Cast : The Doctor : Peter Davison
Tegan : Janet Fielding
Turlough : Mark Strickson
Vorshak : Tom Adams
Nilson : Ian McCulloch
Solow : Ingrid Pitt
Bulic : Nigel Humphreys
Preston : Tara Ward
Maddox : Martin Neil
Karina : Nitza Saul
Paroli : James Coombes
Ichtar : Norman Comer
Scibus : Stuart Blake
Tarpok : Vincent Brimble
Sauvix : Christopher Farries
Written By : Johnny Byrne
Produced By : JNT
First UK Broadcast : 5 – 13 January 1984.
Length : 4 x 25 minute episodes.
Plot : The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough, visit a future coldwar nuclear base; under the sea. Here, nuclear armageddon is only a button-push away. The Silurians and Sea Devils also want control of the base, to launch the warheads – against mankind.
Whats good : The reappearance of the Pertwee era monsters – Silurians and Sea Devils.
Whats bad : The green pantomine cow. Solow’s bizarre karate death. What were they thinking?
Review With Spoilers : Warriors Of The Deep, should have been much better; than it turned out to be. The cause of it’s can be laid at the door of Maggie Thatcher.
The 1982 General Election, meant that BBC studio-space, was at a premium. Therefore, Doctor Who was forced to work to a much smaller production floorspace and timeframe, than normally afforded.
As a result, elements of Warriors Of The Deep were rushed, or slopply handled. Takes were done – in one wrap. Special effects were hastily rigged and not quality controlled.
The basic story of the return of The Silurians and Sea Devils is good, in terms of scope but was not transcribed to the screen, well enough.
As a result, Warriors Of The Deep holds the dubious distinction, of being one of the stories held up – as an example of why Doctor Who began to go off the boil [BBC exec Michael Grade later commented that this serial was the one to highlight Who’s shortcomings].
“I sometimes wonder why I like the people of this miserable planet so much. The Silurians and Sea Devils are noble races. They have skills and talents you pathetic humans can only dream about!” The Doctor
This can be best summed-up, with the appearance of the “Myrka”. In the script, this was described, as a fearsome living superweapon of the Silurian and Sea Devils; which breached and rampaged aroubd the underwater-base. In reality and execution, unfortunately -the Myrka came across as a ropey looking green pantomine-cow costume.
BBC Controller at the time – Michael Grade (and one of the eventual show executioners), commented specifically on seeing the Myrka as the first indication that Who was losing its way.
Worst/most bizarre-scene has to goto Dr Solow, who meets the Myrka in a corridor and launches a weird/futile kung-fu volley against it – before being electrocuted to death.
Let down by cheap effects and poor direction, Warriors Of The Deep is a lost opportunity for a Silurian and Sea Devil revisit and a timely comment on the – then East and West cold-war situation.
🔵🔵⚪⚪⚪ (2/5)
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