User Reviews

Doctor Who: Castrovalva: Part 2 starts as Tegan (Jant Fielding) & Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) manage to save the TARDIS being destroyed by the Big Bang with a little help from the Doctor (Peter Davison), unfortunately the Doctor hasn't recovered from his recent regeneration & both Tegan & Nyssa agree that he should be shielded from modern technology so they decide to go to a place called Castrovalva which is supposedly a simple & peaceful planet. However once there Tegan & Nyssa quickly find out that Castrovalva is not what they've been lead to believe...

This Doctor Who adventure was episode 2 from season 19 that aired here in the UK during the early part of 1982 & it was the first story to feature Peter Davison, directed by Fiona Cumming I'm not having a particularly good time watching Castrovalva. The script by Christopher H. Bidmead is going nowhere fast, after saving themselves from 'certain destruction' the Doctor, Tegan & Nyssa arrive on Castrovalva & wander around a bit & that's basically the entire episode. I'm sorry but I was hoping for more, something to grab me, something to retain my interest & make me want to watch Part 3 but it never happened. This isn't a great start to the Davison era in my opinion & the Doctor so far in these two opening episodes has done little to impress & if I hear Tegan say that 'we should get help' again I'm going to scream! I mean what help? Who the hell is going to be able to help them on an empty TARDIS & in a supposedly simple civilisation like Castrovalva's? I'm not sure yet as I haven't seen Part 3 or 4 but if I'm right I think the script has given the twist away already.

Like part 1 not that much actually happens, or so it seemed to me anyway. There's still not a monster or alien in sight unless you count the Master who is humanoid in shape anyway so he doesn't count as far as I'm concerned.

Castrovalva isn't improving as it goes along but at least it's now left the confines of the TARDIS which will hopefully open the story out a bit, hopefully...