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Amazon.co.uk Review
An adventure starring Peter Davison in the title role, this latest classic Doctor Who release, Four To Doomsday, has plenty of interesting ideas up its sleeve, even if they aren’t all fully realised by the time the credits run on the last episode. But there’s still plenty to enjoy, nonetheless.
The basis of Four To Doomsday is that the Doctor is trying to return Tegan back home, but instead finds himself on a strange spaceship, that almost inevitably is heading to Earth with unpleasantness very much on its agenda. The Doctor, accompanied by Nyssa, Adric and the aforementioned Tegan, naturally has to come to the rescue, aided by some very economic special effects (even for the time).
Four To Doomsday, however, is certainly a story with its moments, and the appearance of Stratford Johns is very much responsible for many of them. It’s also breezy enough, and easily pulls you through its four episodes. The plot doesn’t bear too much scrutiny, though, with a narrative that jumps around and loses cohesion. But it’s all engaging enough, with Davison very much finding his feet in the role. Few people would launch a campaign to have it lauded as an all-time classic, but it’s good fun, warts and all, nonetheless. --Jon Foster
Amazon.com
The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) discovers that his attempt to return Tegan (Janet Fielding) to Heathrow Airport has brought the Tardis to a spacecraft that appears abandoned at first, but actually carries a force of frog-like aliens that may challenge the future of humankind on Earth. Also featuring Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Peter Davison's second serial playing the eponymous Time Lord was actually the first that he recorded; you'd never know this from his assured and breezy performance, although there are a few moments of clunky humour that don't sit well with his earnest demeanour - left over from his fourth incarnation perhaps?. Davison's `wanderer in eternity' is both dashing and as fiercely intelligent as any of his predecessors; he also brings a fresh inquisitiveness and real energy to the role; something that had been lacking in Tom Baker's twilight years on the show.
The story itself is pretty routine; The Doctor and his three companions (Adric, Tegan and Nyssa) arrive on a colossal spaceship and meet its pilots; three amphibian-looking Urbankans. The aliens claim to be visiting Earth as tourists, but their uncanny abilities to replicate the human form, plus the fact that their ship is stocked with androids posing as Earthlings, leads the time travellers to uncover an altogether more sinister purpose.
Perfectly adequate as a lead-in to The Fifth Doctor and his companions; this serial does suffer from being rather static. The best performance comes from the excellent Stratford Johns as the power-crazed Monarch, whilst his fellow Urbankans `Persuasion' and `Enlightenment' are also well played. The music is atmospheric without being intrusive, and the set designs and costumes are effective; reflecting a time in the early 80s when the show still had a pretty healthy budget.
DVD extras here include Davison's first recording session; intriguing as a reminder of how slow it all was in 1981, but rather odd and stilted without the incidental music. It also contains the amusing scenario of Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) demonstrating that he was unable to act his way out of a paper bag.
Rather more entertaining is the short feature `Saturday Night at the Mill'; where interviewee Peter Davison talks extensively about `All Creatures Great and Small' and makes a chocolate milkshake live on air!
The story itself is pretty routine; The Doctor and his three companions (Adric, Tegan and Nyssa) arrive on a colossal spaceship and meet its pilots; three amphibian-looking Urbankans. The aliens claim to be visiting Earth as tourists, but their uncanny abilities to replicate the human form, plus the fact that their ship is stocked with androids posing as Earthlings, leads the time travellers to uncover an altogether more sinister purpose.
Perfectly adequate as a lead-in to The Fifth Doctor and his companions; this serial does suffer from being rather static. The best performance comes from the excellent Stratford Johns as the power-crazed Monarch, whilst his fellow Urbankans `Persuasion' and `Enlightenment' are also well played. The music is atmospheric without being intrusive, and the set designs and costumes are effective; reflecting a time in the early 80s when the show still had a pretty healthy budget.
DVD extras here include Davison's first recording session; intriguing as a reminder of how slow it all was in 1981, but rather odd and stilted without the incidental music. It also contains the amusing scenario of Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) demonstrating that he was unable to act his way out of a paper bag.
Rather more entertaining is the short feature `Saturday Night at the Mill'; where interviewee Peter Davison talks extensively about `All Creatures Great and Small' and makes a chocolate milkshake live on air!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
....Not at all!! This isn't the most gripping or well produced of the Fifth Doctor's adventures, however it makes up for this with the deployment of a solid villain and sterling support from all current companions. After the intriguing post-regeneration trauma of Castrovalva, Davison seems to have come to terms with the role, whilst Nyssa, Tegan and Adric have gelled as his bickering but emotive fellow time-travellers. Production values seem to have slipped - particularly evidenced by an unconvincing spaceship and a baddie reminiscent of the Vogon warlord in Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Nevertheless, believable characterisations and a robust storyline ensure that Four to Doomsday can sit quite comfortably alongside Enlightenment and The Caves of Androzani, and certainly does the new era justice.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
THE FIRST STORY Peter Davison recorded shows the awkwardness of the new regulars as they try to settle in. The younger cast (presumably brought together to invest a fresh, innocent quality back into the series after the more mature Doctor/Romana relationship of the year before), are a mixed bunch. Davison is instantly appealing, even if he lacks some of the otherworldly edge needed for the role and Janet Fielding has real potential. Sadly, Sarah Sutton's Nyssa is too dull and mannerly to set the screen alight, while pudding-bowl-haired boy genius Adric got on everyone's three-penny bits!
Nevertheless, following a stilted first episode, this emerges as an intriguing tale. The mood and narrative style are reminiscent of the show's earliest days but the concepts are very contemporary (for 1982). Stratford Johns is a wonderfully charming villain and his schemes are both engaging and barking mad. There is wit rather than all-out clowning and the design is gorgeous to boot. Not a story to illicit the panning it has received by others here, or great acclaim either - it's a diverting, middling episode with some interesting ideas and perhaps best if - like me - you watched it go out as a kid where the rush of nostalgia is as powerful as for anyone old enough to remember earlier years and equally influential on one's opinion.
Nevertheless, following a stilted first episode, this emerges as an intriguing tale. The mood and narrative style are reminiscent of the show's earliest days but the concepts are very contemporary (for 1982). Stratford Johns is a wonderfully charming villain and his schemes are both engaging and barking mad. There is wit rather than all-out clowning and the design is gorgeous to boot. Not a story to illicit the panning it has received by others here, or great acclaim either - it's a diverting, middling episode with some interesting ideas and perhaps best if - like me - you watched it go out as a kid where the rush of nostalgia is as powerful as for anyone old enough to remember earlier years and equally influential on one's opinion.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Boring and out of character
After the good start with Castrovalva, this story is a disappointment. The first episode promises a good story, but after that it goes downhill. Boring, boring, boring. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Raphus
An average outing from a great Doctor
The average-ness (is that even a word?) of Four to Doomsday is in no way a reflection of Peter Davison's acting abilities as one of the best Doctors (bar David Tennant) in my... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Norman Cheeseworthy
'We had personalities but no characters...'
...which is Janet Fielding's assessment of Tegan, Nyssa & Adric on the commentary track, & which explains why, despite perky performances, they often come across as dull &... Read more
Published on 23 May 2010 by John
Worth seeing, but nothing special
The Doctor (Peter Davison) and his sidekicks arrive on a spacecraft run by a trio of frog-people on course for the Earth. On board are a lot of people from various Earth cultures. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2010 by StormSworder
Ignore negative reviews
It was pretty good and had quite an interesting story. You could see Peter Davison just starting to develop into the role which is cool to watch. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2009 by L. Whitehurst
Interesting ideas go to waste
It all looks great. We're planted on this space ship with the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric, and they explore a ship very slowly. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2009 by Mr. A. Anson
Pensive, slow paced, but never dull
Although Peter Davison is 'my' doctor from childhood, I never saw all the episodes. Dutch television eventually dropped the show arguing it was too scary for kids. Read more
Published on 20 May 2009 by D. De Gruijter
Pleasantly Surprised
I held of buying this one for a while thanks to the unenthusiastic reviews. But having just got a copy and watched it all in one morning I can say it was a lot better than I... Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2009 by Varian Beauregard
Some nice elements but mixed in with a fair bit of filler
Barcode: 5014503243128
I have always liked Peter Davison's Doctor so to go back and see where it all began for him was certainly an interesting experience. Read more
I have always liked Peter Davison's Doctor so to go back and see where it all began for him was certainly an interesting experience. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2008 by L. Green
dancing till doomsday
A four part doctor who story from 1982, featuring peter davison as the fifth doctor, and as his three companions: janet fielding as tegan, sarah sutton as nyssa, and matthew... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2008 by Paul Tapner
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