‘The Horns of Nimon’ (1979)
“He’s behind you!” “Oh, no he isn’t!” It’s hard to deny that the final ‘Doctor Who’ story of the 1970s is an outright pantomime. The Tom Baker serial was transmitted over the festive period from 22nd December 1979 to 12th January 1980. It features a larger-than-life performance from the inimitable Scottish character actor Graham Crowden (‘Waiting for God’) as the villainous Soldeed, which can only be understood in the context of pantomime. He even dies with a maniacal laugh. There’s a subplot about snatching children as sacrifices which has a whiff of the Bad King Herod about it. If you don’t rate this story, give it a go with a few glasses of wine (assuming you’re old enough) and imagine you’re watching a panto. From the guard’s comedy splitting trousers as he falls, to Tom Baker and Graham Crowden competing to see whose performance can go furthest over the top, ‘The Horns of Nimon’ really does have a lot going for it. All three members of the Doctor Who podcast ‘The Complete Menagerie (Almost)‘ have tried this approach – take it from us, it works! Treat yourself! You’re welcome.
