British television is not all
kings, queens and high-flown drama
From TV
Guide, June 10-16, 1972
What with the critical successes scored
by The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth R
and other BBC series imported to the colonies, Hollywood
has been pushed far out of the creative limelight. After
Me and the Chimp, what have they got to brag about?
But read on, lest you get the impression that all BBC
series are great drama. We have acquired a synopsis of an
episode of the BBC's Doctor Who series. It goes like
this: "Doctor Who and Jo Grant ... visit the Master, now
living in Napoleonic exile in a luxourious prison on a
small island. ... Then Jo and the Doctor learn that a
number of ships have vanished [you'll find Who--or Whom--at
the top of the screen, having a bit of a nip between
scenes] insists
on visiting a near-by naval base, where a charred lifeboat,
found after one of the wrecks, has been taken for
investigation. When Captain Hart [kneeling, with Who and Jo
Grant] ... refuses to listen
to
the Doctor's theories, the Doctor insists on visiting the
near-by oil rig, the scene of mysterious happenings. On the
rig, Jo and the Doctor are attacked by a Sea Devil, a strange, manlike lizard [who also
happens to
wear a dress] ... The creatures have been in hibernation
until accidentally revived," Who says, "by the oil rig.
Meanwhile, the Master gets into the naval base, where he
steals top-secret electronic equipment ... [and] constructs
a calling device to summon a Sea Devil. [That's the Master,
evilly yodeling up Sea Devils. The wretch.] ...
Meanwhile, Captain Hart has dispatched a submarine to
investigate the sea bed near the oil rig. The submarine
vanishes, captured by the Sea Devil. The Doctor and Jo
..."--but why go on? If you can hold out till fall, you may
get to see Doctor Who in your own area. It's being
syndicated now--and the word is that it's selling like Sea
Devils.