Stories Television Doctor Who Season 14 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Hand of Fear 1 image Overview Episodes Characters How to Watch Reviews 4 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 1 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, October 2, 1976 Production Code 4N Written by Bob Baker, Dave Martin Directed by Lennie Mayne Runtime 100 minutes Story Type Companion Exit Time Travel Present Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Mind Control, Temporal grace Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth, England, Kastria Synopsis The TARDIS returns to present day Earth, where Sarah is caught in a rock fall and becomes possessed by the fossilized stone hand of the alien Eldrad. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save 4 Episodes Part One First aired Saturday, October 2, 1976 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Lennie Mayne UK Viewers 10.5 million Synopsis England, the near future. The TARDIS materialises in a quarry and Sarah is trapped under a rockfall. But what is the origin of the fossilised hand she is found gripping ? And who is the Eldrad she keeps mumbling about ? Part Two First aired Saturday, October 9, 1976 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Lennie Mayne UK Viewers 10.2 million Synopsis The Doctor and Professor Watson struggle to stop first Sarah Jane and then Driscoll from obeying the strange and dangerous orders of the stone hand, which has suddenly come to life. Part Three First aired Saturday, October 16, 1976 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Lennie Mayne UK Viewers 11.1 million Appreciation Index 62 Synopsis The energy of the reactor has returned the mysterious Eldrad to life. The Doctor agrees to take her back to Kastria. But what is waiting for them there? Part Four First aired Saturday, October 23, 1976 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Bob Baker Dave Martin Directed by Lennie Mayne UK Viewers 12 million Synopsis The Doctor and Sarah race to save the mortally wounded Eldrad. But they find that everything is not quite as she told them. Show All Episodes Characters Fourth Doctor Sarah Jane Smith Eldrad First Appearance Show All Characters (3) How to watch The Hand of Fear: Watch on iPlayer Blu-Ray The Collection – Season 14 DVD The Hand of Fear VHS The Hand of Fear (VHS) Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 4 reviews 23 April 2025 · 269 words Review by BSCTDrayden Spoilers This review contains spoilers! Got sold on Hand on Fear again, mostly by just how much stronger it became when it essentially became a four hander (and then 3 hander by end of part 3). Genuinely believe that this is one of Baker’s best performances, where he nails the alienness and the gravitas while also switching to perfect gentleness and affection whenever he’s with Sarah Jane. He also has such great contempt for Eldrad until they reach the planet, where he starts to have a little bit more trust and like … Until he learns Eldrad was lying any way. And the contempt and menace returns. And Sladen!! As often as Sarah Jane gets possessed or hypnotised, this is easily the best interpretation of it imo. And she’s so confident and fun here. These two really are my TARDIS Team (along with 10/Donna) - they genuinely just feel like real best friends travelling the universe together. I still think the script is only okay overall and I didn’t super vibe with most of it but it’s a fun story and a good time! Wait. I feel like I’ve forgotten something to talk about. Hmmm… Oh! One of the best companion exits of all time! Hard to choose between this and Jo’s really; both are so beautiful and emotional, and played and written to perfection. I’m so glad Sladen and Baker wrote this, as you can see their chemistry and understanding of the characters shine through the dialogue. What a pitch perfect ending to an otherwise pretty good story. 4/5, would be 3.5/5 but the performances and the ending are just too damned good to dock it that much BSCTDrayden View profile Like Liked 0 1 January 2025 · 27 words Review by Rock_Angel Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! I always flip flop on this story but I think I’ve finally settled on it’s fine nothing huge but HUGE in the sense of doctor who history Rock_Angel View profile Like Liked 1 23 September 2024 · 59 words Review by AndyUK Spoilers This review contains spoilers! Enjoyed it. The location work in the power station was really good and the female Eldrad was really interesting. I'd have rather the character stayed misunderstood rather than be evil anyway as that would've been a different angle for the time, so the 4th episode definitely isn't as good as what came before but it's a good story overall. AndyUK View profile Like Liked 0 8 May 2024 · 163 words Review by 15thDoctor Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! The trouble with this one is that Eldrad and the other cloaked figures from their planet are not relatable or compelling. The female version Eldrad is in excellent costume and make up, but there is something very slightly off about the script and performance. The male, regenerated version of Eldrad is completely off the boil. It’s a terrible performance. Almost every scene on Eldrad’s planet is drab. Better are all the scenes between Sarah-Jane and The Doctor in episodes one and two. The extensive location filming is exciting. Seeing as this is Baker and Sladen’s final outing together I was lapping it all up. There has never been a better Doctor/ companion duo before or since. I appreciated Sarah-Jane's extended goodbye, she was fairly well served. I also appreciated her not really wanting to go in the end. Whilst the story wasn’t the best for her to go out on, I appreciated her being comedic, cheery and full of personality to the end. 15thDoctor View profile Like Liked 1 Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating439 members 3.52 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 829 Favourited 50 Reviewed 4 Saved 8 Skipped 2 Related Stories Once and Future • Episode 1 Past Lives Rating: 3.40 Story Skipped Audio Drama Reviews(8) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Once and Future Set of Stories: Time War Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Main Range • Episode 172 Eldrad Must Die! Rating: 2.98 Story Skipped Audio Drama Reviews(3) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Big Finish Main Range 151-200 Set of Stories: Big Finish Main Range Set of Stories: Main Range: Fifth Doctor 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 and the Hand of Fear Rating: 3.64 Story Skipped Book 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 Tags: Sad SARAH: Don't forget me. DOCTOR: Oh, Sarah. Don't you forget me. SARAH: Bye, Doctor. You know, travel does broaden the mind. DOCTOR: Yes. Till we meet again, Sarah. (Sarah leaves.) — The Hand of Fear Transcript Needs checking Part One [Kastria dome] (A spaceship is travelling through the void.) ROKON [OC]: Eldrad, the traitor, destroyer of the barriers, sentenced to obliteration. Eldrad. (A figure in an all-enveloping duvet suit goes to a small dome in the blizzards and operates a control panel. Later, the figure is seen sitting.) Show Full Transcript Open in new window
