Vengeance on Varos is a curious story because whilst its one of the best Sixth Doctor stories, its also one of the darkest stories and it’s the one that addresses the issue of violence on TV but unfortunately it’s mistaken and the wider public saw it as another example of how violent Doctor Who had become. This story is unusual for this series because it is entirely studio bound and that helps in a massive way to create a claustrophobic feel to the adventure. Vengeance on Varos was written by Philip Martin who credentials at the point of this story airing included the popular show Gangsters (1976-78) and Z-Cars (1962). Martin would go onto writing for Big Finish in 2004 with The Creed of the Kromon.
The story sees the TARDIS land of Varos where they need to get some Zeiton-7 which the TARDIS desperately needs. It’s only when they arrive that they get involved in the events of Varos where Sil is on the planet to negotiate a price for this precious Zeiton-7. But secretly Sil wants to control Varos and its only at the end that Sil’s plans become unstuck and he is ordered to obtain the Zeiton at any price. Meanwhile the Doctor and Peri are just trying to survive but things (as usual) get in the way.
One of the most memorable things from this story is the character of Sil. Played brilliantly by Nabil Shaban. The little laugh that Sil gives when he’s really happy is very creepy and makes the character totally unlikeable. What compliments this very well is the character of The Governor as played by Martin Jarvis making his third Doctor Who appearance. He is a politician who every so often has to sit in a chair and if voted, undergoes a quite painful experience. It’s due to Jarvis’ performance that makes you feel sorry for him and makes him a nice guy in quite not so nice place. Nicola Bryant is memorable for the wrong reasons in this story, here she has to adopt the role of an American companion that is turned into a bird. Yes, a bird. It’s like Martin had written the script and JNT asked him to put in something that made Peri look silly. Apart from the bird thing, Nicola Bryant does a pretty standard job of running down the same looking corridors in tight fitting clothing. Colin Baker does a pretty good job but is let down at the beginning by sulking like a teenager in the TARDIS. Once the story really gets going he shines and he has one of the best cliffhangers of his time as the Doctor when he becomes unconscious as he is crawling on the ground of what he thinks is a desert. Watching on a bank of monitors its only when you see his face that it becomes quite a disturbing ending. Well played by Mr. Baker.
There are some other impressive supporting characters that litter this story. Firstly are Arak (Stephen Yardley) and Etta (Sheila Reid) who are watching the events unfold and quite curiously never venture outside of that small set. They never meet the main characters but yet still feel like important characters despite not having a direct link into the events that go on. Their constant bickering at each other added some humour to the story. I also found Owen Teale (Maldak) to be very good. He starts of as a small character but becomes impressive by the end. The same cant be said for Jason Connery. He is truly awful in this adventure as looks like he was cast simply because he’s someone the ladies could enjoy watching. It’s a dull performance.
When people complain about the violence in Doctor Who, it’s the scene in this story where two people end up in an acid bath after fighting with the Doctor. People wrongly claim that the Doctor pushes them into the bath which is clearly wrong because as you will see one falls in and pulls in the other. The only thing that the Doctor does wrong is say “You’ll mind if I don’t join you!”. I do think that it slightly ruins the moment and does make the Doctor look like he doesn’t fully appreciate the loss of life which even for this eratic Doctor doesn’t seem quite right. I do also question the scene where he makes the two cannibals go through poisonous tendrils.
Vengeance on Varos is a bold story that doesn’t rest on it’s lorals. The people who go on about the violence in Doctor Who are missing the point when they attack this story. In many ways it’s a parody of how violence is used and treated by a society and its just as relevant in todays society than it was back in 1985. It’s the best of the Philip Martin scripts and shows that despite being 22 years old, Doctor Who can still surprise viewers with something completely different.
The story sees the TARDIS land of Varos where they need to get some Zeiton-7 which the TARDIS desperately needs. It’s only when they arrive that they get involved in the events of Varos where Sil is on the planet to negotiate a price for this precious Zeiton-7. But secretly Sil wants to control Varos and its only at the end that Sil’s plans become unstuck and he is ordered to obtain the Zeiton at any price. Meanwhile the Doctor and Peri are just trying to survive but things (as usual) get in the way.
One of the most memorable things from this story is the character of Sil. Played brilliantly by Nabil Shaban. The little laugh that Sil gives when he’s really happy is very creepy and makes the character totally unlikeable. What compliments this very well is the character of The Governor as played by Martin Jarvis making his third Doctor Who appearance. He is a politician who every so often has to sit in a chair and if voted, undergoes a quite painful experience. It’s due to Jarvis’ performance that makes you feel sorry for him and makes him a nice guy in quite not so nice place. Nicola Bryant is memorable for the wrong reasons in this story, here she has to adopt the role of an American companion that is turned into a bird. Yes, a bird. It’s like Martin had written the script and JNT asked him to put in something that made Peri look silly. Apart from the bird thing, Nicola Bryant does a pretty standard job of running down the same looking corridors in tight fitting clothing. Colin Baker does a pretty good job but is let down at the beginning by sulking like a teenager in the TARDIS. Once the story really gets going he shines and he has one of the best cliffhangers of his time as the Doctor when he becomes unconscious as he is crawling on the ground of what he thinks is a desert. Watching on a bank of monitors its only when you see his face that it becomes quite a disturbing ending. Well played by Mr. Baker.
There are some other impressive supporting characters that litter this story. Firstly are Arak (Stephen Yardley) and Etta (Sheila Reid) who are watching the events unfold and quite curiously never venture outside of that small set. They never meet the main characters but yet still feel like important characters despite not having a direct link into the events that go on. Their constant bickering at each other added some humour to the story. I also found Owen Teale (Maldak) to be very good. He starts of as a small character but becomes impressive by the end. The same cant be said for Jason Connery. He is truly awful in this adventure as looks like he was cast simply because he’s someone the ladies could enjoy watching. It’s a dull performance.
When people complain about the violence in Doctor Who, it’s the scene in this story where two people end up in an acid bath after fighting with the Doctor. People wrongly claim that the Doctor pushes them into the bath which is clearly wrong because as you will see one falls in and pulls in the other. The only thing that the Doctor does wrong is say “You’ll mind if I don’t join you!”. I do think that it slightly ruins the moment and does make the Doctor look like he doesn’t fully appreciate the loss of life which even for this eratic Doctor doesn’t seem quite right. I do also question the scene where he makes the two cannibals go through poisonous tendrils.
Vengeance on Varos is a bold story that doesn’t rest on it’s lorals. The people who go on about the violence in Doctor Who are missing the point when they attack this story. In many ways it’s a parody of how violence is used and treated by a society and its just as relevant in todays society than it was back in 1985. It’s the best of the Philip Martin scripts and shows that despite being 22 years old, Doctor Who can still surprise viewers with something completely different.
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