Once again, Terry Nation shows us how good he is at creating new worlds. At first, I was worried about the Doctor not being there the entire serial, but it works well without him honestly thank good characters. Discovering Marinus was delightful and I wish there were other stories with little stories inside of them!

The Keys of Marinus is one of those stories which, whilst not the best example of Doctor Who, is a fun romp with some interesting ideas and a good example of how the show was testing its format’s limitations right from the very first season.  What sets this story apart from others in the season, and to some extent the majority of the entire series, is that is swops locations every episode.  Each one is like a separate adventure in its own right.  With different sets, actors and to some degree, plot every 25 minutes the overall story is something of a mixed bag.  Some sections work better than others and there are certain episodes I think could have been good four parters with a bit more development.  There are other episodes which are probably best forgotten.

Essentially, The Keys of Marinus is five stories: the Voord part which frames the adventure; the Morphoton episode; the jungle episode; the snowy episode; and the CSI: Millennius episode.  My favourite is easily The Velvet Web and I would happily watch a four episode version of this.  Some more development of exactly what the ‘brains’ are hoping to achieve through their mind control and a slightly less ‘easy’ denouement would easily fill out a couple more episodes and the insertion of extra characters – particularly others who have broken the conditioning and are rebelling against the ruling forces – would easily expand the one episode.  Let’s face it, there are plenty of Doctor Who stories with less plot than that!

The direction of this episode with the point of view switching between Barbara and the others is well executed (even if John Gorrie isn’t massively happy with his work on the commentary).  I adore the part where Hartnell and Russell admire an empty room with a chipped tin mug as if it is the cutting edge laboratory they believe they are seeing.  I also think the ‘brains’ of Morphoton are a fun villain/monster and, as I say, could easily be developed further.  (I also can’t watch this episode without thinking of the legendary Outpost Gallifrey/Gallifrey Base thread which posited an alternative history of Doctor Who in which the TARDIS crew were joined by Steve the Morpho Brain after the events of this story…!)

This episode also has a good commentary (I watched half the episodes with commentary and half without) and has an amusing section where John Gorrie praises Carole Ann Ford’s performance and the character of Susan and Ford swats him away with a cursory ‘I thought the part was rubbish’ retort (I paraphrase, but that was the general gist).

The Millenius section of the story is also very good and Hartnell is clearly having a whale of time (obviously refreshed after his two weeks off previously).  The central murder mystery is okay, but it’s the performance of Hartnell both in the court, and reconstructing the crime (by bashing Barbara over the head with his stick) which is the most entertaining.  There are a few dodgy elements, such as Kala, one of the conspirators, giving herself away by letting slip a detail about Susan’s kidnap that she would only know if she were the kidnapper, but overall it’s a strong section to a patchy story.

The Snows of Terror is okay: Vasor the trapper is a chilling creation, particularly in his obvious desire to assault Barbara, but the episode is let down by lots of ‘brrrr it’s cold’ acting (why Altos’s legs don’t drop off from the cold is a mystery, seeing as he only seems to be wearing a pair of tight underpants below his massive cloak) and the most Monty Pythonesque of knights seen in the series.  The Ice Soldiers are a very weak link in the story and when one trips and falls down a crevice it does feel like we’ve entered silly land (although if it’s a good enough death for Eldrad, I suppose we can’t criticise it too much).

My least favourite part is probably a toss up between The Screaming Jungle and the final Voord-related section of the final episode.  The Screaming Jungle suffers from some dodgy effects work and some extremely dodgy acting from Edmund Warwick (yes, he of the Robot Doctor from The Chase).  The most ridiculous aspect of The Screaming Jungle are the traps – from the obviously stagehand hands of the statue, to the slow moving axeman and spike trap.  Jacqueline Hill’s acting is oddly hysterical in the scenes where the jungle is encroaching on the laboratory and Ian is portrayed as being particularly thick – he’s a scientist in a laboratory who doesn’t even consider the possibility that the code he is given by Darrius is a chemical formula (even if it isn’t a real world formula).  The other aspect of this episode which doesn’t make sense is the whole trap bit.  Darrius says that only he and Arbitan knew about the traps so would warn anyone legitimately retrieving the keys.  Therefore, why didn’t Arbitan warn his coerced key hunters?  Let’s assume he forgot due to his desperation, the loss of his daughter, the presence of the Voord and the speed with which the TARDIS crew disappeared off when Barbara zipped off unexpectedly.  This doesn’t explain, however, why neither Sabetha or Altos – both sent by Arbitan to retrieve the keys, seem to know about it or bother to warn Barbara and Ian.

The Voord sections of the story are also rather underwhelming.  The first episode is okay and the discovery of the submarines and dissolved Voord are intriguing.  Unfortunately, the rather clumsy gait of the Voord prevents them from being a particularly realistic threat, although I am a fan of their design, to some extent.  The best depiction of the Voord I’ve ever seen is a piece of artwork by Colin Howard which was included in the 30th anniversary calendar.  It showed the Voord sans rubber suit and was an imaginative extrapolation of what they might look like under the latex.  Yartek (leader of the alien Voord) only appears in the final episode and he isn’t going to enter the top 10 of any fans ‘best villains ever’.  He’s fairly non-descript (Stephen Dartnell isn't helped by having to act through a rubber mask) and a little too mwa-ha-ha for my taste, particular when he inserts the fake key into the Conscience machine.  And that’s another scripting goof.  Altos says that, to begin with nothing will happen but when the machine gets going, so to speak, the fake key will break under the strain and the whole place will explode.  When Yartek inserts the key, the Conscience (and pyramid) immediately explodes, contrary to what the dialogue has just established!

There are two main things which let down The Keys of Marinus – one is vaguely loveable and one is unfortunate.  The loveable let down is the number of fluffs and goofs, particularly in the first episode – visible stage hands, cardboard Voord, actors entering scenes too soon and lots of fun Billy-fluffs.  Mistakes seem less frequent in later episodes, but the unfortunate let down is present throughout – Sabetha and Altos.  John Gorrie is full of praise for the two actors, but seems to be basing most of this on the fact they ‘look the part’.  Their acting is horrible though – stilted in some cases, dull in others – particularly the final episode where, tied together, Altos bemoans the fact he cannot defend or protect Sabetha with the least amount of conviction he can muster.  I also don’t buy the vague romance supposedly going on between them.  They don’t spend a huge amount of screen time together and when they do they tend to be line feeds for the regulars.  Barbara’s melancholic ‘I will miss them’ as she steps into the TARDIS would be more believable if they were interesting characters.

Another fault of the production is one I hadn’t found a problem, but clearly was for set designer Raymond Cusick.  A short interview on the DVD reveals that he hates pretty much all of his work on this story.  It’s a shame, because I didn’t think it was too bad.  The cities of Morphoton and Millennius are fine, the court on Millennius is quite impressive actually, particularly in its size.  The ice caves are fine, bearing in mind the budgetary restrictions and only Arbitan’s pyramid is disappointing, mainly for being a little dull (although the Conscience machine itself is quite good).

For all these downsides, The Keys of Marinus is a story I can't help but love.  There's been some great work extrapolating the Voord in the expanded universe of audio and comics and the story does remain interesting throughout because of the regular change of setting and some really good story ideas.

Ah, the fun variety show! While not as good as some tighter scripts, Keys of Marinus is a prime example of Terry Nation and his creativity at its best for me at least!

All the different worlds we visit are so much fun and while not every episode is a hitter, I appreciate the experiment quite a lot, definitely an underrated highlight of Season 1!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

"THE KEYS OF MARINUS: A QUEST TOO FAR"

Terry Nation’s The Keys of Marinus attempts to break away from Doctor Who’s early formula by introducing a quest-based narrative that leaps between six distinct settings. While ambitious in structure, the serial struggles with uneven pacing, lacklustre antagonists, and underdeveloped ideas, ultimately failing to deliver on its intriguing premise.

AN INTRIGUING START THAT QUICKLY UNRAVELS

The opening episode effectively establishes an eerie, mysterious tone reminiscent of The Daleks, drawing the audience into the alien landscape of Marinus. However, the story soon devolves into a series of loosely connected vignettes, each offering wildly different ideas but rarely exploring them with any depth. The ever-changing locations should make for an exciting, fast-paced adventure, yet the serial frequently loses momentum due to sluggish storytelling and padded action sequences—another unnecessary cave-climbing scene, anyone?

HITS AND MISSES IN STORYTELLING

Nation injects some interesting themes into the script, such as mind control, pacifism, and scepticism towards technology, but these elements remain surface-level. The Voord, clearly intended to be another Dalek-style menace, are disappointingly ineffective. Their sleek, wetsuit-like design is visually striking, but they lack any real presence or impact. Yartek, their supposed leader, barely appears and contributes little beyond an unconvincing disguise in the finale.

That said, there are standout moments. Part 4 delivers a genuinely unsettling interlude with Vasor, one of the most disturbing guest characters in early Doctor Who, injecting real tension into the otherwise sagging middle episodes. Meanwhile, Part 5 shifts gears into a courtroom drama, allowing William Hartnell’s Doctor to shine as Ian’s spirited defender. This glimpse of the Doctor as a justice-seeking, quick-witted figure foreshadows traits that will define the character for decades to come.

PRODUCTION LIMITATIONS AND CHARACTER ISSUES

The constantly shifting environments stretch the budget thin, leading to simplistic and unconvincing set designs. This "make do" approach is especially evident in Part 3, which feels like hastily assembled filler. The serial also cleverly accommodates cast absences by splitting up the TARDIS team, but this results in Susan being at her most helpless and grating, frequently reduced to screaming and needing rescue.

The final episode attempts to bring everything together but rushes through its climax, leaving too many loose ends and failing to provide a satisfying payoff. Yartek’s defeat is underwhelming, and the resolution lacks the dramatic weight needed to justify the preceding episodes’ meandering journey.

📝VERDICT: 6/10

Despite its ambitious structure, The Keys of Marinus is ultimately a frustrating watch. While there are flashes of creativity and a handful of strong moments—particularly in the courtroom drama and Vasor’s unsettling presence—the serial is bogged down by sluggish pacing, weak villains, and a lack of depth in its storytelling.

An interesting experiment, but one that never quite unlocks its full potential.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• William Hartnell delivers a classic flub with the line, “If you would have had your shoes on, boy, you could’ve lent her hers!” A delightful bit of unintended comedy.

This story has the best looking aliens (bar from the daleks) that have appeared in the show out so far, they really stand the test of time and look perfect in black and white.

I liked the concept of having the story set in lots of different places over 6 episodes, the fact that the show can be set anywhere is one of its inherit strengths, which it exploits here.

The scenes where Susan was kidnapped were the best part for me. The worst part were the unlikely ways in which the Doctor picked up clues for the court case.