The Androids of Tara

The fourth segment of the Key to Time is upon us...but where will the search for the Key to Time take us now?

Well, until the land of The Prisoner of Zenda it seems. Sorry, I mean 'The Androids of Tara'. The serial was written by David Fisher as Doctor Who's take on 1961's popular U.S. adaptation of the adventure book The Prisoner of Zenda. It's basically the equivalent of if the new series of Doctor Who decided to make a pastiche of Game of Thrones. The new series has taken influences from popular forms of media (Last Christmas is clearly inspired by Alien) but they appear more as forms of inspiration rather than direct copies.

Now I'm not sure how much The Androids of Tara's plot copies that of The Prisoner of Zenda as I have neither read the book or seen the U.S. drama. I am not a fan however when writers make a conscious decision to mimic the plot of something else as David Fisher and producer Graham Williams decided to here. Whilst it is true that all ideas have been done at some point and no idea is truly original, it seems unimaginative to make that decision to use another writer's plot.

The plot sees the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the planet Tara; at first, their trip seems rather straightforward when Romana finds the segment of the Key to Time straight away. When she is attacked by a Taran Wood Beast, Count Grendel of Gracht (Peter Jeffrey) comes to her rescue and takes her into his castle. However it turns out that he thinks he's one of her androids: an android replica of Princess Strella, who looks exactly like Romana. Grendel has taken Tara's next in line to be king Prince Reynart (Neville Jason) captive and plans to marry Strella so he will be crowned at Reynart's coronation in his absence

Whilst I do not approve of the intentions to copy The Prisoner of Zenda, on its own merit The Androids of Tara is a lot of fun and certainly better than The Stones of Blood. The sword fight between the Doctor and Grendel is brilliantly staged by director Michael Hayes and looks like something out of a movie rather than a TV Show. The android doubles and not knowing who is or isn't an android is well-executed too, especially with the added complication that Romana looks exactly like Android Strella and real Strella.

Speaking of Romana, Mary Tamm does an excellent job of playing essentially three different characters - android, Strella and Romana. She manages to make each feel distinct and yet also similar enough to cause confusion over their same appearance. Mary Tamm's portrayal of three different roles really shows her capability and skills as a Doctor Who companion actor. It's a shame she has since passed so cannot return to the show but luckily Mary Tamm managed to record some Big Finish audios before her passing. It would have been sad if the average Key to Time season had been her last in the role.

The Androids of Tara also has some of the classic series' best location work. The use of Leeds Castle works well for this story as it has a nice medieval feel that adds to the visual aesthetic of Tara whilst also providing a nice contrast with the futuristic android technology. More importantly: it feels like a setting from an adventure story and fits the fairytale-esque tale of knights, damsels in distress and sword-fights the story is trying to tell. It looks like particularly expensive location work too; nothing in the serial looks cheap, which is impressive given the shoestring budget.

Overall, The Androids of Tara is not the most imaginative serial - it was thought up as 'Doctor Who does The Prisoner of Zenda' - but it is a lot of fun to watch. There's a brilliant sword fight between the Doctor and Grendel and the android doubles adds a nice complication to the plot. Mary Tamm is outstanding at playing three different characters in the android Strella, the real Strella and Romana, giving them enough differences to feel like separate characters yet also maintaining certain similarities so you're not entirely sure who is who. There's some great location work too; the Leeds Castle location makes for an effective medieval adventure setting and allows for a nice contrast between the old fairytale and the advanced android technology in the serial. Just don't expect anything original.

This season started off quite poorly in my opinion, but each serial has been better than the last.

Romana gets to show off and prove that in some ways she really is better than the Doctor, which is great to finally see. Four is more fun than he has been in a long time, and it was pleasantly refreshing. I was definitely experiencing Four fatigue before, but now I'm invigorated and ready to see more of him.

The side characters were mostly enjoyable, though I found the Gracht a little too one-note for my liking. He only had one plan and one lie.

The sward fight at the end definitely dragged too long, but Romana getting to actually do things while the Doctor was stuck in that endless fight made up for it, as did K9 stuck in the boat.

And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much my cat enjoyed this episode. An extra point just for the joy of watching him watch it.

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

Previous Story: Ferril's Folly

Season 16 is shaping up to be one of my favourite seasons so far, I think it might be that I'm familiar with the overarching series arc having stared with New Who, but even putting that aside it's just such a fun season and I think the dynamic between the Doctor and Romana I.

The worldbuilding of these latest seasons is absolutely brilliant, every world they visit feels real and a joy to watch. This story in particular had a familiar-but-still-alien feel to it, with a medieval setting interspersed with androids and laser guns. The characters are all solidly thought out and brilliantly acted, from the charming Prince Reynart to the evil Count Grendel. I think Tom Baker is at his best here, as opposed to his earlier seasons where I felt his characterisation was unsure.

The bit at the end with K9 floating around on the boat was quite funny, and a nice ending to an enjoyable story.

Next Story: The Power of Kroll

This is the best story we’ve had since Horror of Fang Rock. The budget goes a long way on this one with well realised medieval costumes and props serving a futuristic setting. The pacing is perfect and the Android human copies gives rise to a series of fun, comedic and gently dramatic situations. Tom and Mary are on their top form in this one. It feels like Baker is reinvigorated (perhaps by the quality of the script or cast). K-9 is weaved better into this serial than many others before it.

The quality of the direction has increased significantly too, bringing to mind the moodier, darker shots of Talons. The shots of Baker and K-9 on a canal boat at night are particularly enchanting.

The competing factions provide some good drama and push the plot along nicely. The lead villain (who has some serious Master energy) is particularly good. I like that they leave his ending open for a potential sequel… showing the production’s confidence in his performance! The body double drama is pushed to such a ridiculous extreme - more than any other show I’ve seen. The fact that Romana just happens to have a real life lookalike in a story featuring several android lookalikes, including one of Romana herself is mighty convenient! It is the definition of a romp and I’m here for it.

🙏🏼66% = Okay! = Mildly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: more androids, big-nosed counts, and sunny weather.

Writer David Fisher's second subsequent story of this season is an interesting one. The Androids of Tara takes a very similar premise to the season opener, The Ribos Operation, but gives it a somewhat more polished look. Here, the script keeps aliens and futuristic technology to a minimum, allowing its stars to truly shine. Additionally, this is another one of those stories that heavily borrows from other sources, this time the classic Anthony Hope novel The Prisoner of Zenda from the late 19th century.

STORY:

The beginning of Part 1 feels almost too perfect—it's a beautiful and sunny day, and the Doctor wants to go fishing for a change. The Doctor and Romana engage in some lighthearted banter, and they instantly discover the fourth segment of the Key to Time.

In many ways, The Androids of Tara reminds me of Robot of Sherwood from Series 8 of the new series. Both have a medieval setting with robots or androids; both focus on the villain trying to gain more power, and both are quite lighthearted in style. Of course, the main difference is that this story takes place on the planet Tara, whereas Robot of Sherwood takes place in mediaeval England and features supposedly real historical figures. However, I think Classic Who executed the storyline more effectively. I like the mediaeval setting with subtle alien elements—the androids, the swords with electrical charges (George Lucas' sci-fi hit Star Wars from the previous year must have been a major influence when designing those swords), and the look and feel of the story are more genuine, majestic, and down to earth.

We have another android/clone/shapeshifting story in a long line of them, but with the main twist that one of the key characters is an android copy of the companion rather than the Doctor. David Fisher also explores the relationship between humans and androids better than previous stories have done. The overall plot lacks depth and fails to captivate your attention.

POPULATION:

Tom Baker is yet again in his element. Mary Tamm is sidelined yet again, and the adventure does very little with the fact that she’s playing four characters (Romana, Strella, and their android doubles).

The guest actors once again steal the show, particularly the wonderful Peter Jeffrey (once considered to play the Second Doctor and previously appearing as The Controller in The Macra Terror) as suave and gentlemanly villain Count Grendel. He is the closest thing to Roger Delgado's Master I have ever seen on TV, and he is incredibly recognisable and likeable. His facial expressions are priceless; his delivery of lines on top, as well as his entire habitus, make him feel both dangerous and hungry for power.

Neville Jason portrays the dashing Prince Reynart, who resembles Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury, on the other side of the battlefield. He is also very good, both as himself and as his android doppelgänger.

The acting overall is very sharp, and the casting decisions are spot on. The only exception to this would be Paul Lavers playing Farrah, a young and extremely trigger-happy royal guard. I also love Declan Mulholland's minor supporting role as Servant Till (yes, he's the guy who was originally Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars!). He's not a very fleshed-out or even important character, but he adds that extra flavour. And he just happens to remind me a bit of Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings or Hodor from Game of Thrones, and why not Quasimodo from The Ringer of Notre Dame?

An extra mention goes to the one and only Cyril Shaps (from Tomb of the Cybermen and Planet of the Spiders) for his fun take on Archimandrite, his final Doctor Who role.

PRODUCTION:

They relied heavily on location filming for this one, which was a wise decision. The adventure evokes a sense of mediaeval times with its green woods, castle grounds, and dark dungeons. But that's not surprising, since the BBC has always excelled with period pieces.

The colourful costume design is also really good, and Dudley Simpson's incidental music helps to create the illusion of a mediaeval setting.

ATMOSPHERE:

The Androids of Tara is not the most exciting or tightly paced among Doctor Who adventures. While the plot, featuring a possessed companion attempting to kill the Doctor, isn't particularly original, the intricacy of the android lookalikes contributes to its depth. Still, I have to admit that the plot is a bit thin; it's mostly just a dragged-out rescue mission.

That being said, The Androids of Tara offers some very well-directed and acted sequences, such as the end of Part 3 and the most awesome fencing sequence (which goes on for quite a bit) between the Doctor and Grendel in the final episode. That must be one of the better action scenes in Doctor Who, even though it looks more like the lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in Star Wars than anything depicted in mediaeval-themed films. It's also a highlight for the Fourth Doctor.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The pace and unoriginal script of The Androids of Tara somewhat hinder its occasionally sharp political intrigues, interesting characterization, lighthearted atmosphere, and impressive production values.