This week, two more classic Doctor Who serials hit DVD. One goes beyond its premise, and the other… well, they tried.
The first (and better) entry of the two is The Sun Makers, a serial from the Tom Baker era written by the legendary Robert Holmes. This story, in short, is like “Doctor Who Meets The Tax Man.” There’s political commentary and there are parallels to some things happening in the real world at the time — many which are explored in the fantastic 25-minute documentary. But more than that, many of the characters are in fine form. Tom Baker’s Doctor is written and performed in such a way that it’s among the best for him, as is Louise Jameson’s Leela.
This is by far one of my favorite classic Doctor Who stories and I’m glad it’s on DVD for all to see. Additional extras include production notes; commentary by Baker, Jameson, Michael Keating, and the story’s director Pennant Roberts; a look at the music of Dudley Simpson; and more. And – odd trivia! – this serial ran from November 26 – December 17, 1977, meaning this was the serial that was running at the time when I was born. (If my calculations are correct, I was born three days after the airing of Part Two).
And then there’s Paradise Towers. I’ve made no secret in previous reviews that I think the Sylvester McCoy era, despite McCoy being a fantastic actor, rarely hit the full potential of Doctor Who. Maybe it’s a budget thing; maybe it’s trying to work with effects beyond what they were capable of. But unfortunately – though perhaps predictable considering the background of the story’s writer – Paradise Towers comes off like a poorly conceived stage play. It looks like a stage play, the acting is like a stage play… which is fine for a stage play, but I’m used to Doctor Who being something more.
Which is not to say Paradise Towers does not have an interesting concept. My friend said it best in saying that if any classic Doctor Who story begged for a modern remake, this would be it. There are some great concepts here, but it’s kind of destroyed by looking so cheap and silly.
Commentary for the DVD comes from one of the guest stars, the writer, and the sound designer. Yep, no McCoy, not even a Bonnie Langford. Really? The “Horror on the High Rise” featurette, however, is really interesting, and there’s a look at the Doctor Who Girls of the 80’s on the set too which is nice. There are production notes, an alternative soundtrack, and more, so they try to give you your money’s worth… but it’s still not a very good serial.
Paradise Towers might be a fun one to watch drunk. I might have to try that. But it’s probably more for the “train-wreck watching” crowd.
You can pre-order these DVD’s from Amazon.com and support KSiteTV! The Sun Makers – Paradise Towers. Both DVD’s come out Tuesday, August 9!
