Doctor Who: Logopolis (1981) - Review

© Lee Binding, 2019

'Logopolis' came at a rather strange time in Doctor Who history. Season 18 itself introduced a variety of new elements to the series, including the appointment of new producer John Nathan-Turner, a new script editor in Christopher H Bidmead, a new title sequence from Sid Sutton (featuring a rather awkward photograph of Tom Baker), a new theme song from Peter Howell (the show's first proper remix), new musical style from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a new costume for the Doctor himself, a new selection of companions, a new Master and a new approach. Gone was the humour of Douglas Adams, and gone too were the Gothic Horror elements introduced at the start of Baker's run as the Time Lord. The changes were spread over the course of the season, building up to - intentionally or not - Tom Baker's regeneration into Peter Davison.

Having written reviews for each serial in Season 19 (Davison's first season), I thought it might be a nice idea to take a look at 'Logopolis', which screened at the BFI over the weekend, followed by a Q&A - specifically to tie-in to the Blu-ray release of Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 18 (sadly delayed until next month).

It's a strangely popular story in the long-running series, but I've never fully understood why exactly. There's definitely a general theme of age and decay (or entropy, as Christopher H Bidmead's script keeps reminding us), but it's not really a proper finale for Tom Baker's Doctor. Having gone on some of the show's most bold and interesting adventures, the Fourth Doctor's ultimate battle comes down to preventing the Master from accidentally destroying the Universe. The two don't even get a proper showdown in the story, and the Master himself is left undefeated to threaten Peter Davison's Doctor in the very next story 'Castrovalva'. Whilst it's a nice idea to make Tom Baker's final story about death and decay, the main man himself feels underutilised.

At this point in the show's run though, it was a whole new production team who didn't want Baker around anymore. They found him difficult to work with, and Baker himself was unhappy with the direction the show was taking. It was clearly time for change, but such change seems to happen a season too late. Tom Baker's exit isn't unceremonious as much as it is casually brushed-over, and the usual feeling of finality to a Doctor's last episode is mostly absent. Patrick Troughton was put on trial by the Time Lords, Jon Pertwee's 'Planet of the Spiders' revolved around a whole variety of key aspects of his time on the show (UNIT, Jo Grant's wedding present, an Earth-bound adventure, etc.), but Tom Baker's exit feels like less of a sad goodbye and more like a much-needed transition to the next leading man. After seven years in the role, Tom Baker just left.

I suppose that in many ways I don't think of Season 18 as a proper Tom Baker season. It feels like the series is moving on, and gradually removing familiar elements - even Baker's iconic multi-coloured scarf becomes more neutral-coloured. Whilst I thoroughly enjoy 'The Leisure Hive' (its one I watched on VHS with my grandparents), the rest just feels off to me. Tom Baker is more somber and less eccentric as the Doctor, Romana and K9 get naff-all to do and leave, and then we're left with new companion Adric, who feels like an odd mix with the Fourth Doctor. Even Anthony Ainley's Master is introduced, but feels like he's arrived a little too early to fight Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor. Ainley's great in 'Logopolis', but the script makes him both incredibly cunning and a bit of an imbecile - he does accidentally nearly destroy the Universe instead of actually trying to, which arguably makes him less threatening as a villain; the Doctor just has to help fix his mistake, and Tom Baker doesn't even get to make a witty remark about it. As far as final performances go, Tom Baker's understandably somber persona is a little disappointing. He gets some great moments, but it doesn't feel like his show anymore - he's just there keeping the seat warm for Peter Davison.

Looking at the story itself though, it's actually quite good as a transitional tale, introducing to-be companion Tegan in its Earth-based segments, reintroducing Nyssa as a companion, and then ending with a new Doctor. It's a very Christopher H Bidmead script, too: lots of exposition, a fair amount of interesting character interactions, a big sci-fi concept and a planet of intellectuals (a format he'd repeat in the very next story, as it happened). The issue is that Logopolis is a bit of a boring place to visit really - everyone's all (male, as Janet Fielding points out in the behind the scenes) academics sitting at screens. Tegan's introduction is well-handled and feels very down-to-Earth, but the way her aunt's death is so casually brushed-aside is a bit odd. Paddy Kingsland's score is wonderful, and probably the best thing about 'Logopolis', while the episodes are directed with a nice bit of creative flair. There are some wonderful moments, especially with the mysterious Watcher, but Logopolis itself feels very set-bound and fake, which is very disappointing. This new HD rendition also included new special effects sequences, which thankfully improve the story. The blue-screen work is improved, the new shots of the radio telescope help to maintain both consistency and a sense of scale, and the CGI work isn't too distracting. I actually think this special edition is a definite improvement over the original, and for all of the best reasons - so kudos to all involved. As for 'Logopolis' itself though, I can't say that the story does much for me. Lots to love, but an ultimately anti-climactic end to the Fourth Doctor. 6/10