There is a fair amount of
Doctor Who stories that come in for such an unfair amount of slack for which
they actually don't deserve at all. And yet another example of this for me is
most definitely The Power of Kroll.
Robert Holmes had been a
stalwart writer for the series for a long time when he came to pen this story.
He had been the script editor on the show for many years too, during that time
contributing a massive amount to every single story under his script editing
helm. So, it perhaps little wonder that by The Power of Kroll he was getting
strained and tired and needed a break. Well in my point of view Robert totally
deserved it. He had carved some exquisite Doctor Who, and even when he gave up
the mantle of script editor finally, he still contributed some magnificent
scripts to the production office. And for me personally I see absolutely no
sign of the strain that must have been heavy on Robert during writing the Power
of Kroll.
For a start the whole cast
is excellent. Maybe it does suffer the then usual trope of Mary Tamm being the
sole female of the cast, but Mary was always so brilliant to watch and for me
she was always my number one Romana every time a winner! She also has such a
great chemistry with Tom Baker that makes the whole Key to Time season that
much more brilliant to watch.
Neil McCarthy for
beginners is excellent as Thawn, the hot headed and cold-blooded leader of the
men on the refinery. There's a real vein of unpleasantness that he injects into
his character that prevents him from becoming a cardboard cut-out villain. He
always was a superb actor, and he Neil certainly delivers the goods.
It is always brilliant to
see Philip Madoc too, and here as Fenner he's slightly more likeable than his
previous characters he portrayed in other episodes. He is more questioning and,
in the end,, he does listen to what the Doctor tells him so he is not one of
those churn them out in a totally irredeemable mould sort of character. Philip
always was a sublime actor and whatever role he had he performed with total
distinction, and that is no different here in the Power of Kroll.
John Abineri too impresses
as Ranquin, the leader of the Swampie Tribe. But this is unsurprising given the
assured quality of John as an actor. He sells the character perfectly, so that
he is never laughable and in fact that his honoured God betrays him in the end
is such a sad end to his character within this story.
Glyn Owen too is superb as
the gun runner Rohm Dutt. He's adept at doing what by now is the stock in trade
of Robert Holmes. Characters that sparkle on the paper and on screen, that are
so enjoyable to watch because of the golden dialogue that Robert Holmes puts
into their mouths. Rohm Dutt is just one more of those easily adorable
characters who I am also sad to see get a nasty end in the tentacles of Kroll
near the story's climax.
Another bonus plus point
is due to the swamp location of the story, K9 was side-lined and left in the
TARDIS, so this gave us an opportunity to see him actually on screen. And John
Leeson is really rather good as the most "human" of the men working
in the refinery. He makes some superb statements on the importance of every
civilisation too, before he is callously gunned down by the arrogant Thawn.
John is a delight to see on screen and its particularly great to have a face to
put the name to with regards to K9!
Also, the look of Kroll is
remarkably done in this story. He looks like a proper nightmarish leviathan,
and the scenes of when Kroll rises to attack the refinery are very well done
indeed. The final climactic scene of the Doctor trying to retrieve the tracer
that has been knocked out of his hand by Kroll is a brilliant scene, superbly
shot and Tom gives it his usual excellent elan in delivering the Doctor in dire
peril moment without making the scene look ridiculous. I also consider the use
of the segment of the Key in this story to be the most well utilised segment
within a story of the Key season too.
The location recordings
too are also very well done and it’s good to see the director Norman Stewart
attempting something a little different for the show, although I’m sure it was
highly pleasant for the actors during time working at these muddy marshes! But
it does give the story a good look, and one easily believes this is the scene
of a Swampie Settlement besieged by alien business men and a leviathan creature
of the deep. Both of Norman Stewart’s directorials on Doctor Who were
innovative and imaginative.
Full credit must go to the
men portraying the Swampies too, for they had a hell of a recording time when
it was discovered that the green dye, they used for their skin didn't easily
come off. Apparently, all the men were red raw by the time they managed to get
the rubbish off their skin every night after recording. What some of these chaps
went through for making Doctor Who simply I have to say I’m so grateful for,
for the show wouldn't be the same without them dealing with these setbacks and
still wishing to continue making the show. Thank you, men, it's really
appreciated indeed!
Maybe the production
values for the sets inside the refinery are indeed very ropey and cheap
looking, but I for one don't give a care for this if the story is still strong
enough on merit so you forget the rough edges of some of the sets. The Power of
Kroll is never dull, in fact it still is liberally peppered with everything
that Bob Holmes was well known for. His grasp of character was second to none.
There are no faceless characters within this story too. I actually got really
annoyed with the Behind the Sofa Robert Holmes and Doctor Who DVD documentary
where they talked about every single Bob Holmes story, but they neglect to say
a thing about The Power of Kroll!
The Power of Kroll
actually may well be just the strongest story of the season. I absolutely love
it myself and can't see why it comes in for the derision it often suffers. This
derision is totally uncalled for. The Power of Kroll has so much going for it,
and it is nowhere near the realms of bad Doctor Who. Robert Holmes was
incapable of writing a bad story. He will always be remembered by us fans as
perhaps the best writer to ever give his time to the show. Thanks Bob, we fans
love you!!
