Robot (1974 - 1975)
Review
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Review
This is a four-part serial, first broadcast between 20th December 1974 - 18th January 1975. A brief and not really spoiler-ish summary of the plot: ... well, never mind. This serial really isn't about the plot.
Let's get the bad news out of the way first:
- the story really isn't good. We get a robot, because script editor Robert Holmes wanted one. We get a King Kong pastiche, because writer Terrance Dicks wanted one. And in part four the Average-Sized Robot from the previous episodes miraculously becomes a Giant Robot so that it can do the Fay Wray thing with Sarah Jane - which also solved the problem that Dicks had with having to fill another episode after running out of story in part three. Actually, the villains of this story - a group of scientifically-inclined neo-Nazis led by a woman - aren't bad, but their Evil Master Plan is sort of world-conquest-by-numbers (and yes, there are spoilers ahead): 1) get your hands on a robot; 2) use the robot to steal everything you need to assemble a disintegrator gun; 3) use the robot plus the disintegrator gun to break into a safe that is otherwise impenetrable and steal some super-secret documents that you just happen to know to be there; 4) use the information in the stolen documents to make a bid for world domination. It's contrived, it's padded and after part one, when we're still guessing what's going on, it quickly gets boring
- I'm not a fan of the robot's design. It looks nice but it's obvious that the robot can hardly move, which very much harms its credibility as a formidable foe. For some reason I also keep wondering where its 'eyes' are. The translucent casing around its 'brain' appears to be the only part of its head that isn't solid metal, and nothing in its facial features seems to match the square grid that we see in the shots from the robot's point of view
Moving on to the less bad news:
- even though the visual effects are pretty bad, I can't help enjoying them. It's obvious that the BBC lacked the money and the technical means to show us a believable giant robot, but with sheer creativity and panache they almost get away with it
And the good news:
- this is a fantastic debut for the fourth Doctor. Terrance Dick's wild and woolly Doctor (he wanted to create a clear contrast with Pertwee, and reckoned the new Doctor could always be toned down a bit later) and Tom Baker's performance are a perfect match right from the start
- the serial is full of brilliant bits of dialogue between the Doctor, newcomer Harry Sullivan and the old regulars Sarah Jane and the Brigadier. The rope-skipping scene, the costumes, the Doctor and Harry facing the Giant Robot, the Doctor offering Sarah Jane a jelly-baby at the end of part four... they're all wonderfully written and executed impeccably
- we also get several loud and flashy explosions, which is always a good thing
My verdict:
There's fun to be had here. For a good robot story, try 'Robots of death' in stead.
More about Doctor Who
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Doctor Who reviews: 1974 - 1981
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Original version of this review:
08/05/26
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