Doctor Who - Myths And Legends Box Set: The Time Monster / Underworld / The Horns of Nimon [DVD]

Three generally unloved DOCTOR WHO stories from three distinct eras of the show bundled together in a (very) loosely themed collection. Certainly these are not fan favourites, but there's still a lot of entertainment to be found here, not least because even below average DOCTOR WHO has a lot to enjoy if you're in the right mood for it.

THE TIME MONSTER from 1972 brings to a close Jon Pertwee's third series playing the role of the Time Lord and is a mish-mash of ideas that starts with a nightmare and ends with a gag that might have been written for a "Carry On" film. Along the way there are some dodgy scientific shenanigans afoot as the Doctor and Jo Grant (as played by Katy Manning) have their final Earthbound battle with Roger Delgado's original (and rather splendid) Master and take a trip to ancient Atlantis where Ingrid Pitt (amongst others) is plotting a downfall or two. The next broadcast story, THE THREE DOCTORS, would see the Doctor's exile ended, so this is one last "proper" outing for the era's UNIT "family" and at times it makes for a gloriously colourful and mad romp whilst occasionally looking rather underwhelming.

THE TIME MONSTER has comparatively few extras, really, although the DOCTOR WHO range does generally give you more than most and all these three stories have the usual PDF materials and photo galleries, etc. This story has a longish background piece that concentrates on the bonkers science and a commentary track that uses various styles across the 6 episodes. John Levene (Sgt. Benton) commentates all alone on parts two and four with limited effect, Toby Hadoke mediates the late Barry Letts and others on three more, and some professional fans have a ball with episode three.

UNDERWORLD is the second to last story of Tom Baker's fourth series playing the part, alongside Louise Jameson as Leela, and is a four parter that dates from 1978. This was the first series with Graham Williams as Producer and is most kindly described as where the money ran out. Actually part one is a cracker, and is very visually impressive in many ways, but the production values rather fall apart after that. However the script for the whole story isn't half bad at all despite its JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (amongst others) roots showing, and there are still many moments when it manages to shine, before the Doctor and Leela save the day and head off to combat THE INVASION OF TIME.

Tom Baker and Louise Jameson have great fun on commentary duties alongside Bob Baker, the surviving half of the scriptwriting duo. Other extras include fairly extensive "behind the scenes" items which prove very interesting on the whole and go a long way towards explaining the production problems.

THE HORNS OF NIMON dates from the cusp of 1979 and 1980 and is Graham Williams' last broadcast story as Producer before John Nathan-Turner's "new broom" would introduce wholesale changes to the programme with THE LEISURE HIVE. Tom Baker is in his penultimate year in the part, this time alongside a rather foxy Lalla Ward as Romana in a script overseen by Douglas Adams and everyone seems to be having an awful lot of fun with this mad old science fiction take on THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR whilst the budget has once again been stretched well beyond breaking point. Actually, there's quite a lot to like in this four-part story, but there's also quite a lot of silliness too.

Commentary this time is from actors Lalla Ward, Janet Ellis, Graham Crowden alongside writer Anthony Read and fairly bubbles along. The pick of the other extras is a lengthy piece looking at the long connection between DOCTOR WHO and BLUE PETER which is fairly interesting if you like that sort of thing.

All-in-all a loosely linked collection of stories like this is never going to be to everyone's taste, as you have to buy all three to get the one(s) you like, but with the number of potential new releases ever diminishing, you're bound to get the odd story that is less popular being put out, and all of these stories do at least have something to offer, if you're in the right frame of mind to enjoy them.

Okay, first off I'll get this out of the way: it's clear that the folk putting these DVD releases together knew that they were faced with three, well, let's say 'less popular' stories, and found a very tenuous link for a boxset to get them out of the way - the fact that they were all inspired by Greek myths (Atlantis, Jason and the Argonauts, Theseus and the Minotaur). And while it's true that these wouldn't be my first choices to show casual fans of the new revamped Who, I think there's still much here for hardcore fans to enjoy. This is true of the extras - there may not be a huge amount, but what there is does give you a sense of what was going on behind the scenes.

Firstly, The Time Monster. I don't see why this always gets a bad press from fans. Yes it's a 6 parter and so there is some padding, but it's brimming full of fun ideas about time (which had been sorely missing from three years of UNIT stories by this point). There's plenty of different things to see throughout - Atlantis itself doesn't even appear until Episode 5 - and the idea of Kronos is a tantalising one. Admittedly the effect of a man in white with wings on wires doesn't always work, but at times it's quite striking. Plus at least it's a visually interesting story and quite experimental in places.

As is Underworld, at least in production. Sadly, story-wise it is a bit dull. A mysterious first episode sets the scene for adventure and even expands on Time Lord history, but it does degenerate into a bit of a runaround quite quickly which is a shame. However, production-wise this was quite revolutionary - 1970s inflation meant massive budget cuts vthe only way the cave scenes could be filmed was against a blue screen with CSO, which had not been done before to such a huge extent on any programme before. And surprisingly, it holds up well for the most part. Add to this the best spaceship modelwork in classic-Who, a nice spaceship set, cool weapons and decently thrilling lasergun battles, and it's not all bad. This is a DVD release that really benefits from the extras, making you marvel that it was made at all, and admiring it's pioneer spirit.

And so to The Horns of Nimon, a story once held up to ridicule as the worst of Who, but which has been reassessed in recent years. Where once it was declaimed as 'pantomime', now it is recognised as a lighthearted romp, and there's much fun here, once you get past the Nimon's silly arm gestures. Romana gets loads to do here, and while there are very silly moments, Lalla Ward and Tom Baker play the galactic menace in deadly earnest. This was the end of an era - last story produced by Graham Williams, last with the old theme tune arrangement - when Who returned for a new series it would be the glossy, serious The Leisure Hive, under the helm of John Nathan-Turner.

So, as with all of the old stories, there is something to admire and enjoy in all of these stories. Recommended for fans, but that's no bad thing.

These three quite different 1970s Dr. Who adventures are indeed the stuff of `Myths and Legends'. This is not just because of the tales of classical mythology on which they based; it is also because they have attracted a certain reputation over time.

Depsite the `silly science' in 1972's "The Time Monster", a strong sense of purpose keeps this adventure striding along. The Atlantis sub-plot does not work as well as the one in the latter part of "Inferno", but it is integral to the story. Everybody acts well in this adventure; Ingrid Pitt giving a much more credible performance than in "Warriors of the Deep". All the regulars from Jon Pertwee's tenure are here, and the story benefits greatly as a result. Kronos the `Time Monster' is too bird-like and not ethereal enough for me. So `his' transformation into a god-like, amoral female towards the end is very welcome. This isn't actually a weak tale, but could have seriously floundered in less capable hands. It's a credit to the cast that this complex adventure maintains a fairly cracking pace, most of the time. The Tardis interior re-design makes it look more like a laundrette, and it's a relief to know that this was a `one-off'! Sergeant Benton shows great initiative in his attempt to capture the Master; John Levene playing his part with great conviction. Levene's commentary reveals him to be a truly warm and modest soul. If you listen carefully, he does actually reveal several interesting production facts. And surely no-one but `The Master' could have brought back a Knight, Civil War soldiers and a V1 flying-bomb with which to menace UNIT! For the record, this was not Roger Delgado's last appearance as The Master. That does not happen until 1973's "Frontier in Space". But this is the last one in which The Master appears in every episode of an adventure.

"Underworld" is a well-produced adventure that owes quite a lot to Jason and the Argonauts. The documentary extra will explain all. What I most like about "Underworld" are the very acceptable (for their time) space-ship model shots, and the surpsingly successful use of CSO for the cave sequences. These shots work well 99% of the time, and feature quite extensively throughout the adventure. This was brave stuff for 1977, as CSO was still quite a tricky effect to use in television. The best performance for me was the late Alan Lake as the headstrong `Herrick'. This is important, as his character is fairly central to the plot. One cannot help feeling sorry for the slave workers, as they are of course treated with brutality and contempt by the hooded guards. Tom Baker plays his role with panache and relative seriousness; his companion Leela being also played well by Louise Jameson. Her character alternates between almost childish trust in the Doctor, and literally savage aggression when threatened or suspicious. However, it's only now as an adult that I can truly appreciate those wonderful legs of hers! The only disappointment for me was when the Seers of the Oracle uncovered their heads: thereby revealing a sort of golden boiler-dome with three bulging eyes stuck on. Not really my idea of a highly evolved species; or a scary `monster' for that matter.

"The Horns of Nimon" is about the closest Dr. Who ever gets to Pantomime. So it comes as no surprise to hear that this adventure ran through Christmas 1979. You'll probably either love it or hate it. Personally, I think it's about as far removed from what Dr. Who should be as is possible. Seth and Teka remind me very much of `Babes in the Wood', being as lost and scared as their sacrificial friends. In other ways, the adventure reminds me of a light-hearted and poor version of "Flash Gordon". Soldeed and his cronies faintly echo `Ming the Merciless' and his ruthless imperial ambitions. Unfortunately, the Nimons' almost menacing looks are spoilt by the very obvious gap to their heads at the back. Their rather fluorescent horns and uncertain gait also let them down quite badly! Graham Crowden's Soldeed comes across as practically the archetypal pantomime villain. We know he isn't, but one can imagine an audience hissing as he comes on stage. Soldeed's melodramatic final speech serves to confirm the strongly cartoonish element to this adventure. To be absolutely fair, the Co-Pilot's pleading for his life with the original Nimon is also quite comical. Tom Baker seems to have joined in the pantomime: answering a Nimons's promise to torture and kill him with a merry quip; and at one point giving K9 mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! (The late Barry Letts would doubtless have been horrified.) Lala Ward's character also goes a bit over-the-top in one or two places; but is nevertheless excellent as the strong yet very feminine Romana.

So the most serious adventure here is "Underworld", which I would recommend for its production. I prefer "The Time Monster" - but, being a Pertwee fan, am naturally biased. "Horns of Nimon" might just make you chuckle, but also seriously wonder about the thinking of the Producer and Director. I would never have bought these adventures for the £40-45 price in shops, but £21.97 online at Amazon persuaded me.