Doctor Who - Vengeance On Varos (DVD)

...majority of his presents were Doctor Who related, including six of the DVDs. Being a fan myself, it was without undue stress that I set about watching them, checking out all the features and – guess what! – reviewing them too.

The first one I watched was Vengeance on Varos. This is a two-part 90-minute story originally broadcast in January 1985, while Colin Baker was playing the sixth incarnation of the two-hearted time ...
...the TARDIS’ complex circuitry, the Doctor realises he must land on Varos to find the rare Zeiton-7 he needs to fix his preferred mode of transport.

However, Varos is rather a dangerous place to be. It is Big Brother taken to the nth degree, as the fate of both prisoners and the planet’s governor are decided by the people’s vote. The populace watches screens and chooses whether to vote YES or NO. They then can view ... more

INTRODUCTION

So hubby had a birthday and is now 28 years old. The majority of his presents were Doctor Who related, including six of the DVDs. Being a fan myself, it was without undue stress that I set about watching them, checking out all the features and – guess what! – reviewing them too.

The first one I watched was Vengeance on Varos. This is a two-part 90-minute story originally broadcast in January 1985, while Colin Baker was playing the sixth incarnation of the two-hearted time travelling hero. Eye candy for the Dads is provided by curvaceous Nicola Bryant, squeezed into a Lycra leotard and shorts as American student Peri.

STORY

The basic plot for this story revolves around the planet Varos. After a malfunction in the TARDIS’ complex circuitry, the Doctor realises he must land on Varos to find the rare Zeiton-7 he needs to fix his preferred mode of transport.

However, Varos is rather a dangerous place to be. It is Big Brother taken to the nth degree, as the fate of both prisoners and the planet’s governor are decided by the people’s vote. The populace watches screens and chooses whether to vote YES or NO. They then can view the ensuing execution, torture methods or release.

The Doctor and Peri arrive on the planet in the midst of the action, as rebel Jondar is due to be executed. They soon discover that Varos is not all it seems. In fact, most things are the opposite of what they appear to be…

REVIEW

Vengeance on Varos is a story that is popular amongst fans. Personally, it is not a favourite of mine as I find the sets to be stark – although this is intentional and the entire story was filmed in studio, so it is inevitable a constraint of this. It has several interesting things to say though and covers many themes, as Doctor Who tends to do.

The acting is varied with an excellent portrayal of slimy Sil by Nabil Shaban contrasting with an adequate Martin Jarvis as the Governor and an appallingly over-the-top performance from Jason Connery as Jondar. Colin Baker’s Doctor is more settled here and he produces some wonderfully sarcastic and humorous lines with superb timing and use of the camera. Nicola Bryant’s Peri is still rather irritating at times, but eminently watchable.

THEMES

Vengeance on Varos attracted a lot of criticism at the time it was first broadcast. It was seen to be too violent and to slide over into the horror genre rather too much. Watching it nowadays, it still retains an uneasy feel to it with its hanging scene, Punishment Dome and acid bath. But today’s kids are rarely shocked and the DVD release happily sports a PG rating with a tiny warning of ‘VIOLENCE – Some, mild’.

The commentary provided by Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Nabil Shaban discusses the theme of violence, with Colin analysing the acid bath scene in a very convincing way, arguing the Doctor was not behaving out of character – as some fans have said over the years.

Another theme central to this story is that of reality TV - more relevant in today’s world of Big Brother, The Murder Game et al than it was in 1985. As the British public decide which singer wins the record contract or which celebrity has another shot at the big time, the residents of Varos vote to choose who lives or dies and then gets to watch the execution from their living rooms.

There are also shades of George Orwell’s 1984 in here with cameras everywhere, apparently unbreakable rules and couples believing their allegiance to the state is worthier than their love for one another.

Further themes of an oppressive regime – allusions to fascism or Stalinism here – are illustrated by military uniforms, the abuse of power, corruption, megalomania and the all-important financial success of big business.

EXTRAS

The DVD is far more than just the story alone. This one includes the usual subtitles, trailers and photo gallery but there are many other features as well. These vary from the boring and pointless (trailers and continuity announcements) to the unmissable (commentary from the actors).

The extended and deleted scenes are often brief, but interesting and worth a look. This section runs to ten minutes. The outtakes are similarly enjoyable and I enjoyed the humour from Colin, but I am unsure as to how many times you would wish to watch these.

The Behind the Scenes section lasts under five minutes and consists of several takes of the same scene featuring Martin Jarvis, Nabil Shaban, Nicola Bryant and Forbes Collins. This is an unusual view of the real work involved in the acting profession and it is fascinating to see how the crew and production team co-operate in the way needed to get each scene right.

The photo gallery contains over seventy photos, but I couldn’t raise too much enthusiasm for them and would only suggest a quick flick through when bored.

The audio options include being able to watch the story with an unmixed soundtrack, without the music. The effect of this is to make the production seem less polished and rather ‘raw’, but it is another interesting tool for understanding the way each layer builds up to create the finished product. One serious scene seemed silly enough to warrant a giggle while watching it this way, but once the music was added to the final cut, it became much more sombre and effective.

I find watching the story with the on-screen production notes is always well worth doing. I find it often answers the questions I have had in my head – Where do I recognise that actor from? How did they create that effect? Why were certain props used?

Although this might sound rather dull and fit in well with the stereotypical idea of a Doctor Who ‘anorak’, the notes vary from the trivial to the serious and are well researched and written in an easily accessible format. Even the most casual of fans should give this feature a try.

My favourite DVD extra, though, is undoubtedly the commentary. The whole feel of this depends on those who are involved and the rapport between them. One combination of actors, writers, producers and directors will give the commentary a serious feel, while another combination will be light hearted and comical.

This commentary is one of my favourites so far, as it teams up Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Nabil Shaban. As convention goers have noticed, Colin and Nicola get on very well and have a great rapport. Colin is a confident and eloquent speaker and can always add an intelligent comment to the proceedings, while Nabil is rather less-known, but equally eloquent.

The teaming of these three is inspired, with the commentary providing fascinating insights into the story, peppered with an engaging wit and charm. We find out how Nicola lost her knickers(!), we discover how Nabil created Sil’s unique laugh and we even get to hear his Dalek impression!

They discuss the violence debate, why the story seems ‘dark’ and the prescience of the reality TV theme. They also talk about the other actors in the cast and technical problems encountered by the usual budget constraints and the difficulties of make-up and costumes.

Incidentally, you can also choose the option of the commentary appearing as subtitles over the story, if you prefer.

RATING
(***** = As brilliant as a classic Tom Baker story)
(**** = As impressive as an army of Cybermen marching in London)
(*** = As average as yet another Earth-based Master story)
(** = As bland as Peter Davison on a particularly bland day)
(* = As pointless as a William Hartnell story where he has lots of dialogue to remember)

COMMENTARY *****
SUBTITLES ****
DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES ****
OUTTAKES ****
PRODUCTION SUBTITLES ****
BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE ***
UNMIXED SOUNDTRACK ***
BBC1 TRAILERS **
PHOTO GALLERY **
CONTINUITY ANNOUNCEMENTS *

ASSESSMENT

A good story with some outstanding acting from Nabil Shaban and an early TV appearance from Jason Connery.

A DVD with a wide range of features which should suit every fan.

One of Colin Baker’s better stories, with his Sixth Doctor character at its best.

Well worth buying. We bought this from Amazon for £15.99.

If you’re still not convinced, there’s always Nicola in that tight leotard to consider…
 

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