Review
More about Doctor Who
More about this serial
Review
More about Doctor Who
More about this serial
This is a four-part serial, first broadcast between 29th January -19th February 1977. A brief and somewhat spoiler-ish summary of the plot: among a crew of well-to-do miners and art-deco robots the Doctor and Leela find themselves suspected of murder, and in order to prevent more deaths and to prove their innocence they will have to unmask the real killer.
'The robots of death' is simply a good, solid serial. The story is a well-written cross between an Agatha Christie whodunnit and an Isaac Asimov robot story, the acting is good all-around, the visual effects have held up well, and the art-deco design may not be to everyone's taste (I felt the costumes and the make-up were a bit over the top) but it's certainly an interesting change from the customary stark, high-tech science-fiction look and feel.
It's interesting to see how the series had changed since 1975, when 'The ark in space' and 'Genesis of the Daleks' came out. In 1977 the moral ambiguity has gone, and we no longer see the Doctor agonising over the choices that he has to make. In stead, we get a Doctor who is confident, capable and continually one step ahead of everyone else.
My verdict:
Agatha Christie meets Isaac Asimov in a good, solid serial.
An introduction:
Doctor Who reviews: introduction
More "nice!" Doctor Who:
Doctor Who reviews: nice!
More from the Tom Baker years:
Doctor Who reviews: 1974 - 1981
Similar stories:
Doctor Who reviews: space opera
Original version of this review:
06/08/17
Episode guides:
BBC Cult
Serial reviews:
Outpost Gallifrey
DVD reviews:
Outpost Gallifrey
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