Customer Reviews

Doctor Who - The Seeds of Doom [DVD] [1976]

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The final story of Tom Baker's second season as Doctor Who comes to dvd. This six episode long story sees the Doctor dealing with both alien and human monsters. He and Sarah Jane are called to an arctic research base to investigate something found in the Ice. Which turns out to be a Krynoid. An alien plant creature that could infect the world.

But the human monster, obsessive millionaire and plant lover Harrison Chase, would like the Krynoid for himself. And after he gets a Krynoid pod back to his manor house in England, the Doctor and Sarah have a fight on their hands. With the future of the entire planet at stake....

The Seeds of Doom comes from a time when the show was absolutely at the top of it's game. The programme and it's star were hugely popular with the public. The producers were giving the viewers gripping tales of gothic terror. And there were very talented people involved from the acting to the writing to the producing and directing departments.

All of which leads to six classic episodes. It stretches itself to six parts by concentrating on the arctic situation for the first two and then what happens back in Britain afterwards. This approach never makes it feel padded. And coupled with a memorable array of supporting characters - Tony Beckley as Harrison Chase exudes menace and is never over the top. John Challis makes his henchman Scorby a fully rounded character with some depth rather than just a thug. And you have to like man from the ministry Sir Colin, an astute individual worlds away from the self serving buffoons of the third doctor's years - this becomes good strong adult drama.

The Doctor does get a bit violent at times, but that's because he understands how high the stakes are. There's some rather gruesome alien possession as the Krynoid takes over people. And it is a bit of a weak exit from the series for UNIT, as their last appearance in a 1970s story sees none of the regular shows. But you can't really criticise. This is classic Doctor Who. Well made and acted and superb entertainment all round.

This is a two disc edition. All six episodes of the story are on disc one.

It has the following language options:

Languages: English.

Subtitles: English.

English audio captions.

A commentary from Tom Baker and several members of cast and crew plus the son of the late Douglas Camfield, who directed it.

Disc two has the following extras:

Photo gallery of shots from the story and it's production.

Production information subtitles.

Radio times billings for the story and the director's paper edit as PDF Files that can be viewed by putting the disc into a computer.

'Podshock': A thirty seven minute long documentary about the making of the story.

'Playing the green cathedral', a ten minute long interview with composer of the incidental music for the story. Even if you're not musically minded this is quite interesting viewing as he's a good interviewee.

'Stripped for action: fourth doctor', another in the series that has spread across this range looking at the Doctor's time in comic strips this covers the fourth doctor's era and runs for twenty minutes. Possibly only of interest to comic fans but even so it's an interesting look at how the monthly doctor who magazine began and changed the landscape of the form in many ways.

'Now and then', runs for nine minutes and looks round Athelhampton House in Dorset which was used for a lot of the location filming. Showing off some very lovely scenery this is well worth a watch.

'So what do you do exactly?' has production assistant and later director of other doctor who stories Graeme Harper explain, in a six minute feature, what some of the jobs you always see on tv show credits entail. If you're curious about that then this is very good viewing,

Isolated score gives you the chance to listen to the music from the story on it's own.

There's a trailer for the next release in this range of dvds.

And there are two easter eggs which can be found by watching the second disc on a computer and moving the pointer over the special feature screens till they light up a hidden doctor who logo. There's one on each of the two pages of special features on this disc. The first shows a very funny outake. And the second has actor John Challis [Scorby] tell of the time when Doctor Who met another famous BBC character. It's a funny little anecdote.

The story alone makes this worth five stars, but there's a pretty good batch of extras to go with it.

It's taken a while for 'The Seeds of Doom' to be released on DVD, but the reputation of this six-part finale to Tom Baker's second season as the Doctor precedes it and it's a welcome addition to the range. The story itself is practically the stuff of Doctor Who legend, owing a great deal to Quatermass and the Day of the Triffids, but with a couple of modern-day twists so that the action begins in Antarctica before moving to the Home Counties for the last four episodes. It's a dark, horrific tale well suited to an autumn or winter night, although Douglas Camfield's direction is atypical for the series at the time- it's more physical than the "Gothic" style of Philip Hinchcliffe's producership generally tended to be, and this brings out a bit more edge in Tom Baker's Doctor. Similarly, Geoffrey Burgon's incidental music is a departure from the series' norm and adds to the strange atmosphere although the acting is uniformly good, with Tony Beckley turning in a distinctive performance as the deranged Harrison Chase and "Boycie" John Challis as a particularly nasty heavy.

The package of extras is as good as can be expected given that several important people connected with the production are no longer alive and composer Geoffrey Burgon passed away several months after recording his contributions. A large number of the supporting cast and behind-the-scenes staff contribute their memories, while there are also features on how the story was made and a return to the stately home where the story was filmed. A good package all round, although in spite of the story's reputation, it probably won't be to everybody's taste as it concentrates on action and horror at the expense of wit and charm.

This story is the highlight of the Tom Baker era and one of the best Dr.Who stories of them all. The Antarctica scenes are well done and the story never sags across six episodes. The transformation scenes are almost painful to watch and the large Krynoid at the end is surprisingly effective.
Scorby (played by John Challis- Boycie from Only Fools and Horses) undergoes genuine character development over the course of the story so that we're almost saddened by his (somewhat gratuitous) demise.

Evoking memories of The Thing From Outer Space this was one of the last truly creepy Doctor Who stories - sublime.

It's unfortunate that filming techniques in television have given the impression of later Classic Who (mid 80's onwards) aging far less well than that of a decade earlier. The grainy edge of location shooting and the slightly fuzzy set work do help hide some sins. That said, it isn't only superficial qualities that keep Seeds of Doom from being fresh - it's excellently written, timeless sci fi drama, and I think it helps to have pulled in so many other influences along the way.

It's been well documented that Seeds of Doom draws at least as much from The Avengers and James Bond as it does from the series' own mythology and, like Caves of Androzani and Blink, not feeling like conventional Who is one of its greatest strengths. It's a spy thriller, with Tom Baker smashing through glass ceilings and pointing a gun at anyone who threatens a hair on Sarah Jane's head.

Refreshingly, it also avoids the padding we've come to associate with six or seven part stories by effectively breaking it into two separate (though interlinked) shorter stories. The first of these is basically The Thing on a BBC budget, and sees a small Antarctic expedition discovering a frozen alien artefact buried in the snow. The quality is established here, with a well acted set of characters, some genuine tension and a surprising amount of scares from what is essentially a resprayed Axon.

I shan't give plot spoilers away, but if you HAVE seen The Thing you'll have a clear idea what follows from the scientists' discovery. Needless to say, Seeds of Doom takes it into the global arena by delivering one of the alien pods to London, and that's when the story proper starts. Mad plant obsessed scientists, surprisingly articulate and well fleshed out henchmen, an eccentric elderly artist who can surely only have been cast as she was because Margaret Rutherford wasn't available, and the last fleeting appearance of UNIT. It's a heady mix, and when you add some superb location work mixed with seamless interior sets (they're so good, were it not for the difference in quality between location and set filming you'd swear the whole thing was filmed in Athelhampton House), you've got something really rather special.

I don't even need to mention the grand model work in the last couple of episodes, or the uniformally excellent acting and script that even includes some unnamed guards getting some quality lines. There's nearly 40 5 star reviews for this story, which I think is more than enough to inform your decision! My only niggle, especially since he passed on, is that Nicolas Courtney wasn't available to reprise his role one last time as The Brigadier (prior to retirement I mean).

It is generally perceived that Tom Bakers first two seasons as the Doctor were his best, and possibly the best ever. There are one of two stories which do stand above the rest. The brilliant Seeds of Doom being one of these.

I always felt that some of the earlier 6+ parters had too much padding causing boring repetiveness. Not so here. This story has the depth to be worthy of a six parter. Tom and Elizabeth really shine here and there are some terrific supporting performances too. Notably Harrisson Chase the meglomanic Millionaire who grows steadily madder by the second and thinks he is part of the plant world. Great Production, Great Costume Design and Direction. What more can you ask for in a Who story?. (Except Leighbridge-Stewart, Benton and co. as the UNIT team brought in). Nevertheless, TERRIFIC STUFF!

Season 13 of Doctor Who was basically when the classic series could do no wrong with two lead actors providing characterisations of the Doctor and companion which would be very much the template for the NuWho series, great supporting guest actors and a cracking production team.

This story encapsulates the above comment perfectly with Tom Baker and Lis Sladen very much at the top of their game as the Doctor and Sarah Jane. Agreed, this is a story where the Doctor is very atypically violent but with the stakes as high as they are in this adventure it would have been weak for the Doctor to have been portrayed otherwise. Lis Sladen is wonderful as Sarah Jane and it's not hard to see why she still in the lead running as favourite companion in various Doctor Who polls. She is very much what should be the blueprint companion in this story - at times, the damsel in distress but never appearing weak or without character and acting as the perfect foil to Tom's Doctor.

Of the supporting cast, two actors very much grab the headlines. Tony Beckley (Camp Freddie from The Italian Job, fact fans) is the perfect lead villain as Harrison Chase. At first, he portrays the character as a enthusiast who will stop at nothing to gain access to the alien Krynoid pods to a character whose enthusiasm gets cranked up to deranged obsession for the plants he so much admires and loves.

John Challis also excels as Chase's hired thug, Scorbie. His characterisation of Scorbie isn't a two dimensional "henchman of the week". Challis is allowed to be tough within the framework of the story with a nice line of dark gallows humour so much enjoyed within this particular era of Doctor Who.

The ever dependable Douglas Camfield had the task of directing this six parter and although there are elements of padding within this story, it moves along at a rate of knots.

The story by Robert Banks Stewart is a worthy inclusion in the Who canon as it meshes the dark Gothic era of Philip Hinchcliffe's tenure as producer with the "story with a message" of Barry Letts' time as producer.

Finally, on the story front, I have to applaud the wonderful music by Geoffrey Burgon which perfectly fits the story. Although I liked Dudley Simpson's music, I don't feel it could have worked in the same way as the spooky unnerving themes as written by Burgon.

On the extras front, this release is chock full of goodies including the now usual making of documentary, a look at the music of Geoffrey Burgon for the story, a look at the fourth Doctor's history in the comic book medium and last, but by no means least for the main extras, an interview with Graeme Harper who would go on to direct such classic Who stories as The Caves Of Androzani, Revelation Of The Daleks, the two part Rise Of The Cybermen/The Age Of Steel and last year's The Waters Of Mars.

If you're a fan of Doctor Who - Classic series or NuWho - you owe it to yourself to get a copy of this brilliant release.

In my opinion Doctor Who reached its peak with season 13 - and this was the best of the lot. The pace and excitement never lets up throughout the six episodes and the performances are some of the best in the series history. Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen are at the peak of their powers here. The location filming is beautiful as is the incidental music. Also drected by the greatest Doctor Who director, Douglas Camfield and written by "Terror of the Zygons" writer, Robert Banks Stewart - both in their final DW outings. I cannot criticise this story, and even love the Krynoid. To cap it all, it has some of the best cliffhangers ever seen as well.

This is definitely one of the best DW adventures. Tom Baker is absolutely wonderful as the Doctor and here, he gives one of his best performances. He and Elisabeth Sladen are so natural together and they make a wonderful team. There are some great supporting performances, most notably from Tony Beckley as Harrison Chase an insane megalomanic millionaire. John Challis is also really good as Chase's No1 heavy, Scorby. Great plot Get it.

Great fun, one of the best Tom Baker series. Really good villain, and a bit of violence and sadism! Very memorable. The extras are fair.

It is no surprise to learn that Robert Banks Stewart, the writer of "The Seeds of Doom", also contributed to "The Sweeney", for if we ever came close to finding out the Doctor's real name, it is in this story, where it could easily have been revealed to be Jack Regan. This is the Action Man Doctor - crashing through windows, thumping goons, waving guns around, even crashing chairs over heads. "SHUT IT!!" His response to the threat posed by this week's special guest aliens (or perhaps in this case we should call them "blaggers"), the intelligent plant-life Krynoids, is equally one that would make the Brigadier blush with pride. "Finally", the Brig must have sighed, "I've cracked him! He's got the taste for napalm in the morning!" Such a pity it had to happen during the Brig's day off. Similarly absent from "The Seeds of Doom" is any concept of negotiation or restraint; rarely, if ever, has the Doctor been so belligerent (does that UNIT Sergeant REALLY deserve the tongue-lashing he gets for asking what seems like a reasonable enough question?). But questions over its' loyalty to the series' model aside, "The Seeds of Doom" is one of the greatest Doctor Who adventures simply for being a far superior production to the standards of the time. Tom Baker is at his zenith here ("If the Krynoids get established on this planet, Sir Colin, it will mean the end of everything, even your PENSION!") and the supporting cast is up there with the strongest of any story in the "old" Doctor Who, with well-drawn and believable characters convincingly played, and primed with well-crafted dialogue that provides depth as well as wit. Tony Beckley is an enjoyable and suitably menacing villain as the quietly demented Sir Harrison Chase, and while some of the visual effects are typically clumsy the Krynoid monsters are impressive. There is also an understated yet ominous musical score running throughout the story, in keeping with the whole "Quatermass" vibe.

It may not be "true" Who, but it doesn't matter when it's this good. An excellent adventure.