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“FULL CIRCLE: MISTFALL, MARSHMEN, AND MUDDLED SCIENCE”

Full Circle marks the beginning of the E-Space Trilogy, throwing the Doctor and Romana into a parallel dimension and introducing Adric, the young mathematical prodigy from Alzarius. The story centres on the crashed starliner’s inhabitants, who live in fear of the Marshmen and the recurring event known as Mistfall. The Doctor’s primary goal is to help them escape before the next catastrophe—but things are not as simple as they seem.

INTERESTING IDEAS, UNEVEN EXECUTION

While the plot is straightforward, it carries some interesting themes, particularly the blind faith in scientific experimentation and the revelation that the Alzarians can maintain their ship but don’t actually know how to fly it. Part 4 adds a surge of tension as the Marshmen attack the ship, delivering an action-packed climax. However, the ending fizzles out, and the Deciders’ arc never fully develops into anything satisfying.

The setting of Alzarius is a refreshing change from Doctor Who’s usual quarries and industrial backdrops. The lush forests, marshes, and lakes give the planet a natural, almost fairytale quality. The young rebels evoke a Lost Boys or Lord of the Flies vibe, but their characters lack depth. Adric’s older brother, Varsh, is introduced as though he should be significant, yet the story promptly forgets about him. The performances are generally serviceable, though June Page is particularly wooden, and Matthew Waterhouse’s Adric immediately leans towards being an irritating know-it-all—though this is mild compared to his later appearances.

STRONG PERFORMANCES AND ATMOSPHERIC MOMENTS

Tom Baker and Lalla Ward seem to be enjoying themselves here, tapping into the energy of Season 17. Baker shines in the scenes where he passionately challenges the Deciders on their callous treatment of the Marshmen, injecting a rare spark of intensity. Ward is strong in the first half but is unfortunately sidelined once Romana is bitten by a spider and possessed. K9 makes a welcome return, used effectively to gather information about the planet.

James Bree and Alan Rowe make solid contributions, though their characters, like much of the Deciders’ storyline, feel underdeveloped. The direction is a mixed bag—there are some wonderfully atmospheric moments, particularly the chilling emergence of the Marshmen from the water in Part 1, but also some unintentionally comical sequences, such as Romana’s awkward fight with the spider.

EFFECTIVE MONSTERS AND FINAL THOUGHTS

One of the standout elements of Full Circle is the design of the Marshmen. Their make-up and costumes are strikingly effective, making them one of Doctor Who’s better-realised alien species. They are also more than just mindless monsters, with their fear and confusion adding a layer of depth to their threat. The second half of the story builds atmosphere well, even if the scientific research subplot never fully ignites.

There’s a nice bit of continuity at the start, as the Doctor attempts to bring Romana back to Gallifrey as per the Time Lords’ orders—though she clearly doesn’t want to go. These moments add some emotional weight to Romana’s arc in the trilogy.

VERDICT: A SOLID, IF UNEVEN, START TO THE E-SPACE TRILOGY

Full Circle is an intriguing, atmospheric adventure that introduces some strong ideas but doesn’t fully capitalise on them. The setting and Marshmen are memorable, and Baker’s passion for the material lifts the story. However, slow pacing, underdeveloped supporting characters, and a lacklustre resolution hold it back from being truly great.

📝7/10

Full Circle and the E-Space trilogy don't exactly have the best reputation.  After all, this season is generally viewed as what drove Tom Baker to leave the role after so many years excelling at it.  And the E-Space trilogy does away with Romana II, one of the best companions in Doctor Who history.

Yet I had more fun with Full Circle than I didn't.  From details like K9 getting blown up in a way I found surprisingly effective in raising the stakes, to the novel and unique setting of E-Space and the Starliner.  Adric is introduced here and he's great.  This is easily the best Adric story I've encountered so far.  His character feels well-rounded and a loot less abrasive than he was in the Fifth Doctor era.  I can see how and why Adric was made into a companion in Full Circle, which does kind of make his later appearances all the more disappointing as the young man becomes little more than a source of complaints for and about the Doctor.

Where the story gets weaker is around the special effects (I didn't like the look of the marshman) and pacing.  Full Circle is entertaining enough at first but after a while it feels like Romana doesn't have anything interesting to do, falling into the role of a generic companion surviving a horror scenario when her character always felt like it was capable of much more than that.  Meanwhile, the plot sort of fizzles out rather than going in any satisfying direction.  The Starliner is fun and offers come cool concepts but they never really get fleshed out.  The story is not great, overall, thanks to these weaknesses, but it was not terrible, either, resulting in a pretty easy watch.

DOCTOR WHO: SEASON 18: STORY 3 (The E-Space Trilogy: Part One)

Full Circle is notable for being not only the start of the E-Space trilogy but also the first appearance of Matthew Waterhouse as the Alzarian, Adric, who joins the TARDIS crew.

The story is set on the planet Alzarius, and the location footage definitely helps immerse you in the story.

The story was written by Andrew Smith, who, at the time, was the youngest writer to contribute to the series. While some aspects of the serial can come off a little silly, like the scenes with the Doctor and the Marshmen running around the Starliner, the concept of a whole species having been lied to and stunting their ability to leave the planet is very well executed.

From the outset, I thought this would be quite a boring story. How wrong I was!

While the story has its faults (I thought the Marshmen weren’t the best monsters), it has great moments, such as the emotional death of Adric’s brother, or the horrifying Mistfall scenes.

Overall, the pacing, writing and acting led to an enjoyable story with a great atmosphere.

This serial is a thrilling story, with a great twist concerning the Mashmen being the ancestors of the crashed ship's occupants. Romana doesn't get much to do, and it is a shame that in his debut story Adric spends a short amount of time with the Doctor, but Andrew Smith does a brilliant job at evoking an unnerving vibe with Alzarius. The image of the Marshmen stepping out of the Mistfall fog, in particular, really stands out.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: Meglos

The first part of this story feels like nothing else in Classic Doctor Who, I can't exactly explain why, it just feels distinctly unique. We're introduced to Adric who as of right now I have no opinions on. It's a decent introduction for him but doesn't really explore much about him.

The story itself is quite fun, there's some really fun concepts but unfortunately I don't think they quite do it justice. It all feels a bit muddled and as if it doesn't really know what story it wants to tell. Still the reveal that they've gone "full circle" is a genius bit of sci-fi. The soundtrack remains phenomenal and I love the recurring motifs, especially K9's.

It feels like someone at Doctor Who really hates K9 because he's been destroyed in some way basically every story, it's funny, but rather annoying since I quite like K9. Nothing that would change my rating of this story in particular however.

Next Story: State of Decay

The first part of Full Circle does a marvelous job of introducing Adric. Based on what I’ve seen from him so far he seems like a well rounded and entertaining character (not quite understanding any negativity towards him yet). It’s a nice surprise to see them build up this character without The Doctor and Romana in focus, allowing you to get to know him properly. The death of his brother is a memorable and surprisingly emotional moment for a show that often avoids delving into emotions too deeply.

The plot moves along at a good pace and I was invested in the various factions we found on this new planet and the mystery surrounding why the TARDIS thinks they are on Gallifrey (it will be interesting to see where this E-Space thread takes us next). I like that Adric is trying to help Romana but because of the people around him he continually is put in situations which put her at peril. The lack of cosy relationship between The Doctor and anyone within the society he is surrounded by also creates a continually, interesting conflict. The TARDIS team is split up for most of this adventure and it serves the story well.

Space spiders hatching from watermelons must be one of the most delightful visuals the show has ever delivered up - it feels very inventive, very Doctor Who. I genuinely jumped in my seat when one hatched into Romana’s face - an affecting and jolting cliffhanger - one of the best we’ve ever had. It is satisfying when The Doctor uncovers the decider’s grand conspiracy. Efforts to fix the spaceship will go on indefinitely, not because the ship is not good to fly, but because no-one actually knows how to fly it. They do not want the public to be disheartened by this information. With a little nudge from The Doctor they eventually make the right decision.

With a little added humour and some of the formal tones taken from the show, I think this is another which would be considered a classic. As it is, it's the best season 18 has had to offer so far. The biggest surprise that it packed in the end is that The Doctor and Romana do not leave in the TARDIS with Adric - I didn’t expect that for a second!