The Sea Devils is often regarded as one of the best Pertwee stories and it’s hard to argue that point. This is in effect a sequel to the 1970 adventure ‘Doctor Who and the Silurians’. This story doesn’t feature the Silurians but instead a different species that is somehow related to them. Now that the Master doesn’t feature in every story like he did in the previous series. The story is set on Earth but doesn’t feature the Brigadier or UNIT though they are mentioned in this story. The Master is in prison after the events of ‘The Daemons’ and whilst in the area, the Doctor investigates the disappearance of several boats. Despite the story being six episodes long, the story does have a lot happening. The first part of this story is try to investigate what’s causing the ships to sink and then once we see the Sea Devils, then the latter half is about stopping the Master. The Master does have an ace up his sleeve and that is when the Doctor tries to convince the Sea Devils that the Master is a bad guy then the Master reminds them that the Doctor was responsible for the Silurians being destroyed.
One thing that I really like is all the location filming. Normally these stories are all in the countryside or in the city and this was the first time that the story had gone to the sea and it meant that we could see some fantastic Navy ships and diving bells and the director makes good use of these and creates a truly epic feel to these scenes. In fact another thing that the director should be congratulated on is the scene where the Sea Devils come out of the sea. It mirrors the end of ‘Dalek Invasion of Earth’ where the Dalek comes out of the Thames. This is done slightly better because there are more of them. The idea to add those blue fishnets onto the Sea Devils were a late addition and it’s a very good addition because it just makes them a little bit more credible and gives the impression that they are a civilised race that should be taken serious.
One of the stars of the show is Colonel Trenchard as played by Clive Morton. He starts off as the Prison Governor who has the unenviable job of keeping the Master secure. After doing a good job of fooling the Doctor and Jo, Trenchard soon shows how he is under the power of the Master. It all ends in rather a sad way when he sacrifices his life in fighting the Sea Devils. A nice man with honourable intentions who is turned to help the Master do his evil deeds. Morton’s acting means that when his end comes then it is made even more sad because we all like him and in a way the character. The introduction of the civil servant in episode five was a fantastic way of creating some new and fresh tension. By this stage, Captain Hart had started to go along with the Doctor so there needed to be someone who was the face of opposition and willing to put a spanner in the works. This was brilliantly played by Martin Boddey. He is totally unlikeable and his views are totally at odds with everyone else’s and it’s the way that he is so slimy to Captain Hart secretary/assistant. Edwin Richfield (Captain Hart) sort of becomes the second companion and takes Nicholas Courtney’s place as the authorotive position and he does a very good job. The progression of the character over the course of the six episode is perfectly done and like the Brigadier, Hart becomes a supporter of the Doctor. Katy Manning is perfectly fine in this story but doesn’t really do very much more than what she normally does. Roger Delgado is actually very good and he starts off quite quiet and then by the half way stage is back to his self. His best scene comes where he is having the sword fight with the Doctor. Those two put in a lot of energy into that scene and its one of the best scenes.
The Sea Devils has always been a favourite of mine. It’s slightly too long but there is still enough to enjoy and it’s always good to have Roger Delgado in an adventure. The creatures are well designed, sound great and also the fact its set on the coast give this story a different feel and one of the best stories of the season.
One thing that I really like is all the location filming. Normally these stories are all in the countryside or in the city and this was the first time that the story had gone to the sea and it meant that we could see some fantastic Navy ships and diving bells and the director makes good use of these and creates a truly epic feel to these scenes. In fact another thing that the director should be congratulated on is the scene where the Sea Devils come out of the sea. It mirrors the end of ‘Dalek Invasion of Earth’ where the Dalek comes out of the Thames. This is done slightly better because there are more of them. The idea to add those blue fishnets onto the Sea Devils were a late addition and it’s a very good addition because it just makes them a little bit more credible and gives the impression that they are a civilised race that should be taken serious.
One of the stars of the show is Colonel Trenchard as played by Clive Morton. He starts off as the Prison Governor who has the unenviable job of keeping the Master secure. After doing a good job of fooling the Doctor and Jo, Trenchard soon shows how he is under the power of the Master. It all ends in rather a sad way when he sacrifices his life in fighting the Sea Devils. A nice man with honourable intentions who is turned to help the Master do his evil deeds. Morton’s acting means that when his end comes then it is made even more sad because we all like him and in a way the character. The introduction of the civil servant in episode five was a fantastic way of creating some new and fresh tension. By this stage, Captain Hart had started to go along with the Doctor so there needed to be someone who was the face of opposition and willing to put a spanner in the works. This was brilliantly played by Martin Boddey. He is totally unlikeable and his views are totally at odds with everyone else’s and it’s the way that he is so slimy to Captain Hart secretary/assistant. Edwin Richfield (Captain Hart) sort of becomes the second companion and takes Nicholas Courtney’s place as the authorotive position and he does a very good job. The progression of the character over the course of the six episode is perfectly done and like the Brigadier, Hart becomes a supporter of the Doctor. Katy Manning is perfectly fine in this story but doesn’t really do very much more than what she normally does. Roger Delgado is actually very good and he starts off quite quiet and then by the half way stage is back to his self. His best scene comes where he is having the sword fight with the Doctor. Those two put in a lot of energy into that scene and its one of the best scenes.
The Sea Devils has always been a favourite of mine. It’s slightly too long but there is still enough to enjoy and it’s always good to have Roger Delgado in an adventure. The creatures are well designed, sound great and also the fact its set on the coast give this story a different feel and one of the best stories of the season.
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