| HORROR OF FANG ROCK by Terrance Dicks |
| Story 92 Synopsis: At Fang Rock lighthouse, one of the staff, Vince, claims to see a fireball cross the sky and land in the water. Then, a cold fog descends. The TARDIS arrives on the rocks, apparently lost. The Doctor sees the lighthouse light off, so goes to investigate with Leela. They soon find Ben, an engineer, dead. A ship crashes onto the rocks. From the ship come three passengers, Palmerdale, Skinsale and Adelaide, soon followed by a fourth, Harker. Palmerdale is desperate to reach London, but seems stuck. Another of the keepers, Reuben, thinks that the Beast of Fang Rock has returned. It turns out that the fireball Vince saw was a spaceship, and its occupant, a Rutan, has come to the lighthouse. It kills all the crew, but the Doctor devises a way to kill it, and then use a primitive laser to destroy its ship. |
| Review:- Season 15 kicks off with a harmless enough tale of intrigue, a murder mystery in a secluded location. The lighthouse has become notorious for its uniqueness, and that people are either amazed by its inclusion, or irritated that it becomes so obstructive. There are really 3 groups of characters here. The aliens, being the Doctor, Leela and the Rutan have almost nothing but malign effects on everyone, and it is hard not to agree with Reuben, who is so mistrustful in part 1. The Doctor is quite boorish, and dismissive, whilst Leela overacts the savage part. The Rutan blobs its way around, glowing green at every opportunity, and slowly killing the guest cast off. That these are the ferocious creatures who've reduced the all-conquering Sontarans to a stalemate is quite remarkable. Ben, who cops it early on, unfortunately looks like Terry Jones. Reuben is frosty but dedicated, and well-written and acted. Vince is the likeable and dependable youngster who sadly comes to a sticky end, betrayed by trust. Adelaide and Palmerdale are quite unlikeable, particularly the OTT latter, with his attitude problem, and fixation with wealth and power. Skinsale, on the other hand, is quite louche, and his death, as with Vince's, seems a bit of a shame. As he scrabbles for diamonds, his greed becomes his death warrant. There's lots of lessons in this tale. On the whole, for what it is, this is quite a pleasant little tale, but rather a one-off from the usual set of adventures. |
| Disclaimer: I've seen the video, and I might well have read the book. |