Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3387 in VHS
• Released on: 1995-02-13
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: HiFi Sound, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Synopsis
Originally transmitted in 1976, THE DEADLY ASSASSIN is a three-part adventure full of thrilling intrigue and finds Doctor Who wrongfully accused of murdering the President of the Timelords.

Customer Reviews

Masterful
Yes, we've all heard the joke: What's the point of an assassin if he's not deadly...but that blunder aside this is one of the best ever Doctor Who stories; made in the show's mid-70s prime. The Doctor returns to Gallifrey as president and encounters his old adversary, The Master. Decaying and rotten after regenerating once too often, the renegade Time Lord is back on his old turf and intent on destroying both The Doctor and Gallifrey.
An atmospheric and highly-charged adventure, the story contains the awesome Matrix scene, a fan favourite and a superbly realised sequence. This story is just about to be released on DVD though, so I'd recommend you get that rather than this hoary old VHS.

A Doctor Who Story I Never Tire Of
Even though this story has now gone on to DVD,when my vhs tape finally wore out from overplay,I replaced it with another vhs tape from Amazon.
I remember as a nine year old,mourning the loss of companion Sarah-Jane Smith(Elisabeth Sladen)thinking "Oh there's no companion,boring",it was only when seeing the story,a few years later,I appreciated how ahead of its time it was,all the scenes of the Doctor(Tom Baker in great form here,clearly loving being at the centre of all the action)in The Matrix(wonder if this is why the film ideas,came from?)facing the nightmare world conjured by Chancellor Goth(Bernard Horsefall)for the benefit of his Master(Peter Pratt)
The return of the Doctor's arch enemy,The Master(following the tragic death of the orginal Master,Roger Delgado)is a welcome one,The Master now a hideously deformed skeleton,clinging to life through bitterness,the only downside is that the actor is wearing a face mask,that sometimes makes his dialogue hard to understand.
The Doctor's two friends in this story Castellan(George Pravda)and Co-Ordinator Elgin(Erik Chitty)serves as elderly companions and you almost wish the Doctor invited them into the TARDIS at the end of the story.
So many things to say about this story,the wondeful script by Robert Holmes,one of the best writers on the orginal Who,gripping,atmospheric direction by David Maloney,great touches like the scenes of the Doctor drawing the various winesses at his trial,the Hypocrisy of Gallifrey,you can see why The Doctor fleed Gallifrey at the first chance he got.
We also meet the character of Borusa,here played by Angus MacKay,the Borusa returning a few timees in "Dr Who",both as a friend and foe.
A great classic story,that deserves the label of a classic.

Oh Matrix!
This is an excellent adventure written by Robert Holmes, probably the best script writer the show ever had, and who wrote some of my favourite episodes including this, plus 'Spearhead From Space', 'Terror Of The Autons', 'The Ark In Space', 'The Brain Of Morbius' - which he co-wrote with Terance Dicks under the pseudonym of Robin Bland, 'The Talons Of Weng Chiang' and 'The Caves Of Androzani'.

The Gallifrey set may look a bit low-tech, but this is because they were going for an operatic/theatrical look back in 1976, but it was, and still is an effective and impressive set. However, what really impresses the most, is the brilliant plot plus the Doctor going through the Matrix. And once unconscious within the Matrix, he starts to have hallaguenic dream sequences that have him facing imaginary threats that feel real. Later on, he's involved in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with Chancellor-cum-Mercenary Goth.

The threat scenarios from Goth (monitored by the Master) are very imaginative, for example: the Doctor hanging onto and then falling off the edge of a cliff caused by a samurai warrior cutting his scarf, getting his foot caught in some railway tracks as the points change - as a train rushes towards him, being shot at by a WW1 fighter plane, the water supply getting poisoned, plus being almost drowned etc.

This together with the legendary classic 'Genesis Of The Daleks' are amongst the most violent episodes-ever, and by coincidence they are both directed by the brilliant David Maloney. So to sum up, this is an action packed four-part adventure with great use of their most popular quarry.