Doctor Who 031 The Underwater Menace, written by Geoffrey Orme, Directed by Julia Smith (1967)
24 August 2009Another of the missing episodes, again listened on CD with narration by Anneke Wills, and this one also includes some interviews showing some great insight into the shooting, and being on set with Troughton. It has such nuggets as him never remembering his lines, but being so good at bullshitting, that he got away with it. And all of them terrorizing first time director Julia Smith. It also talks about the low quality of the sets, which she thinks detracted from the story, but which is missing from this silly (the Villain is way too over the top) but fun Doctor Who Adventure. This one I got for a very reasonable price from Audible. Sure you can’t lend it to anyone, but it is much cheaper than the out of print CD’s.
The TARDIS lands on a deserted beach of a volcanic island. The Doctor (The late great Patrick Troughton) looks at Tidal pools, while Jamie (Frazer Hines), Ben (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills) explore the volcano. Polly goes into a cave seeing a strange object, but it is a reproduction, making her realize it is the 1960’s, just after her time, but then she is grabbed. Ben and Jamie come to get her, and they too are grabbed, and so is the Doctor, and they are tied up and sent down an elevator shaft going deep under the volcano. They are given food, which the Doctor eats, and realizes it is the seaweed of the supposedly late Professor Zaroff (Jospeh Furst), and then they are led to be sacrificed to sharks, but the Doctor gives a servant girl named Ara (Catheine Howe) a message to give to Zaroff. Zaroff is intrigued, and frees the Doctor and agrees to free his friends as well, angering the high priest Lolem (Peter Stephens). Zaroff likes that the Doctor lied to him, and brings him onto his scientific staff, as he plans to raise the Atlantis to the surface. Jamie and Ben are sent to work in the mines, but Polly is taken by a scientist named Damon (Colin Jeavons) to have surgery to be turned into the underwater farming (as Zarof’s food cannot be preserved and only lasts a day) as Fish People.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
The Doctor convinces Ara to help him free Polly, and he manages to interrupt the power supply so Ara can free Polly, and she takes her for safety to the temple.
The Doctor learns that Zaroff is completely crazy, and he plans on draining the oceans to bring Atlantis to the surface, but his method will also destroy the Earth, revenge for him being treated by surface dwellers, before finding the Atlanteans.
Ben and Jamie go to work in the mines, where they meet two sailors whose boat sank, named Jacko (Paul Anil) and Sean (P.G. Stephens) who they make friends with, and all 4 escape through the mines, eventually finding their way to a secret passage under the Atlantean temple of Amdo, finding Polly and realizing that someone was tricking these people long ago.
The Doctor goes and meets the priest Ramo (Tom Watson) who does not like Zaroff, and the Doctor shows him what Zaroff’s plans really are. Ramo sneaks the Doctor in to see the king Thous (Noel Johnson) to tell him what is going on, but Thaos calls in Zaroff, and hands the Doctor and Ramo over to him as prisoners.
The Doctor and Ramo are taken to be sacrificed, but Polly and the others use the temple to trick the people and save the Doctor and Tamo.
It is reported that Amdo has returned, but Zaroff is pissed, and the kind starts to see that he might in fact be totally crazy.
The Doctor realizes that the societies weakness is Zaroff’s food, which cannot as of yet be preserved, so he sends down Sean and Jacko to convince the Food people to strike. The quickly do, and the city is thrown into chaos as food supplies quickly dwindle.
The Doctor, Jamie, Ben and Polly head off to get Zaroff, going through the Atlantean market, with Jamie being able to join into Zaroff’s guard. Zaroff is taken, and taken to the room behind the temple. Zaroff fakes being sick, and grabs a trident, and stabs Ramo and escapes.
Zaroff goes to the king, who needs food for his people, but Zaroff shoots him.
The Doctor gets to Thous (the King) and has him taken tot he temple, and then goes to flood the lower levels of Atlantis to try and stop Zaroff from destroying the world.
Sean and Jacko help to evacuate the Atlanteans, while the Doctor and Ben manage to start the flood. It is all Jamie and Polly can do not to drown.
The Doctor and Ben confront Zaroff, trapping him behind a grill, keeping him from activating his Earth destroying device, and drowning him.
The Doctor and Ben find Jamie and Polly, and they return to the TARDIS, but as they dematerialize they are thrown across the room.
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I would love to see more than the little clips, as I loved what the fish people looked like. Lets hope this is found someday!
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