Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5495 in DVD
• Released on: 2010-01-04
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Karma karma karma karma karma Kamelion, You come and go, you come and go,oh,oh,oh!
Well time for another one of those somewhat odd reviews whereby someone actually writes about it before the release.

Which is alright as I'm not going to talk about extras I haven't seen (which will probably be quite good) or the picture and sound quality (which will no doubt be of excellent standard as usual)so best to concentrate on what we do know and that is the stories.

I love The King's Demons. It's a nice light 2 part story that isn't anything special which is what makes it so special. It's simply a story that wants to entertain you for 50 minutes and I think it does that marvelously. Peter Davison gives an even stronger performance than usual. I really think his Doctor is probably the most misunderstood version of the Time Lord. Davison does his performance just below the surface so much that if you're not paying attention you could easily miss any number of things that he does. His Doctor is quick to anger, excitable and quite biting in his sarcasm but with his young and open face and quick smile he gets away with a lot of things that completely go over the heads of those around him. He often insults or makes snide comments about people in so many ways but it passes so quickly and they only see a nice young man standing looking at them earnestly. He's a hero but not a superhero like Doctors 3 and 4. The current and soon to be former Doctor 10 is sort of a combo of those ethics. On the one hand he seems normal enough if a bit too giddy but then goes into a superhero mode the likes of which have never been seen to that degree ever before. Too much of a one for my liking (and hopefully Steve Moffat in future).

Anyway back to Demons. It reminds me of those 1950's adventure series like Robin Hood and Sir Lancelot. Not a surprise considering writer Terence Dudley might very well have written for shows like those at the time. Complaints are often about the rushed ending but actually it works well in a weird sort of way because not every time should every story get all wrapped up nice and neat in a package. Another thing I like about this era is that they don't always just forget the Tardis exists after they get there. There are several stories in this time where they actually use the Tardis to advantage to get out of scrapes and it's not something just to get into when the trouble is over.

Also great in this story is Tegan at her complaining best but in an obvious good relationship with the Doctor who knows she's doing it to keep herself occupied in this difficult circumstance. Wonderful as always is Turlough who is at his cynical best.

On to Planet of Fire which has the debut of possibly the hottest companion ever in Peri. She certainly dresses (or rather doesn't) for the part. Beyond that she actually does get a strong debut which highlights her character well and also gives a nice out for Turlough. The Master is superb here he has both the OTT remit that is part of the character and Ainley at his savage and manic best. Davison once again gives his atypical performance as noted above and the setting is gorgeous in the extreme.

As for the title character Kamelion well he's quite well done as a character really, an excellent voice by Gerald Flood and a good idea. Sure it's doesn't look like C3PO but then it isn't a man in a suit but an actual machine. I seriously doubt the new series would have the nerve to try something a bold and dangerous as this contraption. I mean they don't even have the nerve to give the Tardis interior doors that open inwards for goodness sakes!

Three stars for The King's Demons and four and a bit for Planet of Fire so make it a 4 star average for the set.

Can this be Lilith? Nope, it's a silver mannequin with a wobbly head...
A strange couple of stories, tied together by the wobbly and unconvincing Kamelion character. The Doctor first meet this robot in The King's Demons, a tale set in the 13th century featuring The Master in his most Pantomimic creation, that of the late Anthony Ainely. Not, if we are honest, the best Master by any means, this is a typical effort from the period. In it's defence, it is only a two parter (it would drag if it were a four part tale) and historical stories were rare at this time in the show's history. But it is pretty flimsy and a ginger beard does not hide Anthony Ainley's Master anymore than a false nose or a hat with an arrow in it. Kamelion is pretty poorly realised, despite it being a reasonable idea.

The second story here, despite Kamelion being sat in the TARDIS (doing what???) for some 5 stories pops up again, as does, wait for it... The Master, this time being shrunk in size and working from a shoebox. This tale nicely introduces Peri Brown, one of the 1980s stronger characters, played admirably by Nichola Bryant. Well known through the fans of the programme as the story with the bikini and provocative shots there of. I on the other am not going to stoop to that level. Anyway, filmed in Lanzerotti (a rare trip abroad for Who) and marginally better than The King's Demons, saved by a typical over the top performance by Peter Wyngarde this is a passable release of classic Who before it went down hill. Kamelion by this point looked even more wobbly and no amount of silver gaffa tape was going to save him. Remember him in the first tale in this release; he looked marginally less rubbish.

A good double-pack, worth buying for Planet Of Fire alone.
This is a double-set of the two stories which involve Kamelion, a shape-shifting robot introduced to the series after the production team got hold of a prop left over from some film that was never made. Unfortunately, despite being expensively-built, said prop was very difficult to programme and wasn't transportable. As a result, the Tardis's second robotic occupant had a very brief stay.

The first story, The King's Demons, is a semi-hisorical tale. As far as I can make out, the Master is trying to change history by stopping the Magna Karta being signed. It's pretty small beer considering his usual schemes - it seems more than anything like he's just trying to irritate the Doctor. This rather short (2 episodes) story is kind of silly, but it's still highly entertaining and looks great. The second story, Planet Of Fire, involves new assistant Peri becoming entangled in the Master's latest scheme. This tale, partly filmed abroad, is a strong story with some interesting ideas. It has to be said that this is one of Anthony Ainley's Master's best, as he comes across as a genuine character rather than a cackling villain. I also think he ought to have worn that suit (the one his doppleganger wears) in all of his stories rather than that penguin outfit. Overall this is a good example of how Dr Who can work just as well without rubber monsters.