The Underwater Menace: Doctor Who: Season 4
| SYNOPSIS |
| DETAILS |
| CAST & CREW | REVIEWS |
 Goldby |  Grob |  |
The Underwater Menace SYNOPSIS:
The Tardis crew are taken prisoner by the survivors of Atlantis and delivered to the city beneath the sea to be sacrificed. The Doctor persuades Professor Zaroff, a renegade Earth scientist, to stop the execution in excahnge for joining his scientific staff. Ben and Jamie are sent to work in a mine, and Polly is to undergo an operation transforming her into an Atlantean fish person.
The Professor outlines his plan to raise Atlantis from beneath the sea by draining excess sea water into the Earth's core which will result in Earth's destruction. The Doctor and high priest Ramo manage to break Zaroff's hold over the Atlantean King after causing a successful revolt amongst the Fish People who harvest the Atlantis food supplies.
It succeeds at the cost of the King's life but Zaroff is determined to proceed with his plan despite the danger it causes.Reunited with his friends the Doctor briefly succeeds in getting Zaroff away from his security forces. The now insane Zaroff escapes to his laboratory and the Doctor decides to flood it before Zaroff's plan can proceed although there may not be enough time to evacuate the population to the higher levels.
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The Underwater Menace DETAILS:
| Episode | Broadcast | Run Time | Viewership (In Millions) |
| Part One | 14-Jan-67 | 24:18 | 8.3 |
| Part Two | 21-Jan-67 | 25:00 | 7.5 |
| Part Three | 28-Jan-67 | 24:09 | 7.1 |
| Part Four | 4-Feb-67 | 23:20 | 7 |
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The Underwater Menace CAST & CREW
Stars:
The Doctor:
Patrick Troughton(Second Doctor)
Companions:
Michael Craze (Ben Jackson)
Anneke Wills (Polly)
Fraser Hines (Jamie McCrimmon)
Guest Stars:
Joseph Furst — Zaroff
Colin Jeavons — Damon
Noel Johnson — King Thous
Tom Watson — Ramo
Peter Stephens — Lolem
Gerald Taylor — Damon's Assistant
Catherine Howe — Ara
P.G. Stephens — Sean
Paul Anil — Jacko
Roma Woodnutt — Nola
Graham Ashley — Overseer
Tony Handy — Zaroff's Guard
Production Staff for Serial GG:
Writer - Geoffrey Orme
Director - Julia Smith
Script editor - Gerry Davis
Producer - Innes Lloyd
Missing 3 episodes (1,2,4)
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The Underwater Menace REVIEWS
Goldby
The Underwater Menace or the Chunderwater Menace? This was bad, real bad. Why does this episode exist? Why not Troughton's first instead?
Saw it not long ago after rehearsal and it downright sucks, even with Troughton in it which is surprising. Acted as a powerful sedative. Let's see it's dull, it's got about 2 sets, it's got the winner of the worst over actor / actor in the show until Graham Crowden stole the crown 13 years later.
It's got a fat gay priest who wears feathers it's got a cliche` hoodwinked king with no real power and it's got the weirdest underwater scene ever. People in obvious sequin suits and skivvys on obvious wires pretending to swim on slowed down film? Hmmmm maybe it would have looked convincing on grainy B &W 1967 tellys but it sure wasn't going to scrape any BAFTA's.
What's it about? This Zaroff idiot what's to blow up the world? Or Atlantis? There's no way to hold interest in this plot and the most unconvincing thing about Zaroff is not just his accent but they want you to believe this old, out of shape fart with a bad hair piece that threatens to fly off any second could seriously take on Ben or Jamie or anyone half his age physically? Plus everyone falls for his "oh I'm sick" routine when he's outnumbered by good guys then they ALL run off and leave Polly and a skinny priest to deal with him?
Nah this one's just pure shit. Acting shoddy, set's shoddy, plot - what there is - shoddy but it gets something of a score because there's one bit where Polly runs around in a skimpy outfit she was the first of the 'bombshell' assistants! Another 3 episodes wouldn't raise the score any 0.5/10
Grob
You gotta see this! An ENTIRE scene is taken up with under water ballet performed by fish people!!! I am not kidding - this daft scene goes on for about five minutes!!! Its like.....I dunno. Its just so weird. But then seeing actors dressed up as fish is pretty weird too.Okay, they are terrible. So are the guest characters who are very one dimensional and given some VERY hokey dialogue.
Professor Zaroff (there's a name which Tim will no doubt use next time he writes a play) is just so over the top that he really needs to go back to the wonders of amateur theatre acting. He even gets to say the immortal line "Nothink in zee vorld can stop me now!!!" And poor old Polly Wannacracker does a hell of a lot of screaming in this one. The sets however are okay and there is a giant pool to go swimming in. But other than that bloody fish under the sea dance thing, there is nothing to see here. 1/10
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