The Androids of Tara

Would you mind not standing on my chest? My hat’s on fire.

The Fourth Doctor

Synopsis

Arriving on Tara, Romana locates the fourth segment of the Key to Time with ease. But getting it away proves more difficult, as she is captured by the scheming Count Grendel who wants the throne of Tara for himself.

Review

As we arrive at the fourth part of the Key to Time season, we come to a rather unsung gem of Doctor Who in the shape of The Androids of Tara.

Perhaps it’s my background as a medieval and early modern historian, but I really love a power struggle story. Here we have a battle between Prince Reynart and Count Grendel for the throne of Tara. Writer David Fisher gives this a science fiction spin, by giving the opposing forces electro-swords. The production team should be praised for realising that spending the whole story seeking a segment of the Key to Time would become a bit stale if repeated for all six stories. We’ve already seen that segments of the Key come in all shapes and sizes, such as the ravaged planet of Callufrax. Here, Romana finds the fourth segment early, and David Fisher uses the opportunity to tell a really entertaining romp. This is helped by really impressive production, which probably benefits from a story that features historical weapons rather than lasers, and medieval era costumes.

The story really benefits from Peter Jeffrey’s villainous Count Grendel. He is practically twirling his moustache every time he speaks, but he is so disarmingly charming that the character is up there with the best one-off villains in Doctor Who. The dynamics between Jeffrey, Tom Baker and Mary Tamm are also really good, and it feels as though Jeffrey makes all involved around him really up their games. His plan may seem small compared to some of the foes the Doctor frequently comes up against, but he is no less devious. Plotting to marry Princess Stella, then murder her to get to the throne is torn from the playbook of many a medieval prince. Jeffrey makes Grendel impossible to hate and there is a twinkle in his eye throughout the story. Even when we learn that his servant, Lamia, is in love with but with no hope for marriage, and he treats her poorly by putting her in harm’s way to try and kill the Doctor, you can’t help but root for him.

You can’t trust androids, you know.

It’s funny, you know, that’s what some androids say about people.

Zadek and the Fourth Doctor

The remaining guest cast all do sterling work, without really threatening to overshadow the leads. Simon Lack and Paul Lavers impress as Reynart’s soldiers – I particularly liked Zadek’s lines about the Doctor making the android copy of Reynart too intelligent. The best of them is the icy Madam Lamia, who plays proceedings entirely straight and shines as a result. Whilst Grendel is a hissable villain, it’s hard not to feel sorry for a character who is trying to do so much to earn affection from him, and her ultimate death does feel quite poignant.

Count, far be it from me to query this woman’s competency as a doctor, but where I come from, you don’t cut off a patient’s head if you wish to cure their ankle!

Romana I

This is really Mary Tamm’s story, as she plays Romana, Princess Strella and their android duplicates. She is also a driving force for the first part of the story, going out to seek the segment of the Key to Time and getting herself into trouble in the process. It’s an insight into how the character could potentially run stories in the absence of the Doctor, as he is seemingly indifferent to their quest and just wants to go fishing. Princess Strella is not a very well developed character, and this is one of the story’s weaknesses. She almost feels like a minor inconvenience to the plot, and her romance with Prince Reynart seems almost bolted on. She is, perhaps, a typical damsel in distress, but I’m not sure it’s a character the story really needed.

It’s funny, they always want you to go alone when you’re walking into a trap. Have you noticed that?

The Fourth Doctor

Tom Baker is on fine form here too, and seems to revel in this season of experimental ideas and the more comedic tone. The way that he bursts out of the Pavilion of Summer Winds to brandish Grendel a liar after promising he’d stop the attack highlights how this story manages to balance humour and seriousness really effectively. The Doctor is brilliantly madcap in this story, and has an utterly chaotic energy throughout. This is best seen where, after having a secretive chat with Grendel under the noses of Zadek and Farrah, he announces that Grendel has offered him the throne of Tara. Alternatively, it can be seen when he crashes the wedding of Grendel to Romana and challenges the villainous Count to a duel. The spirit of Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor is truly alive and well.

Verdict: The Androids of Tara is a delight of a story. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and is suitably low stakes to be a thoroughly entertaining story in this season. 9/10

Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Neville Jason (Prince Reynart), Peter Jeffrey (Count Grendel), Simon Lack (Zadek), Paul Lavers (Farrah), Lois Baxter (Madam Lamia), Martin Matthews (Kurster), Declan Mulholland (Till) & Cyril Shaps (Archimandrite).

Writer: David Fisher

Director: Michael Hayes

Producer: Graham Williams

Composer: Dudley Simpson

Parts: 4

Original Broadcast Dates: 25 November – 16 December 1978

Behind the Scenes

• Working titles for this story included The Androids of Zenda, The Androids of Zend, The Prisoners of Zend and The Seeds of Time.
• Filming at Leeds Castle was done at night, as the Castle was open to the public during the day.

Cast Notes

• Peter Jeffrey had previously appeared in the Second Doctor serial The Macra Terror.
• Simon Lack also appeared as Professor Kettering in The Mind of Evil.
• Lois Baxter voiced Carrion in the Big Finish story Spring, part of Circular Time.
• Declan Mulholland had appeared in the Third Doctor story The Sea Devils playing Clark.
• This is the fourth and final appearance of Cyril Shaps in Doctor Who, having previously appeared in The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Ambassadors of Death and Planet of the Spiders. This is the only story in which the character he plays does not die.

Best Moment

I do love the duel between the Doctor and Grendel.

Best Quote

Count, far be it from me to query this woman’s competency as a doctor, but where I come from, you don’t cut off a patient’s head if you wish to cure their ankle!

Romana I

Previous Fourth Doctor review: The Stones of Blood

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