Reviewed by James Whittington
Stars Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Philip Madoc, Colin Fay, Janie Kellis,
John Scott Martin, Gabrielle Mowbray, Veronica Ridge, Gilly Brown | Written by Robert Bland
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 98 minutes | Directed by Christopher Barry
At last, the one most of us have been waiting for, the Doctor Who story known as “the Frankenstein one”. Yes folks, The Brain of Morbius is finally with us. Set on the almost desolate planet of Karn, the Doctor (Baker) and Sarah (Sladen) meet a strange sect known as The Sisterhood and a scientist going by the name of Solon (Madoc). But all is not well as both camps have sinister pans for the good Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Doctor Who was always at its best when it took its inspiration from classic sources and this is never more evident than here. This is classic Saturday night entertainment, plenty of horror to scare the kids and tons of technobabble to keep the adults happy. Tom Baker was at his peak here, his performance is straight, clever, witty and eccentric capturing the Timelord character perfectly just before he went over the top with his off-beat humour comedy shtick. The supporting cast pull out all the stops to deliver the basic but fun plot. Philip Madoc (here in his third Doctor Who appearance) gives Solon a villainess edge without being too pantomime whilst Colin Fay as the Igor-esque character of Condo gives a human touch to this sadly abused monster. As for Elisabeth Sladen, well she’s just gorgeous and to this day remains my favourite companion of all time. The story itself is gothic and dark with plenty of gruesome horror for youngsters to lap up. I recall seeing the headless monster when I was 6 and loving every minute of it, even though I was slightly scared.
What lets the story down is some very cheap exterior shots that were obviously created in a rather over dressed indoor studio. This is a small niggle and something that can be overlooked when the direction is so strong. Fact fans might like to know that Robert Bland is actually a pseudonym for Terrence Dicks and Robert Holmes. Also Peter Cushing and Vincent Price were considered for the role of Solon!
EXTRAS *** A fantastic group commentary from Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Philip Madoc, Christopher Barry, Philip Hinchcliffe (producer); Getting a Head, an interesting documentary on the creation of the story; Designs on Karn interviews designer Barry Newbery; a 3D CGI tour of the studio; a very detailed Sketch Gallery containing original design sketches and concept art; a well researched Photo Gallery, Continuity Trailers, Radio Times PDF, Production Notes Subtitles and the obligatory Easter Egg.