Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks [1985] [DVD]

The other characters that take centre stage are fantastic - from the brilliant double acts of Tasembeker/Jobel, Takis/Lilt, Vogel/Kara, Grigory/Natasha (does anyone else think that they're like an alternative universe version of Star Trek DS9's Bashir and Kira?) and of course Orcini/Bostock to stand alone characters such as the DJ (Alexei Sayle!) juxtaposed with old favourite Davros who here shows other sides of his character - in particular dispensing relationship advice to Tasembeker!

It is indeed wrong that the Doctor leaves the planet in the hands of sadists Takis and Lilt, but this just goes to show that he's fallible - and perhaps suffering from a lack of information, having been out of the thick of it for a lot of the story.

This being a DVD, mention has to made of the extras, which do not disappoint. There's a 45 minute documentary "Revelation Exhumed" provides a fascinating insight into the making of the story, and a commentary by Graeme Harper (dir), Eric Saward (writer), Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Terry Molloy (Davros). Odd that Colin Baker is missing from both of these - but perhaps fitting considering his absence from a lot of the story! There are also a couple of features to beef up the story for modern viewers - subtly rendered new CGI effects to replace some of the low-budget eighties clunkers, and a 5.1 surround sound alternative audio track - painstakingly reconstructed using the original audio plus the occasional re-recording of the odd line by the original cast.

There's more too, but I'll leave you to discover them yourself when you - naturally - purchase this first class DVD.

Not only is the serial the best Colin Baker story, it's the best in the whole of the 1980's. Only 1984's THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI (also directed by REVELATION's superb Graeme Harper) can boast a production, a script, a cast and an emotional impact this impressive. But where ANDROZANI had a dodgy "Magma Beast" monster, REVELATION has no such shortcomings. There is not one prop, one set design, one special effect that really embarrasses, and when one considers the tiny budget that Harper and his team had to work with, this should make our fanboy (and girl) jaws drop. But of course we're not going to because received wisdom tells us that it's not as good as TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN, or PYRAMIDS OF MARS, or anyone of a dozen other stories that time after time gets cited in polls as "classic". I despair sometimes, I really do...

The cast is one of the best ever assembled for a DR WHO, and includes magnificently subtle/grotesque/tragic/hilarious turns from the likes of William Gaunt, Clive Swift, Eleanor Bron, Trevor Cooper, Alexei Sayle, John Ogwen and Hugh Walters. Here we have a gallery of almost surreal characters, based on figures from literature (THE LOVED ONE, DON QUIXOTE) or cinema (the Wicked Queen from SNOW WHITE, LAUREL & HARDY) interacting in the most fascinating ways possible; as if this were some kind of bloodsoaked carnival or dance of death. The streak of black humour and focus on mortality is surprisingly mature for something that is generally regarded as a children's programme, but it's never exploitative or sickening. It's surprisingly literate, even theatrical, and the actors bring such a sense of gravitas and intensity to it all. I cannot commend these performances too highly to you, nor can I refrain from singing the praises of Terry Molloy's Davros. Here at last we see a Davros not only equalling but surpassing Michael Wisher's original 1975 version in GENESIS OF THE DALEKS. Davros is once again a real person, not just a ranting mad scientist with a prune for a face. He speaks to Tasambeker with what sounds like a horribly peverse kind of love, he has a black sense of ironic humour and we even feel sorry for him at moments.

Colin Baker is excellent as the Doctor and proves here(if it ever needed proving) that with the right script he was an excellent choice for the role. He's ably supported by Nicola Bryant's feisty companion and in this story he's more likeable, more caring, more...well, Doctor-ish than he's often given credit for. The only controversial casting decision appears to have been Jenny Tomasin's Tasambeker. Writer Eric Saward states in the DVD commentary that he thinks she was miscast, and that she hadn't "found" her character. I personally disagree, and I rather like what she does, but even if you take Saward's line, surely she's not so bad as to totally spoil this wonderful piece of television?

The extras too are great. A fantastic documentary on the making of REVLATION, behind the scenes footage, a marvellous CGI special effects option, music only option(Roger Limb's score adds a brillant layer of atmosphere) and a commentary with Bryant, Saward, Molloy and Harper all make this a must have package. In short I cannot recommend this disc too highly. Sadly not everyone is going to agree with this, but next time there's a poll of favourite WHO stories, let's have REVELATION where it belongs...in the top 10! (No sniggering at the back please).