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Amazon.co.uk Review
The Doctor Who adventure "Carnival of Monsters" finds Jon Pertwee's third Doctor and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) materialising on the SS Bernice in the Indian Ocean in 1926, on the very day the ship is about to give rise to a famous sea mystery. Passengers and crew, including Ian Marter (who would return as companion Harry Sullivan two years later), are reliving the same few moments over and over again, and there is a plesiosaur in the ocean.
Meanwhile two travelling show people, Vorg (Leslie Dwyer), and Shirna (Cheryl Hall), have arrived on the bureaucracy laden planet Inter Minor with an illegal Miniscope peepshow. In a variation on the miniaturisation plot of Fantastic Voyage (1966), and harking back to Doctor Who's own "Planet of the Giants" story from 1964, the Doctor and Jo have materialised within the Miniscope's compression field and are trapped inside. For company they have the ferocious alien Drashigs while outside the machine a potentially devastating conspiracy is afoot.
As the second story in the 10th season of Doctor Who, this fast-moving, witty and surreal adventure slots into series continuity between "The Three Doctors" and "Frontier in Space". A long-time fan favourite, the four-part thriller remains one of the most enjoyable of the Jon Pertwee era stories.
On the DVD: Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters on DVD has an excellent 4:3 image and mono sound far better than was ever heard on the original broadcasts. Heading a massive range of extras is a commentary with Katy Manning being wonderfully enthusiastic and producer-director Barry Letts getting a little more technical. There are English subtitles not only for the episodes but also for the commentary, as well as a separate on-screen information text option. Also included are two extended and one deleted scene, Barry Lett's more tightly edited preferred ending, a trailer for a 1981 season of Doctor Who repeats and a never used arrangement of the title music. Additionally there is a compilation of visual effects test film, some studio shooting footage, a short computer animation of the TARDIS, a photo gallery and a demonstration of the CSO special effects technique. Anything more comprehensive would be hard to imagine. --Gary S Dalkin
Special Features
English
Region 2
Commentary
Behind The Scenes
Visual Effects Tests
Extended Scenes
Barry Letts Demonstartes CSO Video Effects
Alternate Opening And Closing Music
Easter Eggs Photo Gallery
Region 2
Commentary
Behind The Scenes
Visual Effects Tests
Extended Scenes
Barry Letts Demonstartes CSO Video Effects
Alternate Opening And Closing Music
Easter Eggs Photo Gallery
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Robert Holmes is reckoned to be Who's best writer, and it was stuff like this, Time Warrior and his scary Auton stories which paved the way for the great work he would do in the early Tom Baker seasons before deliverng his masterpiece, Caves of Androzani in the early 80s.
Carnival of Monsters is not exactly a terrifying thriller by any means, but shows off Holmes imaginaton, humor, and story telling prowess, as well as his gift for extremely well rounded and colorful characters.
The plot about the Doctor and Jo arriving on a small ship which is stuck in a time loop and menaced by various sea monsters is straight out of the Twilight Zone and well worth a look. The sub plot about colorful space showman and girl assistant, lends the whole thing some truly whacky and way out comedy touches. And Pertwee's use of the good old Sonic Screwdriver to fight off an attack by the terrible Drashigs in their prehistoric home is a classic scene.
All in all, vintage Who and a real gem of the Pertwee era, cheesy perhaps, but well matured and worth your time and money.
Carnival of Monsters is not exactly a terrifying thriller by any means, but shows off Holmes imaginaton, humor, and story telling prowess, as well as his gift for extremely well rounded and colorful characters.
The plot about the Doctor and Jo arriving on a small ship which is stuck in a time loop and menaced by various sea monsters is straight out of the Twilight Zone and well worth a look. The sub plot about colorful space showman and girl assistant, lends the whole thing some truly whacky and way out comedy touches. And Pertwee's use of the good old Sonic Screwdriver to fight off an attack by the terrible Drashigs in their prehistoric home is a classic scene.
All in all, vintage Who and a real gem of the Pertwee era, cheesy perhaps, but well matured and worth your time and money.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Definately not one of the scariest, but one of the best. The Doctor and Jo land on the miniaturised SS Bernice, where a plesiosaur lurks in the water, and they must encounter the carnivorous Drashigs. It is great, with a strange fascination to it. You are intrigued, and want to see what happens next. The cliff hangers are most unusual, and you are never expecting what happens next, like when the plesiosaur appears, and when a Drashig comes out of the water. It has a bit of humor to it, and the Drashigs have a chilling scream and are surprisingly scary. Worth buying. Flawless.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Carnival of Monsters is one of those Doctor Who Stories that, without being a classic of the series, stands out quite well in its era. What is particularly noteworthy about this story is the use of colour separation overlay , a trademark of the series and it is probably this story that it was put to the best use in the whole series, other times (like in THE GREEN DEATH and PLANET OF THE SPIDERS) it is quite laughable and cringable. But here, it is quitewellusedprticularly worthy of note was the giant hand picking the TARDIS up at the end of Episode 1.Unfortunately age has affected that technology and these days probably doesn't look quite as good.
I like the Drashigs, they are well realised with the most unusual cry, very original, must go down as one of the best.
The moral aspect of the story is also well realised, showing that the Doctor has a concearn for all creatures, also a trademark of the series in the Pertwee era.
What I don't like is the script. there isn't much in it. I get sick of the going around getting caught bit on the boat. Mind you it is well acted by all those involved. As for the Inter Minor residents, bit of a laughable race aren't they?
By the way, I'm from Australia and when this story was aired on the ABC we got that aweful Version of the theme, I've got a copy of it on Video, glad they didn't use it ever again.
Apart from what I don't like about the story , it has a lot going for it and it is a very entertaining and refreshing story, not letting the viewer get tired with what's going on. It's great to have a simple plot once in a while. If you want to see a story with all the Pertwee trademarks (well almost, no Bessie) this is one to watch. Not a bad one at all.
I like the Drashigs, they are well realised with the most unusual cry, very original, must go down as one of the best.
The moral aspect of the story is also well realised, showing that the Doctor has a concearn for all creatures, also a trademark of the series in the Pertwee era.
What I don't like is the script. there isn't much in it. I get sick of the going around getting caught bit on the boat. Mind you it is well acted by all those involved. As for the Inter Minor residents, bit of a laughable race aren't they?
By the way, I'm from Australia and when this story was aired on the ABC we got that aweful Version of the theme, I've got a copy of it on Video, glad they didn't use it ever again.
Apart from what I don't like about the story , it has a lot going for it and it is a very entertaining and refreshing story, not letting the viewer get tired with what's going on. It's great to have a simple plot once in a while. If you want to see a story with all the Pertwee trademarks (well almost, no Bessie) this is one to watch. Not a bad one at all.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of the best
I still have vivid memories when the ABC in Australia had the wrong tape of Carnival Of Monsters, the intro music was different and things seemed weird when the same scene kept... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Bring_back_the_60s
Classic Robert Holmes
Robert Holmes, already at this point in his career, a respected writer and Doctor Who regular, delivers this classic 4 part Pertwee story that entertains throughout. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M.B.E. Of Tooting
One of the most overated stories in the Whoniverse
By one of the most overated writers in the genre of television fiction. COM has often been lauded by fans as the best Pertwee who, I disagree Day of the Daleks Spearhead from space... Read more
Published 11 months ago by One view
Roll-up, roll-up!
The second story in Jon Pertwee's penultimate season as The Doctor sees The Timelord, along with assistant Jo Grant, receive a replacement 'dimensional stabilizer' for his TARDIS... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Scaroth, Last of the Jagaroth
One great story for the Third Doctor
The Carnival of Monsters is a great story for the Third Doctor.
In the previous history, The Three Doctors, Jon Pertwee as The Doctor helps the Time Lords to face the menace... Read more
In the previous history, The Three Doctors, Jon Pertwee as The Doctor helps the Time Lords to face the menace... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Joan Genis Valverde Albons
A fun and inventive Jon Pertwee-era adventure
My slow by steady project of delving into vintage 'Doctor Who' tales continues with this fun Jon Pertwee adventure. Read more
Published 24 months ago by J. Gathergood
Jon Pertwee - Dr. Who.
Having been a fan of Dr. Who since it's first broadcast with William Hartnell, Jon Pertwee still rates as my personal favourite. Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2010 by J. Drummond
what a romp
once again, like most people watching doctor who from the old days, was when the stories were released on video. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2009 by dazza
Carnival of Monsters
This is a jolly romp where the Third Doctor and Jo Grant arrive in what appears to be the hold of a ship in the 1920s. The truth is much more surreal. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2009 by Mr. M. Curran
Superb serial by Robert Holmes
Reading the earlier reviews, I think I may be preaching to the converted here! But this is truly an excellent serial. Read more
Published on 15 July 2009 by S. Poppitt
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