Carnival of Monsters

"Roll up and see the monsters!"

Writer: Robert Holmes

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27 January - 17 February 1973

Season: 10.02

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

The TARDIS transports the Doctor and Jo to a cargo ship apparently on the Indian Ocean in 1926. In fact the have landed within the compression field of a banned Miniscope, which has miniaturised them. The peepshow-style device, containing alien species in natural habitats, is owned by Lurman entertainers Vorg and his assistant Shirna who are seeking their fortune on Inter Minor. A power struggle on the planet and when ferocious Drashigs are let loose in the Scope, the Doctor faces an uphill task to put things right.

Verdict

Carnival of Monsters was a decent tale that finally sees the Third Doctor travelling with his freedom, but sadly this wasn't quite as good as I remembered nor as enjoyable as the Target novelisation which I blogged some five years ago now. I remember enjoying that read on a train journey and I was looking forward to revisiting the serial on screen for the first time in eight years. I was unexpectedly delighted to find Ian Marter making an appearance prior to his casting as Harry Sullivan two seasons later. I had no recollection of this outing at all and I can't believe that I've never known this! He played a good role on the boat and I loved the initial arrival of the Doctor and Jo into the Miniscope. Jo was convinced the TARDIS had landed on Earth and gone back in time fifty years or so to 1926 which is what the calendar and newspapers indicated. Their surroundings indicated that she was right, but the Doctor was stubborn and convinced that things were not as they seemed. He was of course soon proven to be right as the stopped clock and repetitive nature of the ship's passengers and crew were revealed. I liked that premise a lot. The overall concept of the serial was actually pretty great, but the delivery could have been better. I absolutely adored the cliffhanger at the end of part one with a hand reaching down and just plucking the TARDIS out of the Miniscope. Imagine how much better and more shocking that would have been if we hadn't have seen anything from the outside beforehand. I really didn't understand why we got an insight into so much that was going on with Vorg and the Inter Minorians. There was far too much in my opinion and whilst the former character was rather amusing along with Shirna, I didn't care much for the grey-faced characters. The inner turmoil within their ranks came a bit late and they seemed to threaten a lot without actually doing a great deal. There's only so long that credibility can be maintained. As much as I enjoyed the first cliffhanger, I thought the resolution at the start of part two was pretty awful. If there was a bit of 'bric-a-brac' interfering with the mechanics of the Miniscope, why would Vorg put it back in? It didn't make sense! I also enjoyed the cliffhanger at the end of part three with the Doctor finally emerging from the Scope. The way he instantly took command of the situation and oozed authority was Jon Pertwee at his very best as the Third Doctor which was excellent to see. His relationship with Vorg was an interesting one as he was totally against what he had done and the 'livestock' he had captured within the Miniscope, but he needed his help against the Inter Minorians and to save Jo. The image of a Cyberman within the Scope was terrific and whilst I did actually really like the Drashigs as the main enemies, I think the familiarity of the Cybermen would have served as a better monster to set the carnival around. I enjoyed the Doctor's mentioning of Metebelis III and his desires to get there, but given what fate ultimately befell him on the planet I always find mentions of the planet by this incarnation bittersweet. The ending of this one was fast-paced but perhaps a little simplistic in nature after so long within the Miniscope. There's not a huge amount of explanation when it comes to the second phase regaining power and then the Doctor and Jo emerging. Overall though, this adventure still has a lot going for it to make it an enjoyable watch.

Rating: 7/10