Amazon.co.uk Review
The 1979 Doctor Who adventure "The Creature from the Pit" finds Tom Baker's fourth Doctor in decidedly tongue-in-cheek mode on the planet Cloris, a world where metal is in such short supply its possession means power, and where a very large green alien is annoyed at being kept prisoner in a pit. As so often the Doctor gets caught between two feuding parties, here the power-crazed Lady Adrasta (Myra Frances) and her court, and a bunch of Pythonesque bandits led by John Bryans. This motley crew reveal the influence of script editor Douglas Adams, while more fun is to had from Baker's interaction with the astrologer Organon, played by Geoffrey "Catweazle" Bayldon in a role which recalls Adams' Slartibartfast from The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
At four episodes a thin story is over-stretched, the finale seems tacked on, and the shoddy creature effects are more remarkably phallic than anything in the same year's cinema release, Alien. On the plus side, Lalla Ward in her third story grows nicely into her role as Romana, David Brierley takes over from John Leeson as the voice of robot dog K-9 and the set design and costumes are well up to the show's late-70s high standards. Not a patch on the immediately preceding "City of Death", but an entertaining Whovian pantomime nonetheless. --Gary S Dalkin
Video Description
Written by David Fisher and starring Tom Baker as the Doctor. Script edited by Douglas Adams of Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy fame. Stars Eileen Way, who also starred in the very first Doctor Who story.
From the Back Cover
On the planet Chloris, metal is scarce. Without metal to make the tools needed to keep the jungle under control, lush plant life dominates. The Lady Adrasta controls the planet's very last metal mine, holding on to power through the Huntsmen and Wolfweeds. Making a forced landing on Chloris, the Doctor, Romana and K9 soon find themselves caught up in dangerous events. The Doctor is captured by the power-hungry Lady Adrasta, who needs his scientific skills. Romana is taken prisoner by rebel bandits, looking for ways of getting their hands on Adrasta's wealth. K9 is made of metal - a valuable commodity indeed. And lurking in the pit of the last metal mine on Chloris... The Creature...
This story was broadcast on BBC1 between 27 October - 17 November 1979.
