Horror of Fang Rock

"They always said the Beast of Fang Rock would be back."

Writer: Terrance Dicks
Format: TV
Broadcast: 3-24 September 1977
Season: 15.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

The cursed island of Fang Rock off the south coast of England is a place of rumour and tales of beasts from the sea. Three lighthouse men at the turn of the century face their fears when something comes from the sea to bring death to all it touches.

Verdict

Horror of Fang Rock was a very good serial to kick off the fifteenth season of Doctor Who! It's a really great example of using atmosphere and setting to enhance a story as in all honestly, there isn't an awful lot that actually happens and there's definitely a slow burner in place when it comes to revealing all the terrible goings on. That's not a bad thing at all and the adventure definitely does work. If I was telling of what my preference would be, I would say that the Rutan Host should have been revealed as the culprit in part three. Or at least as the cliffhanger! It just felt like they had taken a long time to finally arrive and then didn't get a huge amount of time to have a big impact. That was my only qualm with the story really, other than a date not getting explicitly mentioned. Of course, we can pinpoint it as somewhere in the early 21st century, but specifics would have been most welcomed. I really loved the lighthouse setting and there was no doubt that it worked. The atmosphere was eery and I thought the lighting of the interior was really effective in capturing the mood. Having horror in the title certainly did seem apt! I was a big fan of where this story took place. Some of the characters were good and the fate that befell Reuben was excellent. Having him go from dying and being taken beneath the water to then walking around the lighthouse was terrific. His sinister and blank look definitely added a fear factor which was necessary in this kind of story. In my opinion, this is one of Leela's best stories that I have blogged to date. She's wonderful throughout and initially doesn't seem so keen on what she thinks is Brighton. The Doctor wouldn't get there until The Leisure Hive, but they at least got to the right country by all accounts. Vince Hawkins was a great character and I really liked how he was pleased to have two newcomers that were soon joined by another three. His interaction with Leela when she was just nonchalantly undressing wanting his clothes as they appeared more comfortable was wonderful. I really did enjoy that. Adelaide was a pretty annoying character in all honesty and the moment Leela slapped her flat in the face after she needlessly screeched was outstanding. I absolutely loved that! A joyous scene. Tom Baker was pretty good as the Fourth Doctor in this one and the interaction he had with the Rutan on the staircase was decent, highlighting that these were the much talked about enemies of the Sontarans. I wasn't a massive fan of the Rutan voice as it seemed far too human, but I did love their abilities to take any form or shape. That provided a deadly threat and probably could have been utilised even better. Ben was another good character, but I was less keen on Palmerdale and Skinsale. I've never been a big fan of the gentry in my historical studies and this serial didn't change my opinion on seeing them in action. The Doctor's use of the lighthouse to end up defeating the Rutan was really good and an effective use of the setting which I really enjoyed. The idea coming from Leela was also great and it was amusing that she thought she'd gone blind and wanted the Doctor to kill her there and then. It was just the effects of the blast of course. It's quite harrowing that there are no survivors in this serial and it seems that the deaths don't have a huge amount of impact in the direction of the story which seemed strange. Nonetheless, a very good story!

Rating: 8/10