Carnival of Monsters

[Dave]

Starring Jon Pertwee.

It is 1926, and the Doctor and Jo Grant arrive on board the SS Bernice, a small cargo ship crossing the Indian Ocean bound for Bombay.

Millions of miles away from Earth, on the planet Inter Minor, a travelling showman named Vorg and his assistant, Shirna, arrive to entertain the populous. With them is an amazing machine won in a bet - an intergallactic peepshow called the Scope. As Vorg reveals the show to the officials of Inter Minor, alien worlds and strange creatures are conjured up from the Scope -- Cybermen, Drashigs and Tellurians from Earth.

The Doctor is sure he has taken Jo to Metebelis Three, Jo maintains that they are still on Earth -- until an extinct Dinosaur appears. Then the guests and crew aboard the SS Bernice begin to replay the same scenario over and over again.

The story marks the end of the Third Doctor's exile on Earth and his return to intergalatic adventure. But after three years of earth-bound adventures the story deals not with space battles and world domination, but with politics and ethics.

The Doctor reveals that the Scope is a intergalactically banned machine, and that he persuaded the Time Lords to ban it. As Jo and the Doctor attempt to escape from their exhibit they accidently cause the Drashigs to break out of their own and cause havoc inside.

IMHO one of the best stories in the whole of the series.

 

[ray gower]

Long time since I saw many of these old shows.

But this one I remember being more confused than most, with lots of ducking through the same or different hole to end up in different or the same world.

The idea was used again with Tom Baker, linked with smuggling as well and was better overall

 

[Dave]

We'll have to disagree on this one then. I don't think it is confused, but it was made to deliberately confuse you. However, all the clues to what is going on exist from the very start.

They do make use of the same sets for the ship and for the inside electronics of the machine, using different coloured lighting. Being made on such a shoestring I think it was cleverly done.

The aliens of Inter Minor were very poorly done though. They are obviously wearing latex masks, hairpieces and lots of grey paint.

 

[Jax]

I must agree, I loved this episode. Pertwee, as usual, is excellent. Katy Manning, is, well, lovely as usual. It also introduced the actor Ian Marter who would later be brought back to play Harry.

DVD Review

The other great thing about the DVD release is to see and hear Katy again after all these years (since she moved to Oz):rolly2:

Favourite quote :

Pletrac: 'The function of this tribunal is to keep this planet clean. This Tellurian creature comes from outside our solar system and is a possible carrier of contagion. Furthermore the creature may be hostile.'

Doctor: 'Would you kindly stop referring to me as "the creature", sir. Or I may well become exceedingly hostile!'