Stories TV Doctor Who (1963-1996) Classic Who S18 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Meglos 1 image Overview Episodes Characters How to Watch Reviews 3 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 1 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, September 27, 1980 Production Code 5Q Written by Andrew McCulloch, John Flanagan Directed by Terence Dudley Runtime 100 minutes Time Travel Present Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Doctor Doppelgänger, Evil Vegetation, Shape Shifting Location (Potential Spoilers!) Zolfa-Thura, Tigella Synopsis On Tigella, two opposing factions are irrevocably divided over one fundamental issue: the Dodecahedron, a mysterious artefact which provides the entire planet's energy. With the Savants and the Deons locked in a crippling stalemate, and their civilisation on the brink of collapse, the Tigellan leader Zastor seeks the Fourth Doctor's help. But the Doctor and Romana II have been trapped aboard the TARDIS in a time loop by Meglos, the last of the Zolfa-Thurans, who will stop at nothing to steal back the awesome power of the Dodecahedron. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved 4 Episodes Part One First aired Saturday, September 27, 1980 Runtime 25 minutes Written by John Flanagan Andrew McCulloch Directed by Terence Dudley UK Viewers 5 million Appreciation Index 61 Synopsis The desert planet Zolpha-Thura, the 1980s. Giant intelligent megalomaniac cactus Meglos is planning to conquer the galaxy but first it needs the dodecahedron, a powerful energy source currently on the planet Tigella. To get it back Meglos recruits a band of galactic mercenaries and hatches a cunning scheme requiring it to impersonate the Doctor... Part Two First aired Saturday, October 4, 1980 Runtime 25 minutes Written by John Flanagan Andrew McCulloch Directed by Terence Dudley UK Viewers 4.2 million Appreciation Index 64 Synopsis With the TARDIS occupants trapped in a chronic histeratic loop (forever reliving the same moment in time), the devious Meglos - disguised as the Doctor - gains the trust of the Tigellans along with full and private access to their power chamber. Part Three First aired Saturday, October 11, 1980 Runtime 25 minutes Written by John Flanagan Andrew McCulloch Directed by Terence Dudley UK Viewers 4.7 million Synopsis Can Romana escape the Gaztaks ? What has become of the Dodecahedron ? What pressing appointment awaits the Doctor ? Part Four First aired Saturday, October 18, 1980 Runtime 25 minutes Written by John Flanagan Andrew McCulloch Directed by Terence Dudley UK Viewers 4.7 million Appreciation Index 63 Synopsis With the Doctor about to be ritualistically sacrificed to appease the god Ti for stealing the dodecahedron, Meglos and the pirates return to Zolfa-Thura with the dodecahedron to fire up an ancient weapon and blast Tigella out of existence. Show All Episodes Characters Fourth Doctor Tom Baker Romana II Lalla Ward K9 Mark II John Leeson Meglos First Appearance Show All Characters (4) How to watch Meglos: Watch on iPlayer Blu-Ray The Collection – Season 18 DVD Meglos VHS Meglos (VHS) Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Newest First Oldest First Most Likes Highest Rating Lowest Rating Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 3 reviews 6 July 2024 · 117 words Review by WhoPotterVian Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! Bit of a mixed bag this one. Meglos impersonating the Doctor is tons of fun, and I like the idea of a city sent underground because the vegetation has become hostile. However, it takes a little too long for the Doctor and Romana to finally break out of the time loop, and arrive on the planet Tigella, and bringing back Jaqueline Hill in the new role of Lexa, rather than reprising Barbara Wright is an odd creative choice. Especially as the Doctor is brought into the fold by someone who already knows him from an offscreen adventure. Why not have just made it Barbara who contacts the Doctor, and explained she got abducted from 60s London? Like Liked 1 14 June 2024 · 184 words Review by thedefinitearticle63 Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order. Previous Story: The Thief Who Stole Time And Season 18 continues with, Meglos. I much prefer this over The Leisure Hive. Again I have to compliment the production, everything from the soundtrack to the effects to the camerawork is some of the best I've seen in Classic Doctor Who so far. The story itself is fairly good too, the idea of a Doctor-doppelganger causing trouble while the real Doctor is trapped is very fun. Tom Baker's acting as Meglos is also really good, a great demonstration of his range. Jacqueline Hill is back! Not as Barbara, but as Lexa. A great display of her range aswell because Lexa is basically the polar opposite to the often timid Barbara. The effects are also brilliant in this, the CSO shots on Zolfa-Thura are some of the best in the show's history. Overall, very fun, looking forward to the rest of this season. Next Story: Full Circle Like Liked 1 8 May 2024 · 177 words Review by 15thDoctor Spoilers 2 This review contains spoilers! Meglos is plagued with stagey direction and pretentious, boring writing. Thankfully John Flanagan & Andrew McCulloch never write for the show again. If this drop in quality is the impact of Bidmead then I am not appreciating it. Even the welcome appearance of Jaqueline Hill, the actor behind the first doctor’s legendary original companion Barabara isn’t enough to overcome the stilted, lifeless feel of the production. It’s a story which is annoying to follow. I do like the fact that Meglos is a cactus, and how it interacts with the humanoids around. Meglos taking the form of The Doctor is a nice way of mixing up Baker’s familiar performance. The sets and CSO backdrops are rather nice, weaving neatly with the live action in a more polished way than ever before. Since JNT took over the episodes seem to be significantly underrunning. If you discount credits, opening titles and reprises, episode four is just over 15 minutes long - possibly a good thing in this case. This new era hasn’t fully clicked yet. Like Liked 2 Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating250 members 2.84 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating295 votes 3.50 / 5 The Time Scales AVG. Rating122 votes 2.85 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 484 Favourited 14 Reviewed 3 Saved 0 Skipped 0 Owned 6 Related Stories The Blogs of Doom Meglos Rating: 2.40 Story Skipped Short Story Reviews (1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: The Blogs of Doom Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other adaptations of this story: We define an adaptation as a recreation of a similar story but on a different medium or with different characters. Target Collection Doctor Who: Meglos Rating: 3.19 Story Skipped Book Reviews (1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Target Collection Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite DOCTOR: First things first? ROMANA: Exactly. DOCTOR: But not necessarily in that order. — Meglos Transcript Needs checking Part One [TARDIS] (The Doctor is repairing K9. Again.) DOCTOR: You'd better stop the TARDIS. We don't want any nasty jolts. Prion, did you say?ROMANA: We're in the Prion planetary system. We'd better land.DOCTOR: No, no. Hovering will do.ROMANA: There's a planet called Tigella.DOCTOR: Tigella? Never heard of it.ROMANA: Well, there's one called Zolfa-Thura. That's in the history books.DOCTOR: Well, we're all in somebody's history books.ROMANA: A great civilisation blown away to sand and ashes.DOCTOR: Oh, yes.ROMANA: Now all that's left is the Screens.DOCTOR: Why, what screens?ROMANA: The Screens of Zolfa-Thura.DOCTOR: Oh. Oh, those screens. Well, of course I've been to Tigella. Did you say Tigella?ROMANA: That's right.DOCTOR: I've been there.ROMANA: When?DOCTOR: Oo, well, a long time ago. Nice chap called Zastor showed me around. Yes. Remind me to get in touch with him sometime. In fact, I'll do it right now.ROMANA: No, no, no. Please, please, can we just do one thing at a time?DOCTOR: First things first?ROMANA: Exactly.DOCTOR: But not necessarily in that order. Tigella. Zastor. [Walkway 9] Show Full Transcript Open in new window
