a computer, move the pointer over the left hand side of the screen when on the first page of special features, and when a hidden doctor who logo lights up click on it see a short trailer for the story shown on the bbc at the end of the preceding one back in 1976.there's a commentary from tom baker, producer philip hinchcliffe, and actor bernard horsfall who plays a time lord in the story.other extras are documentaries:the matrix revisited is a thirty minute long look at the making of the story. a very in depth and high quality production it's well worth a look. in tom baker admits the suggestion of no companion wasn't wise. the designer gives some very interesting information about how some crowd scenes were done. and there's a discussion of the third cliffhanger and how people responded to it. which is all food for thought.Although this is regarded as a classic story now, back when it was broadcast some elements of doctor who fandom didn't like it all. because among other things it gave a wildly different portrayal of the timelords to what had been seen in the show before. In this documentary they interview a fan who wrote criticism of the story at the time. the points he makes are worth a listen, even if you don't agree with them.the gallifreyan candidate is an eleven minute look at the manchurian candidate, the book and later film that gave some of the inspiration for this story. what looks as if it is going to be a rather spurious documentary full of hot air does get interesting as it goes along and is worth watching if you've never read the book or seen the film. but any doctor who connections in the documentary are soon forgotten about it and it becomes solely about the manchurian candidate.the frighten factor is a seventeen minute long documentary about what makes the programme frightening. it uses clips from both the old and the new series, and although what it says is all rather obvious it is all quite interesting. but what shocks is the sight of early 70's barry letts producer, when interviewed in this, without any hair and not looking very well. we can but hope he gets better soon.not a bad batch of extras, but a dvd worth getting for the story alone