With the Axons about the return to the world of Doctor Who in a Big Finish play led me to watching this story. I have never been a massive fan of this story as I think that the Axons. This story was written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin who would go on to create K9 and also write the Wallace and Gromit stories. The story centres around a ship that crash lands, the occupants promise to give the humans something they call Axonite however all is not what it seems and to cap things off the Master is on board. The 1971 series is famous because The Master features in every single story which I think is quite smart because it gives the story a theme which the new series uses every year.
The characters in this story are what are good about this story. The tramp Pigbin Josh was a funny little addition to the early part of the story. It was just a shame that his usefulness only lasted 16 minute. I also found Chinn to be a loathsome character. He was always intended to be so and Baker and Martin should be praised for that. He is a character of his time and was totally out for himself and there only to make himself more powerful. There is also a fine outing for Tim Pigott-Smith as Captain Harker. The four main regulars all put in solid performances. This is the third story for Roger Delgado and his magnificence is on show here. The relationship between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning is well and truly evident and there are fine performances from the pair. Nicholas Courtney has a lot of fun as the Brigadier battles against Chin. The Brigadier can be a bit irritable as an army man but its nice to know that even he can be irritated by someone higher up the food chain.
The initial build up to the story was very exciting. It was curious to see the build up to the revelation of the Axons. When they arrive they portray themselves as a race that have the ability to help out humanity. I quite liked how the Doctor used a bit of his desire to leave Earth to try and defeat the Master and the Axos. This leads into a shift in character for Bill Filer. He all of a sudden doesn’t trust the Doctor who thinks he is trying to bail out of the situation (which he sort of is). There is some wonderful location work in this which is helped by the fact that it seemed to snow unexpectedly. The scenes filmed on the Kent coast are some of the most atmospheric and lovingly shot of that series.
There is quite a lot wrong with this story. Firstly American Bill Filer’s hair. I know it was the 1970’s but even hair from that decade can be acceptable. As a result I find that the character loses a little bit of credibility. The Master’s introduction wasn’t particularly good. I thought more fuss would have been made even considering that he was a regular in every story in the 1971 series. The look of the Axos from the neck downwards is also very poor, it just makes them look cheap and not menacing.
I have to admit that after watching this story on DVD to review this. My opinion has changed because its not that bad. Ok some of the creatures don’t really stand up particularly well and they get painted green and return in the Seeds of Doom but this story is an enjoyable four part adventure. Bob Baker and Dave Martin have written a solid script that had just enough in it to make it interesting. Not the best story of the 1971 season but that’s because of the quality of the season.
The characters in this story are what are good about this story. The tramp Pigbin Josh was a funny little addition to the early part of the story. It was just a shame that his usefulness only lasted 16 minute. I also found Chinn to be a loathsome character. He was always intended to be so and Baker and Martin should be praised for that. He is a character of his time and was totally out for himself and there only to make himself more powerful. There is also a fine outing for Tim Pigott-Smith as Captain Harker. The four main regulars all put in solid performances. This is the third story for Roger Delgado and his magnificence is on show here. The relationship between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning is well and truly evident and there are fine performances from the pair. Nicholas Courtney has a lot of fun as the Brigadier battles against Chin. The Brigadier can be a bit irritable as an army man but its nice to know that even he can be irritated by someone higher up the food chain.
The initial build up to the story was very exciting. It was curious to see the build up to the revelation of the Axons. When they arrive they portray themselves as a race that have the ability to help out humanity. I quite liked how the Doctor used a bit of his desire to leave Earth to try and defeat the Master and the Axos. This leads into a shift in character for Bill Filer. He all of a sudden doesn’t trust the Doctor who thinks he is trying to bail out of the situation (which he sort of is). There is some wonderful location work in this which is helped by the fact that it seemed to snow unexpectedly. The scenes filmed on the Kent coast are some of the most atmospheric and lovingly shot of that series.
There is quite a lot wrong with this story. Firstly American Bill Filer’s hair. I know it was the 1970’s but even hair from that decade can be acceptable. As a result I find that the character loses a little bit of credibility. The Master’s introduction wasn’t particularly good. I thought more fuss would have been made even considering that he was a regular in every story in the 1971 series. The look of the Axos from the neck downwards is also very poor, it just makes them look cheap and not menacing.
I have to admit that after watching this story on DVD to review this. My opinion has changed because its not that bad. Ok some of the creatures don’t really stand up particularly well and they get painted green and return in the Seeds of Doom but this story is an enjoyable four part adventure. Bob Baker and Dave Martin have written a solid script that had just enough in it to make it interesting. Not the best story of the 1971 season but that’s because of the quality of the season.
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