Doctor Who Story 091 The Talons of Weng-Chiang by David Maloney
13 September 2007A long story, six episodes instead of the usual 4, is an enjoyable romp in victorian England with the Doctor dressed in his best Holmes attire, though honestly not too memorable and it is just too bad that most of the Chinese in the episode are played by white people because it certainly comes off as a bit racist. Nothing too memorable here for sure, and made best by having Louise Jameson as Leela because as a warrior woman, she is so different than most of his other companions.
The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson) head back to Victorian England circa 1888 to see how her ancestors live, and to go to a theater, but they have a run in with a bunch of Chinese Coolies, and the Police take them in to question them, as Leela was beating the guy up that they captured. A stage magician named Li H’sen Chang (John Bennett) who seems to be part of disappearances of woman that come to his show, is brought in to interpret, and has the coolie kill himself. The Doctor then befriends the police pathologist Professor Litefoot (Henry Gordon Jago) and they discover large rat hair, and find giant rats in the sewer which must be protecting something.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
Litefoot is joined by the proprietor of the Palace Theatre Henry Gordon Jago (Christopher Benjamin), and their investigation leads to Li H’sen Chang and his master Weng Chiang (Michael Spice) an ancient Chinese god, and his robot miniature servant Mr Sin (Deep Roy).
It turns out that Litefoot was born in and grew up in China, and has a cabinet given to his mother by the emperor, which is in fact When Chiang’s time cabinet. Weng Chiang gets it back, but loses the key, which the Doctor gets, and they have a showdown in his lair, with the Doctor destroying the key and defeating When CHiang with the help of Li H’sen Chang who his master has abandoned.
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Fun, but not too memorable!!!
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