User Reviews

(Note: This is a review of the entire story)

Missing Doctor Who episodes turning up is an exciting time for fans, especially a story where we've had little to judge a story on. The Enemy Of The World, for which we previously had only episode three and its soundtrack, is a good case in point. Now, for the first time in decades, we can finally see the entire story is back and it's out for all (or at least those with iTunes) to see. So what are we to make of it?

To date, this story has been remembered for two reasons. The first is that it was the story that gave Patrick Troughton the chance to play a dual role by also having him play the role of the villain: the would be dictator of the world Salamander. Perhaps nothing about the story has been better served by its rediscovery than Troughton's performances. We get to see all sorts of little moments he has as the Doctor such as running into the sea for a swim or the toothy grin he gives when Astrid calls him wonderful and how it drops when she asks him to do something potentially dangerous for example.

What really stands about Troughton is his performance as Salamander. On audio, all we ever had to judge was his vocal performance though the surviving episode three hinted at more. With the entire story back it is far easier to judge and the results are surprising. As with David Tennant in Human Nature/Family Of Blood, playing a dual role can give an actor playing the Doctor a chance to shine and reveal just what else they can do and Troughton clearly milks this for all its worth as he presents a man with many faces: the charming and likable public figure, the politician who manipulates and schemes and lastly a combination of the two who keeps a group of people underground by claiming a nuclear war has taken place who he uses as puppets. By the time we see Salamander lighting up a cigar towards the end of episode four, there is no doubt he is the villain we were told he was and it's Troughton's performance that really sells that. Between the two, this is one of Troughton's best stories from a performance perspective at least.

The other thing this story has been known for is a strong James Bond influence. With the visuals of the story returned, we can be in no doubt about it from the many action sequences in the story, some of which have a strong James Bond feel. The extended action sequence on the beach and in Astrid's bungalow in episode one could have come out of a James Bond film of the period and indeed has interesting pre-echoes of On Her Majesty's Secret Service while the underground base can't help but bring to mind the SPECTRE volcano base of You Only Live Twice, released earlier in 1967. Weirdly the plot of the Doctor and companions infiltrating the organization of a Central American leader, sowing seeds of doubt and ultimately being responsible for his downfall echoes a Bond film not made until 22 years later: Timothy Dalton's Licence To Kill. It seems that what we're ultimately presented with then is Doctor Who's attempt to do a somewhat futuristic pseudo-James Bond film as a six part serial on a 1960s TV budget.

Moving on from those points, there's more to this story as well. It's got some good performances from the companions with Jamie in particular getting plenty of good moments while Victoria is also given some good moments especially comedic ones yet is also plagued with moments such as her odd parlaying fear about getting into a helicopter in episode one. The supporting cast are strong as well from Mary Peach's feisty heroine Astrid to Bill Kerr's Giles Kent (a character best served upon multiple listens/viewing of the story) and the first of three strong Doctor Who performances from Milton Johns. Meanwhile the direction from Barry Letts, who made his first contribution to Doctor Who when he directed this story, can be superb at times, especially when it comes episode one's action sequence on the beach (and a fantastic POV shot from the helicopter looking back as it flies away) or the final scene in the TARDIS. His choice of stock music tracks though lets the story down (no pun intended) as they often come across as too loud and a bit over the top.

Where the story is let down most is by a key selling point in 1967-68: it's futuristic setting. It's odd to watch a story set in 2018 (not the 2017 as was previously thought), a point just five years away, as depiction by 1960s thinking. The costumes in particular are laughably dated and actually don't serve a couple of the actors well at all while the idea of people taking rockets from one side of the world to the other in two hours speaks more of 1960s optimism about the course of spaceflight then about our world where the space shuttle has been retired for a couple of years now. Much the same can be said of the underground bunker and its inhabitants kept there by a "nuclear war". All of which makes the story an interesting artifact from a time that seems increasingly removed and yet feels clumsy and dated today.

So with what's literally a new look, what are we to make of this story? It certainly features Troughton in one of his best performances, the James Bond feel suits the story well, there's a good cast and some good direction despite the issues caused by its setting. Is it the best story of the era? Perhaps not. What it is though is a welcomed return, a chance to see more of an era that has seemed by and large lost to us.

On Earth in 2018, the Doctor and his companions are enmeshed in a deadly web of intrigue thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the scientist/politician Salamander. He is hailed as the "shopkeeper of the world" for his efforts to relieve global famine, but why do his rivals keep disappearing? How can he predict so many natural disasters? The Doctor must expose Salamander's schemes before he takes over the world.

Review of all six episodes -

I must say. Patrick Troughton nailed it as being the Salamander! Ironically, this story took place in 2018. Victoria shines up her character expressing how she loves food. Thank god. It got found in 2013. I would have rated this lower if this story wasn't found in the first place, lol.

Troughton's performance as the Salamander is the best part. I didn't enjoy any other parts. It feels very dull and felt too much like James Bond here and there as it was such a massive hit back in the 60s. Jamie did alright, just the usual. They did the clothing just fine. The Salamander had the best one. The beginning had a promising start and the ending was awesome if you ask me!

Seeing the Salamander being pushed into the Time Vortex is worth the watch and a defining ending to a perfect villain that will still be remembered by us fans for 50+ years.

8/10.

Spoilers to all six episodes

Season Five of classic DOCTOR WHO firmly cemented the foundations of what the show was perceived as - a horror series of sorts for young children . Bookended by a Cybermen serial and featuring two stories featuring the Yeti and the Great Intelligence the season centres around a sub-genre known as " base under siege " where a small group of humans who are cut off from the outside world having to defeat an alien menace . The Enemy Of The World the fourth story of the season jumps out at you for being entirely different from the rest of the season in that it doesn't feature any aliens or monsters and has a reputation for being a James Bond type tale featuring political manipulation as a human despot trying to rule the world with Patrick Troughton in an acclaimed dual role as both The Doctor and the villain Salamander . Its reputation is mainly down to a sole surviving episode which only hints at what could have been but with the shock discovery of the five remaining episodes and of five episodes of The Web Of Fear we can all watch this story in its entirety on DVD

If there's a problem to the story it's like nothing the show had produced before or perhaps since . It's a very static drama where no monsters feature and just contains characters talking and talking and talking . The reputation it has of " Doctor Who does James Bond " might also work against it . Bond movies changed the whole face of cinema in the 1960s with its heady mix of megalomaniacs , hot babes and high concept thrills and spills with a smattering of black humour and one liners . Truth be told NuWho is possibly more similar in feel to James Bond than this story . Enemy doesn't really feel like a Fleming story and to a large extent neither does it feel like a DOCTOR WHO story

None of this should be interpreted as a heavy criticism though . What original script editor David Whitaker has done has contributed a unique type of drama to the show that is heavy on characterisation and subtle plot turns and lulls the audience in to thinking the battle lines between good guys and bad guys are simply drawn only to pull the rug out from the audiences feet . This works best with the characters of Kent and Bruce where the roles of the good guy and the bad guy effectively swing 360 degrees in the course of the story . Theodore Benik the sadistic henchman to Salamander remains a stock villain throughout the story but due to the writing of Whitaker and the performance of Milton Johns he remains something more than a clichéd one dimensional baddie

The standout element of the story is of course Patrick Troughton in a dual role and despite the doppleganger theme that has been used before and since in the classic series this is probably the one story where this particular plot device works best simply down to the talents of Troughton . Can you imagine this type of tale being used in Nuwho where Tennant or Smith are called upon to deliver a performance featuring a power hungry charismatic world leader hell bent on controlling the human race as a sort of Hispanic Joe Stalin . It remains to be seen if Capaldi could pull this off ,

Somethings don't work and pull the story down . As a previous commentator mentioned despite being set in the recognisable future of 2018 director and future producer Barry Letts insists on making everything look too futuristic much to the detriment of the story . This has always been a problem with film and television such as SPACE 1999 . perhaps a drab functionalism would have been more suitable ? That said it never reaches the ridiculous depths of the future scenarios seen in in the BBC's OUT OF THE UNKNOWN anthology series so credit where credit is due . The climax however does suffer from bad pacing and feels so rushed that you're left wondering if it's been heavily edited with a short running time of just over 21 minutes

In summary The Enemy Of The World is a strange story with a great performance from Patrick Troughton and whatever one thinks of the story it's amazing that we can watch it in its entirety having believed the story had been lost for good . It suffers from The Web Of Fear being found at the same time and the contrast between Enemy and Web and their respective reputations led some fans to consider Enemy the superior tale . I disagree because Web is one of the greatest pieces of television ever whilst Enemy is a story that I doubt I will constantly rewatch is the perfect antidote to the noisy mess that is NuWho under Moffat

THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD is a notable DR WHO adventure in that Patrick Troughton gets to play both the Doctor and his adversary, a sinister Mexican warlord called the Salamander. The story is set in some kind of quasi-futuristic Australia (the year is 2018) in which mankind is kept hidden below the ground after nuclear fall-out. It reminded me a little of THE TIME MACHINE in places although the whole production is quite cheap and more than a little padded to get it to the requisite six episode running time.

Troughton has a ball playing both roles and I did enjoy his turn as the bizarrely-dressed villain (who seems to work part-time as a Matador). Jamie is less irritating than usual although Victoria has very little to do. The supporting cast is better than expected and some of the characters are likable. The story takes a while to get going and feels inferior in the first couple of episodes although it builds to some suitable excitement, particularly in the final instalment.