Verity Lambert had hoped that the show could take a six-week break over the summer after the conclusion to serial G, but this was both postponed (until after the following serial) and shortened (to four weeks). The end of The Sensorites would have made a good pausing point; I'll see how well this story's conclusion works as a season closer when I get there.
I mentioned last time that I'd make a decision on whether The Transit of Venus fit once I'd seen this episode. In my opinion it works well, and the (valid) point that the travellers would probably have changed into different clothes and had different lengths of hair isn't enough to swing me against it. Time has obviously passed since leaving the Sense-Sphere, with conversations that we've not been able to witness, so it's not just a continuation of the same scene anyway. By the same token the idea that it's unrealistic for the Doctor simply to repeat his threat and put them off again ignores the way it's presented: as part of the same decision, merely delayed. On the other hand, I do think Jacqueline Rayner missed a trick. Here the Doctor is saying how he can control the TARDIS and get them home, which he has apparently declared between the stories; and she could have included something about that at the end of the audio adventure.
On to the meat of this episode, then. As usual for a historical we have good costumes and sets, though they are perhaps not quite up to the standards of the previous two, and the ragamuffin's dirty clothes are a bit too stereotypical for my liking. Having said that, Susan, Ian, and Barbara all get to dress up; and it suits the women, at least. This is purely my prejudice but I do think that frilly shirts generally look a bit silly on men, and only work with outsize personalities such as those of the Third Doctor, Adam Ant, or the Giffen/Bierbaum incarnation of Roxxas the Butcher. Ian is not one of those.
Actually, most of the things I notice about this episode, good and bad, are visual. The director, Henric Hirsch - who is working on Who for the first time - makes good use of lighting, not being afraid to have action in darkness when appropriate. the model shot of the burning house is effective, and rolling the credits over the flames is a very nice touch.
On the other hand, most of the framing is dull. There are exceptions, like the shots of the unconscious Doctor; but in general dullness has been the order of the day for quite a while, and it makes me long for one of the more adventurous directors, like Richard Martin. There are also some dodgy camera moves and we get a couple of bumps.
Part of the problem is the studio. Production moved to Lime Grove Studio G with A Desperate Venture - which was, perhaps, one reason for it being rather a tentative effort - and stayed there for the first four episodes of serial H. Studio G was long and narrow, meaning that it was impossible to get much distance between the camera and the action. Verity Lambert successfully fought against it being a permanent home, but we are seeing the effects at the moment. It shows most in the exterior scenes, which have a striplike feel; but to be fair it's impressive what has been achieved in the circumstances.
The acting's fine, but nothing special; and I don't have much to say about the plot just yet. The cliffhanger is stretched out for too long (though that's as much the director's fault as the writer's); otherwise it's competent, engaging but not gripping. I do like Susan's comment about this being her grandfather's favourite period of Earth history - perhaps that's why she was borrowing a book about it from Barbara in the very first episode of the show?
Once again my son watched this with me (he's a convert to the idea of watching no more than an episode a day, even with later stories), and I hope to be able to include his thoughts on the story in six entries' time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 8th August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 37
Appreciation Index: 58
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Guests of Madame Guillotine.
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