Review by Guy Clapperton
Stars Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Tony Beckley | Written by Robert Banks Stewart
UK certification PG | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 150 minutes | Directed by Douglas Camfield
In recent months I’ve lamented the standard of Doctor Who stories which are actually left unreleased. Then last month I raved about the Revisitations set and this month we have an equal joy, possibly a better one, in the shape of The Seeds of Doom. We have Tom Baker at his surprisingly violent best, we have Elizabeth Sladen demonstrating just why she’s still a strong companion some 36 years after she started, we have a joyous villain in Tony Beckley …
Where to start? Well it looks as though we’re in for a tense two-parter set in the Atlantic where the Doctor has been summoned to inspect some seed pods fallen from space. There’s a tense enough thriller going on here and director Douglas Camfield milks the location for as much atmospheric claustrophobea as he can. In them thar days we didn’t know what was coming next so it was a shock when after the apparent resolution the action shifts to England, in which a second pod is about to produce havoc through the Krynoid creature it contains.
The resulting story is a study in obsession from Tony Beckley’s Harrison Chase; a study in terror as some of the very best of the Quatermass/Hammer stuff resurrects itself in a delicious chiller for once not marred by special effects (OK, the Krynoid crushing the house has dated by now but for its time and budget it’s really pretty good), and one of the most magical and relaxed Doctor/Companion combinations ever. You’ve even got Boycie as one of the heavies – what more did you want? (Actually he’s rather good in this and it’s not his fault he’s been typed elsewhere). If you only buy one of the classic Doctor Who DVDs, ever, let this be a strong contender – I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’s one of the best, if not the very best ever. Six parters have a bad reputation; this and the Talons of Weng Chiang from the Revisitations set prove that to be nonsense.
EXTRAS ★★★★★ Commentary with Tom Baker and others, isolated music, subtitles/production notes, “PodShock” – an affectionate Making Of documentary, Now and Then (revisiting the locations), most entertainingly “So what do you do exactly” – which explains the role of the production assistant, “Stripped for action” on the fourth Doctor in the comics, trails and continuity, coming soon, Radio Times listings and director Douglas Camfield’s paper edit for a compilation repeat. A terrific little package.