Doctor Who - The Mutants [DVD] [1972]

It's perhaps appropriate, given this adventure's underlying message, that The Mutants seems to have changed in the near-40 years since its first broadcast - and only for the better. Long-vilified by seasoned fans, here it emerges on DVD (and immediately after fellow miserable outcast Meglos) looking slightly mad, very spangly and all rather good fun.

There are no utterly-lost Pertwee adventures (technical issues still affect the future DVD release of classics like Ambassadors of Death, Mind of Evil, The Daemons and The Dinosaur Invasion, for now), but critical cold-shouldering means The Mutants is in some ways the closest we come to such a creature. It's shaping up as a vintage year for Pertwee fans, with Terror of the Autons, a revised Day of the Daleks and Three Doctors, plus swansong Planet of the Spiders, all in the DVD pipeline, but these we know and love. For many, the rummy six-parter presented here is undiscovered country and, coupled with unavoidable low expectations, means pleasant surprised lie ahead.

It's got a loose, relaxed, undercooked (but sometimes overheated) feel, and unfolds in a charmingly offhand manner, developments seeming to surprise the cast as much as the viewer in a way that keeps the adventure effervescent and wards off typical six-parter fatigue.

The lead himself is in fine form (and has the third Doctor even looked quite so swankily third-Doctor-ish?). Pertwee mixes a strange, Troughon-esque feyness and amused distance into his usual impressive performance, as the still-officially-exiled Doctor is suddenly whisked off by his Gallifreyan gaolers to the year 3000, and tasked with sorting out trouble at t'Skybase, an Earth Empire-run space station (the exteriors of which, at least, are spiffily done) that's orbiting high over turbulent planet Solos at a time of flux with apparent cosmic implications.

Relishing his return to off-Earth adventure, but resenting his errand-boy status, Pertwee's urgent, imperious, impatient Doctor switches moods slickly here as he bears down on new problem after new problem while his mission endlessly changes shape. His hilariously-efficient, explosive dispatch of sort-off-baddie-scientist Jaegar (Who fave George Pravda), after the Doctor quickly sizes him up as first necessary help, then a nuisance, then nothing more, is one of the great Pertwee moments no one ever talks about. They should!

Space-and-time travel always brings the best out in companion Jo Grant, we know, and Katy Manning shines in shrewd mode, showing Jo as not just a blinky-eyed little kitten-face but someone evolving into a smart improviser in the image of her Doctor. She pulls, of course, and her scenes with Solnian rebel Ky (proto-Johnny Depp Garrick Hagon; he's on the commentary track) hold much sub-textual fun, especially when Solos' poisonous atmosphere makes Jo feel a bit, er, faint...

For the admission fee you also get a fine, watchable supporting cast: Geoffrey Palmer shimmers in (and out a bit too soon, alack); John Hollis is a striking, stranded scientist and helpmeet dressed in Anita Roddick cast-offs; and Christopher Coll charms as a Scouse space security guard. Fans have often poked fun at Rick James' performance as Skybase servotor Cotton, but I dunno... it has a certain memorable charm.

Tristram Cary's squelchy, squonky, synth-heavy soundtrack (already out on CD, but better heard in context here) adds another layer of distinctiveness, providing as it does the precise sound of ropey-but-head-spinning CSO effects. There's a genuine sense of weirdness crackling throughout all six episodes that never fails to beguile and is undiminished by repeat plays.

By year's end, all of season nine should be out on DVD; from the fug of Accepted Fan Wisdom, The Mutants could well have emerged by then in a new light and deserving place among the best of the Pertwee years.

Oh, and it's a deliberate nod to Monty Python at the start, by the way.

1972's The Mutants is a Doctor Who story that has been marred throughout its life. The story has consistently been voted the worst of the Pertwee era offerings. I don't mind admitting that I was part of that ban wagon, the overall execution of Bob Baker and Dave Martin's second script was dire. The CSO was terrible, the acting poor {Cotton!!!} and the sets unappealing. However, since the 2011 BBC DVD release of this story, I have enjoyed it a lot more and perhaps am starting to view the story in a different light. By no means will it ever be one of my favourite stories, but I think the mantle of the worst Doctor Who story in Pertwee history is a little harsh.

First off, the digitally remastered picture quality helps immensely in trying to enjoy this story. Secondly, both Jon Pertwee and Katy manning with the assistance of Paul Whitsun-Jones, George Pravda and Geoffrey Palmer help to save the performance side of events, the Doctor and Jo reveling in the fact that they are out amongst the stars for the first time in a while, furthermore, the story's main villain, the Marshal, is a fantastically realised character form Whitsun-Jones. George Pravda provides a brilliantly ignorant scientist and Geoffrey Palmer is just as good as it gets full stop. I also liked Garrick Hagon's performance as the rebel leader Ky, his angered portrayal is another pro to add to the growing list of attributes about this adventure.

The realisation of the Mutts is fantastic, they are portrayed as the monsters of the piece but are in fact just normal Solonians going through natural changes. Although the studio sets are quite dull and I am no fan, the location filming is excellent, the caves creating a certain amount of atmosphere that plays out well, the scenes with the CSO caves aren't as successful but none-the-less get the job done.

The BBC DVD release is the reason why I am viewing this less-than-classic story in a new light, the Doctor Who Restoration Team have as ever done a brilliant job in restoring and remastering these episodes for release onto DVD. The release's flagship documentary is fascinating to say the least, "Race Against Time" coming in at nearly 40 minutes is a brilliantly constructed piece of television, new series companion Noel Clarke narrates why there were so few Black actors in Doctor Who during the classic series and in television in general in the 20th century. An excellently produced doc that opens ones eyes to the inner workings of the BBC. As ever, there is the traditional "Making Of" documentary included on the release, as always it is very entertaining and enlightening. Cast and crew sit and discuss this controversial story.

Overall then, The Mutants will never rank highly in my books, its by far no classic but neither is it a bottom of the list failure. The BBC DVD release has bought out this story's redeeming features and it certainly has gone up in my estimations since. The acting is to a high standard from the main characters and the location filming only adds to the incredible atmosphere that the Mutants has to offer. 8/10. Recommended, especially for the DVD bonus content.

Thank you very much for your time in reading my review of The Mutants, its greatly appreciated.

M.B.

How I managed to miss Dr Who 6 weeks in a row I don't know but this is a story I've never seen before and it's a good one. Not a classic and overlong but lots to enjoy.
Taking cues from the real life situation where the British gave back independence to India in some haste, the Earth governments as personified by Geoffrey Palmer's Official decide to pull out of governing the planet Solos but the Marshall ( a wonderfully OTT Paul Whitsun-Jones) decides on a mad plan to prevent independence.
this is all against the backdrop of what appears to be a sickness that mutates the Solonians into insect like creatures. The Doctor is sent there by the Timelord with a mysterious box that will only open on presentation to the right person, which is frankly bordering on the Jeremy Beadle.
This is a script without quite the legs for 6 parts (it would have been a cracking 4 parter) but with lots of good nunances where there are parallels to some real life situations which are not overdone. E.G. Pertwee doing his usual fine work as the story's moral authority attacks the Marshall's genocidal policies but doesn't go into a long political speech about the evils iof empire. Also the rebels fighting for independence are not always likeable. While it's clear that Garrick Hagon's Ky is on the side of the angels, he's still impatient and rash. These more rounded characterisations are to the story's credit.
Well cast in the main, although Rick James and Christopher Coll are good but don't quite make Cotton & Stubbs the double act the script suggests. There's also 3 time Who guest George Pravda (best known for Spandrell in Deadly Assassin)who rises above the fact he appears to be wearing a dress that he really doesn't have the hips for.
John Hollis is great as the wise Sondergaard, particularly working with Jon Pertwee.
Katy Manning's Jo is a bit more go getting here especially bluffing the Marshall.

Sets and the general look is good, atlhough it's dated by the extensive use of CSO.
James Acheson's costumes seem to include early versions of Timelord costumes he designed for 3 Doctors & Deadly Assassin.
Episode one is especially slow paced but it does pick up a bit later.

There's a pic n' mix commentary and it's okay but not one of the best. Starts well with everyone shouting "It's" in reference to how the opening sequence of a ragged looking man running to camera is like the famous Monty Python opening. Usual suspects Katy M, Terrance Dicks and surviving mutants writer Bob Baker amongst others have some interesting memories.
Mutt Mad is a good well put together making of, with stories about why the original cuss word for Mutants "Munts " had to go, how a mould designed for space age walls turned up in other shows & what director Christopher Barry thinks looking back.
Race Against Time is a look at the use of ethnic minority actors on British TV with particular reference to Who. A wide range of contributors,an intelligetly written & a broad scope. It considers stories like Marco Polo & Talons of Weng Chiang using Oriental actors as extras or in supporting roles while making up white actors to look Oriental in main roles. Both sides of the argument are considered.
Interesting facts include how bad the record for using minority actors was in the 3rd Doctor's era, when the 1st black person appeared on the cover of the Radio Times & how no minority actor was cast as a major villain in classic who. It goes up to new Who and considers the rumours a black actor might be cast as Dr 11.It stumbles a bit by limiting this part of the discussion to a black Doctor rather than considering an oriental or Asian Dr as well, but still a great documentary.
The best extra is Academy award winning designer James Acheson's look back at his start in the business on Who. Plenty of great stories about how much he liked both Doctors he worked with, how cheaply he made the gellguards in 3 Doctors, why he left during Deadly Assassin and what hollywood Director's a bit of a Who fan. Slight demerit for not telling him his Timelord costumes influence the show to this day.
there's a brief clip of Peter Purves looking at 3 monsters on Blue Peter which is great for me as I saw the exhibition they were a part of , but with no introduction will mean little to anyone else.

More for big classic Who fans, a good package.