The Mark of the Rani

"You bring nothing but trouble."

Writers: Pip & Jane Baker

Format: TV

Broadcast: 2nd-9th February 1985

Sesson: 22.03

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

Drawn off course en route for Kew Gardens, the TARDIS materialises in the mining village of Killingworth in the early 19th century, and the Doctor and Peri find themselves in the midst of a Luddite rebellion. Why are peaceful men resorting to mindless violence, and why is the Master intent on sabotaging the Industrial Revolution? In order to safeguard Earth's future, the Doctor must defeat the combined forces of two rogue Time Lords from his own past...

Verdict 

The Mark of the Rani was a brilliant story and really does serve as a highlight in the twenty-second season of Doctor Who. Looking back, Colin Baker's first full series as the Sixth Doctor really was quite an eventful one with encounters against the Cybermen and Daleks, a multi-Doctor story and the debut of Sil. But here we had arguably the most significant of the lot with the return of the Master and the debut of a new female nemesis Time Lord in the form of the Rani. The idea behind her is obviously fantastic and whilst I love the dynamic between the three Time Lords in the story, I can't help but think that she'd have been better served debuting in a story where she was the sole villain. However, the Master's presence doesn't harm her and I thought they actually made a very good team. The Master was very keen to combine forces to destroy the Doctor once and for all but also to rule the planet, one that the Doctor so greatly cared for. I loved how she wasn't at all interested in whatever quarrel the Master had with the Doctor but she had no choice once he got hold of the brain fluid that she was patiently extracting from the human brain. She was taking the fluid that allowed the brain to rest and that was causing her subjects to become difficult to control. The Rani herself was rather eccentric and I thought Kate O'Mara was terrific in the a role. She was clearly recognisable as a Time Lord which is definitely a good thing and I also thought that her TARDIS was mightily impressive. It looked much different to the Doctor's which was good and her substitute for the time rotor was of high interest. Some of the experiments she had going on, particularly those involving the T-Rex embryos, were very intriguing. She was quite the scientist I must say. I really enjoyed Peri in this story and I even liked her outfit as it did allow her to fit in with the times of the Luddite Riots. I studied that period during my A-Levels so I know it pretty well and I think it's a marvellous setting to be honest. Or perhaps wasn't quite as utilised as it might have been but it did the job it was supposed to do so that was good. The relationship between the Doctor and Peri was excellent and I actually thought that Colin Baker was once again superb as the Sixth Doctor. It's undoubtedly an unpopular opinion but I'm a huge fan of his attire as I think it suits the personality of his incarnation perfectly. The continued refusal to explain what was going on to Peri and just commenting "later" was fantastic. I really did love it. Peri though actually got a little sick of it by the end which just made it all the more funnier. The cliffhanger was pretty decent and was sparked by some hilarious miscommunication between the Doctor and Peri. The resolution with George Stevenson though was a good way for him to meet the Doctor. The Rani's mine trap turning people into trees was pretty horrific and I think the sudden impact and speed of it happening made it that more shocking. Peri nearly fell victim as well as the Doctor despite the two who captured befallen the fate. The resolution was very clever on behalf of the Doctor and his tinkering with the Rani's TARDIS really was going to cause her and the Master some trouble! They were travelling at some uncontrollable speeds and a time spillage was speeding up the growth of the T-Rex! A dinosaur inside a TARDIS with two exiled Time Lords. What could go wrong? The only thing that was wrong with the story was the failure to properly explain how the Master escaped his fate in Planet of Fire. But other than that, a pretty great story! Overall, excellent viewing.

Rating: 9/10