Doctor Who - The Caves Of Androzani [1984] [DVD] [1963]

The Caves of Androzani is a "must have" for any true fan of the series. For those of you out there who have never experienced Doctor Who, it would be an excellent place to start! I myself am keen to see this story enhanced even further by the superior clarity of DVD. Oh, and please...keep them coming.

Firstly, the setting for this story is fantastic. There's the epic dusty desert setting, the intricate well-lit cave setting and the futuristic Androzani Major setting. These sets (not wobbly at all) really place you at the scene drawn into the action. Perhaps my favourite is the Major, where you can see, from Morgus' window, the pink glow from an obviously alien planet. This is a great when compared to some alien planets in Doctor Who which look like rural England!

The Story is a gripping tale of corruption. From the start it is obvious that something is wrong when it becomes obvious that a mere citizen (Morgus) has the authority to control the military (General Chellak). The action in this story helps to keep things going - the first cliffhanger of the story (best cliffhanger ever?) is a good example of this - it doesn't detract from the story but meerly adds to the brilliance. Unsurprisingly this written by Robert Holmes - Doctor Who's most prolific writer - who also wrote the classic Victorian 4th Doctor tale "Talons of Weng-Chiang" and the 3rd Doctor's debut "Spearhead From Space".

The characters in this story are also very believable, a notable example is the ruthless Morgus. He is fabulously acted along with the other antagonist, Sharaz Jek, who you feel sorry for even though he comes across as a pretty barbaric type. Then there is Stotz who is played by Maurice Roeves to be a gritty, gun-running criminal who works for whoever gives him the best price.

And finally the directing in this story is excellent, very tightly done with lots of good shots of Morgus and Sharaz Jek and the spectacular, for its time, scene where Morgus talks to Chellak in his room on the projector screen. Another good moment is the regeneration scene which is fast paced and perhaps the best regeneration scene in Doctor Who history.

Caves of Androzani is by far the best Davison story, and perhaps one of the best DW stories to date. The Commentary on this DVD is a good one (sometimes you get slow ones where little is said) although I don't think Nicola Briant gets to say as much as she could have done. And the features about Davison leaving are quite interesting as well.

If you are a Doctor Who fan this DVD is a great buy, if you are thinking about getting into, Doctor Who buy this one.

The Caves of Androzani opens with a sweep across the bog standard BBC quarry, but in the way that the director Graeme Harper loads this scene with mood (the disembodied voices, the steady camera), it transcends the visual house-style of the usual tacky quarry-based BBC science fiction of its era. Just that bold stylistic flourish sets the tone that is maintained throughout the piece - we get uncomfortable close-ups, Jacobean-style asides directed at the camera, cinematic brushes across landscapes and a mood of mounting pressure and claustrophobia. We don't know who to trust. We are invited to be reviled at the arch treachery of Morgus - a free-market capitalist gone mad on thirst for revenge and power - invited to favour his loyal assistant Timmin, until we discover that her motives and flaws are the equal of Morgus's. We recoil at the grotesque Sharaz Jek, but sympathise due to the act of treachery that engineered his also dubious and troubling motives.

Throughout, the measure of suspense builds in such a way by three quarters of the way through, Harper has presented his audience with such a bleak and ultimately intractable dilemma that the urgency of the Doctor's attempt to turn from pawn to king in some hideous and vile power game becomes the focus. He has to suceed not because he's the Doctor, but because he seems to be the only vague conduit for redemption in this cesspool of amorality.

Harper works some superb performances from his cast who deliver the intelligent script with utter conviction. Peter Davison is astonishing as the condemned man - dying from an accidental brush with a deadly toxin from the moment he sets foot on the planet. He elicits total compassion for his Doctor - how on earth did he find himself mixed up in this set of ghastly events which he is utterly helpless to avoid. Christopher Gable is magnificent portraying the graceful but twisted horror of Jek.

This is edgy, pacy and bold television that perhaps more than any other example, really stretches the format within which it operates. An outstanding piece of 80's drama that has aged surprisingly well and carries the same morality message nearly 20 years after it was made. It's much pricklier than you may expect, but the series of shocks and aftershocks that tremble through it make it really thrilling television.