HomeTVRevisiting Colin Baker's era of 'Doctor Who'

Revisiting Colin Baker’s era of ‘Doctor Who’

Terror of the Vervoids is the Sixth Doctor’s best story

An odd contender, I grant you. But the simple murder mystery in space is an effective riff on Agatha Christie’s style. It’s a bit like ‘Death on the Nile’ meets ‘The Day of the Triffids’. All three cliff-hangers are effective, but the accident at the hydroponic centre and the discovery of the mutated scientist in the isolation ward are among the finest in the series’ history. The villainous monsters, the Vervoids, are a fine original creation and their motivation in killing members of the crew is intelligently dealt with and even somewhat sympathetic. The guest cast is incredibly strong, featuring legends like Honor Blackman and Michael Craig, as well as familiar faces such as Malcolm Tierney and Denys Hawthorne. Its one weakness in storytelling is that the Vervoids don’t at any time threaten the Doctor. Stories are more effective when the Doctor’s life is placed in jeopardy. But for the first time in the Sixth Doctor’s run, the Doctor and his companion are working as a team.

Greg Jameson
Greg Jameson
Book editor, with an interest in cult TV.

Must Read

Advertisement