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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Believe the vocal Doctor Who fanbase, and you’d have Timelash’s card marked as a story to steer clear of. But thanks to the perspective of time, and another smashing DVD, this really is a whole lot better than you may be expecting.
Timelash is a tale from the undercooked Colin Baker era in the TARDIS, and on face value, there are lots of problems that were symptoms of this period of the show: hammed up acting, unconvincing monsters and a script that could have used a good deal more work are all present and correct here.
But--whisper it--Timelash is actually good fun. Really. There’s the always-likeable Peri, H G Wells, an overarching sense of entertainment and ultimately a breezy 90 minutes to enjoy. Even those who don’t usually warm to Colin Baker will find him in a calmer state here, although perhaps that’s more to do with the hideously over-the-top performance from Paul Darrow.
There’s never likely to be a revisionist call to instate Timelash as a classic piece of television, but time has at least proven that it’s an enjoyable one. Factor in a DVD that features a commentary track (including Darrow!), a 25-minute documentary and assorted notes and listings, and it’s hard to feel shortchanged. --Jon Foster
From the Back Cover
The planet Karfel is an oppressed world ruled over by a cruel tyrant - the Borad. Anyone opposing his will is cast out through a time tunnel known as the Timelash.
When the Doctor arrives he is asked to rescue a woman, Vena, who has been sent through the Timelash to Earth with a precious amulet the Borad needs returned. If the Doctor refuses, the life of his companion, Peri, is forfeit.
What is the truth behind the terrible power of the Borad? Why is he desperate for aal-out war with the neighbouring planet of Bandril? The Doctor falls in with the rebels, but to defeat the Borad means a one-to-one confrontation in the mad scientist's inner sanctum and unless he acts quickly, Peri may undergo a terrifying change.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A real lash-up,
By
This review is from: Doctor Who - Timelash [DVD] (DVD)
As a self-confessed Doctor Who fan for the past twenty five years I am duty bound to be as positive as possible about any story from the programme's long history. Therefore I will not begin this review by carping about production values - it is a well-documented fact that during the mid-1980s Doctor Who received little support from the BBC and by the time this story was produced it was considered to be tired and irrelevant show that needed to be consigned to history - but will instead focus on the positives whilst remaining objective; surely the whole point of this review system.
Accompanied by Peri and a young HG Wells, the Doctor returns to the planet Karfelon, which is now secretly being ruled by the Borad; a scientist horribly mutated into a cross between a human being and a Morlox (the planet's reptilian inhabitants). The Borad intends to provoke a war with Karfelon's neighbours, the Bandrils. In the wake of the conflict, he will start a new race on Karfelon - a race of mutants like himself, of which The Doctor's companion Peri will be the first. At the time it was made, the Script Editor (Eric Saward) seemed to be aiming to combine political comment with knockabout humour; a combination that tried the patience of most viewers. On top of this the writer, Glen McCoy, was a TV novice and this led to extensive re-writing of the scripts; the resultant 'disjointed' feel to many parts of the story obviously only served to highlight its limitations. The story is also guilty of being a little too self-referential, something that would never happen nowadays. The third Doctor is referred to as having visited the planet sometime ago (or after!) and a somewhat bizzare portrait of him is unearthed in episode two. Overall this is clearly not a classic slice of 'Who' but is nonetheless an enjoyable romp with madcap villains, stilted robots, wobbly sets and over-the-top performances. What more could you want?
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not that bad.,
By
This review is from: Doctor Who - Timelash [DVD] (DVD)
When the booklet that accompanies the DVD claims "Timelash isn't that bad!" you know you're in trouble. When the making of extra merely reels off a list of reasons for why the story was rubbish, rather than discussing the actual making of the serial, you can't be too hopeful.
However Timelash is much better than its reputation would suggest. The story is pretty simplistic but decent enough. The acting isn't too bad except for Tekker, but I don't feel I really need to comment on that. There are some scenes which are so clearly placed for padding, principally the doctors argument with Perri at the end, which serves no other purpose whatsoever. The blue android thing was squeaky and so pretty ineffective as a menacing villain. The design in the serial was also poor, the interior of the Timelash was effective only for its comedy value. The fact that the terrifying Timelash could easily be climbed into ruined the premise f its use as punishment. Also the poor positioning of the prop meant that people had to throw themselves into the Timelash rather than being thrown into it. Colin Baker was only the Doctor for two full seasons and with such a high percentage of his stories falling short of the mark you can see why he was unpopular with the BBC bigwigs, however Baker is a good actor and could have been an excellent doctor, his performance here (excepting the cringeworthy TARDIS scenes) is a highlight, the design of The Borad is also good. Another massive problem is the glaring plot holes displayed at the end. The explanation of the Borads escape is improbbable and unsatisfactory, and the fact that the doctor decides not to explain how he prevented the bomb shows weakness in the writing. I have to say although I have managed to reel off a long list of faults with the serial I did enjoy it when I watched it. I have given it a low rating because it is hard to give it more when so many superior stories exist. However it is a budget release and I wouldn't warn people off picking it up for a cheap price. But with Genesis of the Daleks, Earthshock, Spearhead from Space, The Hand of Fear and other classic serials being released for bargain prices maybe you should shy away from this one.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Boring Borad,
By
This review is from: Doctor Who - Timelash [DVD] (DVD)
In my opinion, this is the worst Colin Baker story! However, I haven't seen the supposedly rubbish The Twin Dilemma! The characters are boring and the Borad looks like the blue lady! This story is also really long being 2x45 mins,I would have prefered it to be 2x25 mins story or a never exsisting adventure. We have what sounded a brilliant season after this that would have featured the return of The Celestial Toymaker/Autons/Ice Warriors and Sil and then instead of leaving this keeping it to be what I think a real disappointment in Doctor Who history.
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