The Moonbase

It's Raining (Cyber) Men

The Moonbase

Written by Kit Pedler

Doctor Who Series four serial six

Episode 1 transmitted BBC1 11 February 1967** 

Episode 2 transmitted BBC1 18 February 1967

Episode 3 transmitted BBC1 25 February 1967**

Episode 4 transmitted BBC1 4 March 1967

** Episode no longer exists, animation used for source DVD.

"Because there is something evil here. There are some corners of the Universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which cut against everything we believe in. They must be fought".

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands on the Moon. Donning spacesuits The Doctor, Jamie, Ben and Polly play about with the low gravity but Jamie is injured. Some workers from the nearby Moonbase find Jamie and bring him inside for treatment while the remaining TARDIS crew follows. They learn that the Moonbase uses a machine called the Graviton to track and manage weather on Earth. However members of the international crew, have begun to collapse under the influence of an unknown pathogen. Their leader Hobson finds that the Graviton is not working properly, causing natural disasters on Earth. He blames The Doctor and co for both events.

Review

Sadly episodes 1 and 3 are missing, though 2 and 4 still exist so the BBC have animated the missing episodes. However, between The Power of the Daleks and this there were two serials. The Highlander (4X25mins) was to be the last historical Doctor Who story until 1976's The Masque of Mandragora, and the last straight historical ever. It also introduced Scottish highlander Jamie McCrimmon, who would become the newest travelling companion. This was followed by the strictly Z-movie antics of The Underwater Menace, which features the earliest example of Troughton's Second Doctor to exist on film. 

The story was actually commissioned before The Tenth Planet, which introduced the Cybermen, had finished broadcasting. In many ways this is a remake of that story. We have an isolated base, one main set with a couple of smaller sets, and even a rocket ship in peril. The major difference is that this is The Second Doctor, the personnel are scientific rather than military, and there's Jamie's participation. Actually, the script had been written before he'd joined, which explains why he's out injured for almost three episodes, For episode 4 he was given some of Ben's lines. These differences just about make this seem not a stale retread. 

The major improvement is the redesign of the Cybermen themselves, courtesy of Sandra Reid. Gone are the stockinged faces and ridiculous Morris Minor headlights on top of the heads. The new design is much more robotic and streamlined and, like The Daleks, is  a design classic.

The acting here is very good, Troughton superb as the new Doctor, especially when he's working out a scientific solution to the problem (he's confused as to why the Cybermen would want to disrupt the Graviton). The character of Jamie seems to be a problem. He doesn't believe they're on the Moon (because that's in the sky), mistakes the Cybermen for the 'magic piper' that takes you to your grave, and his solution to battling them is to sprinkle them with holy water as they used to do that to witches. This is exactly the same problem the show had earlier with the companion Katarina, whisked from 1200 BC Troy, and completely ignorant of modern scientific concepts. It makes you wonder whether Doctor Who producers ever bothered to watch the earlier serials to see what worked and what didn't. There was a similar problem with JNT who overcrowded the TARDIS with three companions, as here, then realising that the running time didn't allow for them to have enough screen time to do anything effectively, as is the problem here. I'm not sure how they fixed the McCrimmon problem. It seems that with the departures of Ben & Polly they just forgot he was from the18thC and wrote him as a 60s lad in a kilt.

The major problem of the characterisation and acting is the beginning of a perceived dilution of Polly. In episode 2 she's starting to become The Screamer. In episode 3 she's told by The Doctor to make coffee for the Moonbase team as something to do, and she makes coffee again in episode 4. You can hear a thousand irons being thrown at the TV screen in disgust. Even worse, it's her idea of using nail polish remover as  a weapon against the Cybermen (they use its base element acetone) which works when sprayed into their chest cavities, which are plastic. But when she wants to help fight the Cybermen, she's told by Ben and Jamie to stay behind, because, and I quote, "this is men's work"! Blimey! I know it's the 1960s but if she came up with the scheme she should be allowed to join the fight. She does anyway, right on, Polly. But oh dear, worrying signs.

The costume design (Cybermen excepted) is  a bit odd, everyone wears vests with heir national flag and name printed on it, you can tell Benoit is French because he adds a stylish cravat (ooh la la). The production design is good, especially the Graviton machine, if a bit perfunctory. The direction though is a bit flat, there's no real tension or excitement, though the sight of the Cybermen marching across the lunar surface is memorable. Sadly it's all ruined by the obvious floor covering masquerading as the lunar surface which visibly buckles under the Cybermen's feet in close-up (I would have just cut it and lengthened the medium shot of them walking) and the obvious fishing line used to land the banally designed Cyberships (really quite terrible).

The serial reversed the falling ratings after the Dalek story, the return of the Cybermen clearly popular with the audience, adding a million plus, constantly reaching 8million viewers with a high 8.9 for episode 2. A Radio Times feature helped. 

In the end this is another in what was to be a long run of Second Doctor "base under siege" and "monster of the week" shows, now that Lloyd had gotten rid of historicals with The Highlanders. It's competent, but essentially a remake of The Tenth Planet, enormously helped by a better look for the Cybermen, but marred by sexism, some poor model work and unoriginality. 

ANIMATION rating 4/5, at least the cast look as they really do, a great improvement.

TARDIS rating: 3/5.

Credits

Doctor Who ........................................................... PATRICK TROUGHTON

Jamie McCrimmon ................................................ FRAZER HINES

Polly ...................................................................... ANNEKE WILLS

Ben Jackson .......................................................... MICHAEL CRAZE

Hobson................................................................... PATRICK BARR

Benoit .................................................................... ANDRE MARANNE

Nils ........................................................................ MICHAEL WOLF

Sam ...................................................................... JOHN ROLFE

Ralph .................................................................... MARK HEATH

Dr Evans/Voice of Space Patrol ........................... ALAN ROWE

Voice of Rinberg ................................................... DENIS McCARTHY

Cybermen Voices ................................................. PETER HAWKINS

Title Music By ......... RON GRAINER and realised by DELIA DERBYSHIRE

Incidental Music .................................................... (none - stock)

Designer ................................................................ COLIN SHAW

Film Cameraman .................................................. PETER HAMILTON

Film Editor ............ ...............................................  TED WALKER

Costumes by ......................................................... SANDRA REID

Make-up by ........................................................... GILLIAN JAMES

Lighting ................................................................. DAVID SYDENHAM

Sound ................................................................... GORDON MACKIE

Story Editor ........................................................... GERRY DAVIS

Producer ............................................................... INNES LLOYD

Directed by ...........................................................  MORRIS BARRY 

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