Vengeance on Varos

"This place is where the innocent are tortured..."

Writer: Philip Martin 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 19th-26th January 1985

Season: 21.02

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis 

The TARDIS is adrift. Deprived of a vital power source, the Doctor and Peri have one last hole - the planet Varos. But Varos is a dangerous place. Trapped in the dreaded Punishment Dome, the Doctor and Peri must fight for their lives - and save the starving population from the machinations of the villainous reptilian Sil...

Verdict 

Vengeance on Varos was a brilliant story! The story has been widely criticised in the past but despite its admittedly extremely violence, it is very good. Watching this story actually made me realise how little Colin Baker actually did as the Sixth Doctor on our screens as I now only have three televised stories left to blog featuring his controversial incarnation! I think it'll be a while now before I watch another story with him as I really don't want to run out anytime soon but after eight straight days of the Cyberman spinoff audios, it was great to be doing a story again that featured the Doctor. Despite both things being from the world of Doctor Who, they were so different and I think that's the dynamic that the Doctor brings to a story. He owns the place and that's how it should be but after doing the Cyberman spinoff, I can appreciate how good things around him are a lot more when he isn't actually there. Colin Baker was as magnificent as always in this story and I really can't understand why he's so unpopular amongst fans. It baffles me. I love him in the audios but even here he displays his brilliance as the Doctor. Talking about being on display, Nicola Bryant didn't leave much to the imagination with her attire in which she looked spectacular! Peri was marvellous in this serial and I loved her questioning of the Doctor in the TARDIS, so much so that she brought him the long forgotten TARDIS manual. I really liked that. I thought the Governor was an excellent character and the main antagonist in Sil is obviously just terrific. He's a slimy slug creature, what's not to love? That laugh is absolutely devious. It's no wonder that he made a relatively quick return in The Trial of a Time Lord. He's since returned in the very good Mission to Magnus and as far as I'm aware has also appeared in a pretty recent Main Range audio. I'm still way behind with those and the length of my next story is proving rather difficult to fit in but I'm hopeful I will do it on my next day off from work. The violence in this story didn't personally bother me but I can see why some had negative reactions. The concept of death being a form of entertainment is pretty despicable but that was the culture on Varos. As I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan, a smile was brought to my face as I saw Owen Teale on my screen as Maldak. His character was terrific but far different from Ser Allister who he portrayed in GoT before being hung earlier this season. Quillam and the Chief Officer were intriguing characters but I thought they could have been more aggressive. The cliffhanger wasn't bad at all and I liked how the story ended with what it proposed at the start with the Doctor getting his Zeiton-7. I liked that. The whole adventure being spectated upon by the Varosians was terrific but the concept of the vote for the Governor seemed incredibly harsh! I liked the rebel factions on the planet with Jondar being key to that after his rescue. Sil representing the Galatron Mining Corporation was good but his negotiations would prove terrible by the story's end. Overall though, a fantastic serial! 

Rating: 8/10