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DVD Description
The TARDIS arrives in the future on the planet Pluto where there are now six suns, a breathable atmosphere and a large industrial community. The Company controls the planet and exploits the workers, pays them a pittance and then taxes them on everything imaginable. The Doctor and Leela join forces with an underground band of rebels led by a man named Mandrel…
Special Features
Special Features
- Commentary with cast and crew
- Documentaries and behind the scenes footage
- Photo Gallery
- Digitally re-mastered picture and sound quality
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I must have missed this one on the original run on TV and also in the Video release. Quite unusual then to watch a Tom Baker era story for the first time. The other reviews pretty much sum it up. Dated sets, low budget, etc. I enjoyed the performances though and in particular Louise Jameson's Leela - I'd not seen one of her stories for a while.
The extras are a little under par by Doctor Who standards. The Dudley Simpson featurette is good. The 'making of' documentary is passable. The Day of the Dalkes trailer is very good! The out-takes are ridiculously short but it makes you realise that the team behind the DVDs try and get everything they can into them - we are normally spoiled by the extras!
The extras are a little under par by Doctor Who standards. The Dudley Simpson featurette is good. The 'making of' documentary is passable. The Day of the Dalkes trailer is very good! The out-takes are ridiculously short but it makes you realise that the team behind the DVDs try and get everything they can into them - we are normally spoiled by the extras!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Yes, the acting is hammy & not taken seriously in the slightest, but what do you expect from a Tom Baker Story!
I know.. Not all of Tom's are like that. But this one certainly is! In fact, It's like watching something more like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or Monty Python!
If like me, you are interested in Politics, you'll love this story for it's satirical humour & blatant disregard for Bureaucracy! All aimed at mocking the system! Bob Holmes never ceases to amaze me with lines like "These Taxes.. They are like Sacrifices?" Asks Leela. "Sort of, only paying Taxes is more painful!"
There are lots of little things in there that make this a very entertaining story. Of course, the children wouldn't have ever cottoned on, but this isn't meant just for children. (You hear me me Moffat?!)
Contrast is met with confined studio shots, & capacious film & location material. As well as a balance of tongue in cheek humour, pugnacious violence & horror. Who ever thought of being "Steamed" to prolong the pain of death to satisfy the villain's nefarious thirst for torture of his victims, has a sick mind. But an innovative one! (Ever heard of that word Moffat!)
The word for today's story is "Avarice", & everyone is obsessed with monies! This worryingly bares resemblance to today's predicament, what with the constant fear of recession & the collapse of the euro.
This story isn't one of the more memorable ones sure, but that's not to say that it can't entertain you from start to finish. There are many good moments in here like the hilarious initial meeting of the Doctor & the Gather; all that talk of raspberry leaves & earth's departure or what ever. The point is they play off each other just perfectly! It's K9's first proper outing. Leela shows her propensity for violence & has some great lines like "Touch me again, & I'll fillet you" & "Before I die, I'll see this rat hole ankle-deep in blood... That is a promised thing". Leela really saves the day in this one, & is such a joy to watch. (Unlike companions now)
A Good Doctor Who story doesn't need to be epic, action packed, sexed up, frenetic, romantic, historic, & what ever else you can throw in there to attract as many viewers as possible. And this little number proves it. It's a charming, cosy, well written, even paced, entertaining little trouble maker of a story! One that I have frequented on many occasions. And due to its re-watch value, it's a story I shall be visiting again. (Thank goodness its lastability isn't cut short due to the entire story relying on a twist at the end or something! Especially one that doesn't make sense.. Ever..)
"Perhaps everyone runs from the Taxman!" - Leela
I know.. Not all of Tom's are like that. But this one certainly is! In fact, It's like watching something more like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or Monty Python!
If like me, you are interested in Politics, you'll love this story for it's satirical humour & blatant disregard for Bureaucracy! All aimed at mocking the system! Bob Holmes never ceases to amaze me with lines like "These Taxes.. They are like Sacrifices?" Asks Leela. "Sort of, only paying Taxes is more painful!"
There are lots of little things in there that make this a very entertaining story. Of course, the children wouldn't have ever cottoned on, but this isn't meant just for children. (You hear me me Moffat?!)
Contrast is met with confined studio shots, & capacious film & location material. As well as a balance of tongue in cheek humour, pugnacious violence & horror. Who ever thought of being "Steamed" to prolong the pain of death to satisfy the villain's nefarious thirst for torture of his victims, has a sick mind. But an innovative one! (Ever heard of that word Moffat!)
The word for today's story is "Avarice", & everyone is obsessed with monies! This worryingly bares resemblance to today's predicament, what with the constant fear of recession & the collapse of the euro.
This story isn't one of the more memorable ones sure, but that's not to say that it can't entertain you from start to finish. There are many good moments in here like the hilarious initial meeting of the Doctor & the Gather; all that talk of raspberry leaves & earth's departure or what ever. The point is they play off each other just perfectly! It's K9's first proper outing. Leela shows her propensity for violence & has some great lines like "Touch me again, & I'll fillet you" & "Before I die, I'll see this rat hole ankle-deep in blood... That is a promised thing". Leela really saves the day in this one, & is such a joy to watch. (Unlike companions now)
A Good Doctor Who story doesn't need to be epic, action packed, sexed up, frenetic, romantic, historic, & what ever else you can throw in there to attract as many viewers as possible. And this little number proves it. It's a charming, cosy, well written, even paced, entertaining little trouble maker of a story! One that I have frequented on many occasions. And due to its re-watch value, it's a story I shall be visiting again. (Thank goodness its lastability isn't cut short due to the entire story relying on a twist at the end or something! Especially one that doesn't make sense.. Ever..)
"Perhaps everyone runs from the Taxman!" - Leela
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Much analysis has been made here of the deeper meaning behind Robert Holmes' script for this four part adventure in the middle of Tom Baker's fourth season as The Doctor. But it's unnecessary really, all you need to know is that this is a pretty good run around with a few nail biting cliffhangers and some moments of humour. It's a bit more evenly paced than some serials, and is a thoroughly good watch as a result.
The Doctor and Leela find themselves on Pluto, but a Pluto which has a breathable atmosphere and six suns. The human colony are trapped in an endless servitude in order to pay off their taxes, and things are ripe for rebellion. Just the sort of situation the Doctor revels in.
It's a pretty well done piece with lots of entertainment. It's an obvious move away from the darkly gothic stories of the previous seasons, and the lighter tone is pulled off byu Baker and co with aplomb. Leela in particular is very well written in this series, and gets lots to do and all of it in keeping with her character. As usaual with Robert Holmes there are plenty of interesting side characters, especially Richard Leech's Gatherer Hade, a pompous man with a grandiloquent turn of phrase. It would have been so easy for it to slip into a parody, but writer and actor manage to imbue the character with enough personality to prevent it. William Simons (better known today as Heartbeat's Ventriss) makes a wonderful revolutionary leader.
The usual standards here from 2Entertain. The picture quality is top notch, and as good as it can be. There are some interesting extras, including the usual fascinating info text notes. The short featurette on Dudley Simpson is interesting if a bit rushed, and the Tommentary is quite a delight. My only gripe is all the idents at the start of the disc, these seems to be getting longer with each release and it seems like an age of sitting through interminable BBC, 2Entertain and Dr Who idents along with all the usual warning notices before one actually gets to the menu.
All in all a 4 star effort. It's not one of the true classics, but it's a decent and entertaining story which 2Entertain have done a good job in cleaning up and getting extras sorted.
The Doctor and Leela find themselves on Pluto, but a Pluto which has a breathable atmosphere and six suns. The human colony are trapped in an endless servitude in order to pay off their taxes, and things are ripe for rebellion. Just the sort of situation the Doctor revels in.
It's a pretty well done piece with lots of entertainment. It's an obvious move away from the darkly gothic stories of the previous seasons, and the lighter tone is pulled off byu Baker and co with aplomb. Leela in particular is very well written in this series, and gets lots to do and all of it in keeping with her character. As usaual with Robert Holmes there are plenty of interesting side characters, especially Richard Leech's Gatherer Hade, a pompous man with a grandiloquent turn of phrase. It would have been so easy for it to slip into a parody, but writer and actor manage to imbue the character with enough personality to prevent it. William Simons (better known today as Heartbeat's Ventriss) makes a wonderful revolutionary leader.
The usual standards here from 2Entertain. The picture quality is top notch, and as good as it can be. There are some interesting extras, including the usual fascinating info text notes. The short featurette on Dudley Simpson is interesting if a bit rushed, and the Tommentary is quite a delight. My only gripe is all the idents at the start of the disc, these seems to be getting longer with each release and it seems like an age of sitting through interminable BBC, 2Entertain and Dr Who idents along with all the usual warning notices before one actually gets to the menu.
All in all a 4 star effort. It's not one of the true classics, but it's a decent and entertaining story which 2Entertain have done a good job in cleaning up and getting extras sorted.
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