The Reign Of Terror: Doctor Who: Season 1

Goldby

Grob

Boland

Missing episodes 4 & 5

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Goldby

I clapped and applauded loudly when part one ended, simply that it was finished after a 3 day attempt.

The Reign Of Boredom more like. Who wrote this? This and the Sensorites must be the chief examples on why they decided 4 parters were the way to go for regular story length for Season 2 and what few six parters would be sci fi stuff only. Man this was dull television, sorry Grob but even Fear Her was more watchable as it is. Didn't even get good nap time with this one due to being so frustrated about wasting the 30 to 40 odd minutes of my life I'd never get back.

Didn't bother finishing it and the Reign Of terror was the key reason many years ago I just didn't bother with any more Hartnell stuff. The only historical thing for the show as seen in some Dr Who documentary was that it was the first story to use some location filming and then only about 10 seconds worth with none of the regulars. If the French Revolution was this boring would they have bothered? Why were these episodes found and not some quality stuff like Web Of Fear or Fury From the Deep?

No redeeming features 0/10 (my first zero!)



Grob

Does anyone know if the Frogs won the French Revolution? I know next to jack all about history and Reign Of terror from Hartnell didn't help matters. I own it on VHS and have seen it one and a half times. I can recall nothing of it. Even the guest actors/characters did nothing for me - although this time Goldby can't show me up with his "I know all about the three priests in The Aztecs so nyyyaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!" attitude. Man, I can't say ANYTHING about this one. But it has a nice VHS cover so for that I'm giving .5 out of 10.



Boland

The Reign of Terror - So I’ve been asked to write a review on the finale of the very first ever season of Doctor Who, 1964’s ‘Reign of Terror’. If you are not aware the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Susan and Kamelion find themselves slap bang in the middle of the French Revolution. The companions are captured in the country, taken to the capital and thrown into the conciergerie in Paris, whilst the Doctor escapes his death by fire and decides to walk to Paris. They find themselves embroiled in the old ‘Scarlett Pimpernel’ storyline which supposes that the English had more to do in the Revolution than the French.

The first episode is the typical Hartnell ‘discovering the surroundings’ episode and works effectively enough. Then we have the second episode ‘Guests of Madame Guillotine’ which sees Ian, Barbara and Susan inside prison for the entire episode. The Doctor walks the 12km to Paris and encounters a group of workers on the road. They are supposedly building the road but seem to be knocking a few rocks with picks and not achieving anything. Possibly the worst-directed mime I have ever seen. That’s the comic relief as the man in charge is lazy and counts his money. The Doctor proceeds to whack him on the head which seems rather vicious. As Ian meets Webster in the cell, who proceeds to die, Barbara and Susan try to dig their way out. They are taken off to the guillotine as Ian watches through his cell window.

As with the rats we see no reverse angles at all. The Reign of Terror is a perfect example of how limited filming was back then. The cameras have no room to move, all the sets are small and claustrophobic. And limited. This means there is very little action in The Reign of Terror at all. It’s rather talky as well. The jailor at the conciergerie is also comic relief, and we haven’t met any major characters bar our four regular until episode 3. Barbara and Susan have been rescued, we have a lot of filler as the Doctor finds new costume. The rescuers are those helping the aristocrats to England.

Such a great setting for a Doctor Who story, I have to say it’s so bland and slow that one wonders what they were thinking. It improves with episode three, despite the small and limited sets. The plot thickens and the Doctor tries to find his companions as the stupid jailor provides more dubious comic relief. I haven’t seen a recon of the missing episodes, but I presume this is where the action actually takes place. Oh but look Carole Ann Ford is here on the video helping to link the missing episodes.

The Doctor meets Ropespeare, Barbara is reunited with Ian. Looks like they get captured again but get out somehow. Traitors are revealed. Episode Six – Prisoners of Conciergerie. We tie up some loose ends. Napolean makes a guest appearance. It’s a classic case of our time travellers being little more than observers, who end up in jail a lot. It’s a competent story, but not very exciting or anything to recommend it. Not bad at all, just not great TV. But that was the point of the historical stories, wasn’t it? 4.1/10

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