The Abominable Snowmen

Why are you here? Why did you not heed my warning? You are stubborn, Doctor!

The Great Intelligence

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria visit the Detsen Monastery, which is dogged by robotic Yeti and the the Guardian of the Monastery knows the Doctor – from his previous visit, 300 years previously…

Review

The Abominable Snowmen is another missing story to receive the animated reconstruction treatment. Whilst I appreciate that these animations have received a mixed reception amongst Doctor Who fans, The Abominable Snowmen really benefits from receiving this treatment in a story, set in Tibet.

Like a lot of six-part Doctor Who stories, this story does not feel as though it is necessary for the plot. There is a lot of padding here, which does feel as though it destroys the pacing, and the Doctor and his companions spend a lot of time getting captured and escaping, which is par for the course for a Patrick Troughton era story. I think that, despite the story getting off to a slow start, there is a creepy and foreboding sense of unease, especially with characters getting hypnotised and characters living beyond their natural lifespans get introduced. The monks are a little bit one-dimensional and, despite a longer runtime, it doesn’t feel like they ever really get the chance to develop and constantly go around a cycle of not trusting the Doctor or his companions. Equally, I liked the character of Travers, who does actually get some development, but feels as though he gets sidelined.

The animation really helps to give a sense of authenticity. Rather than the reality of the story being filmed on location in Wales, the animation gives permission to make it feel a bit more like this story is set in the shadows of the Himalayas. Equally, whilst the actors remain the same, their character models at least look authentic to the setting of the Detsen Monastery, something which I do not believe that the production team would have been concerned with when making this story. This is not a criticism, but it does help that we are not confronted with what would have likely been yellow-faced guest cast. I watched the colour animation, and I feel that the scenes of the Great Intelligence’s pyramid spreading out its’ green tendrils and the levitating Padmasambhava in the final confrontation with the Doctor and his companions really make this story feel a bit more epic. I know that some will see this is tampering with the original, but I don’t think that, if the production team in 1967 could have done these things, they would have done. Compared to some of the other animation projects, The Abominable Snowmen has great textures and depth and as a result feels very much like a labour of love.

The Great Intelligence are a really good concept for a villain and I’m surprised that the show did not try and do more with them, but then I know that there were issues with Haisman and Lincoln following their acrimonious departure from the show. That being said, the performance of Wolfe Morris as Padmasambhava, the aged guardian of the monastery who has been taken over by the Great Intelligence is really powerful. The character is constantly begging to be released from the Intelligence’s power, and eventually once the Intelligence is defeated, crumbles and dies. I know I haven’t got to the return of the Great Intelligence in the revived series yet, but one of the bits that works about The Bells of Saint John is that Celia Imrie’s character is a child who the Great Intelligence has controlled well into her adult life. This idea is done even better here, with Padmasambhava begging for the Intelligence to release him from his control. The appearance of Padmasmbhava is pretty creepy, as the character is essentially a husk and ultimately crumbles into dust at the culmination of the story.

I think one downside of animation is that it does not accurately convey performances, especially that of Patrick Troughton. Troughton has a wonderfully expressive face and watching these stories in this medium does certainly lose something. I do feel as though every Second Doctor animation I see does improve though, so if animations do continue, then I’m hopeful that we will get to a point where this has improved. I do think Troughton puts in a pretty strong performance here, and the Great Intelligence are certainly a worthy foe and more than a challlenge for him. The final confrontation does test this Doctor, and Troughton’s screams do convey this well. It’s an interesting story for Deborah Watling and Victoria too, as she seems bolder and more inquisitive than I remembered her being, and Jamie on the other hand seems to be much more withdrawn and cautious.

Verdict: The Abominable Snowmen is a solid story but has a really good conclusion. 7/10

Cast: Patrick Troughton (The Doctor), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield), Jack Watling (Professor Edward Travers), Wolfe Morris (Padmasambhava), Charles Morgan (Abbot Songsten), Norman Jones (Khrisong), David Grey (Rinchen), David Spenser (Thonmi), Raymond Llewellyn (Sapan), David Baron (Ralpachan) & Reg Whitehead, Tony Harwood, Richard Kerley & John Hogan (Yeti).

Writers: Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln

Director: Gerald Blake

Producer: Innes Lloyd

Broadcast Dates: 30th September – 4th November 1967

Behind the Scenes

• The working title was The Abominable Snowman.
• Episode 2 is the only episode of this story which is currently in the BBC Archives. It was recovered from the collection of a former BBC projectionist in 1982.
• This was Deborah Watling’s favourite episode, in no small part due to the fact that she was working opposite her father.
• This story marks the first appearance of the Great Intelligence, who would go on to appear in The Web of Fear and then The Snowmen 44 years later. This would be the longest gap between villain appearances until the Toymaker appeared in The Giggle.

Cast Notes

• Jack Watling is the father of Deborah Watling. He would reprise his role as Edward Travers in The Web of Fear.
• Charles Morgan would go on to play Gold Usher in The Invasion of Time.
• Norman Jones would go on to play Major Baker in Doctor Who and the Silurians and Hieronymous in The Masque of Mandragora.

Best Moment

I quite like the final battle and the culmination of the story generally.

Best Quote

Have you thought up some clever plan, Doctor?

Yes, Jamie, I believe I have.

What are you going to do?

Bung a rock at it.

Jamie McCrimmon & the Second Doctor

Previous Second Doctor review: Tomb of the Cybermen

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