Macra Terror

Rating:
Summary: Good story crawls out of BBC's vaults
Review: The BBC, in the days before home video, decided that some of its programs were no longer required in its archives. In a somewhat unsystematic purging, many classics were consigned to the flames, including several Doctor Who stories. Fortunately, some fans of the series had made their own audio recordings, and these (following a thorough re-mastering by the BBC) are being released.

"The Macra Terror" is one of these releases. The story features a human colony under siege from a race of monsters - not an unusual description of a Patrick Troughton story. What makes this story unique is the nature of the colony - set up like an archetypical British holiday camp, the enforced bon hommie and cheerful tunes cast it in a different light...

The comparatively recent addition of Jamie to the TARDIS crew mean that all three companions (the other two being Ben and Polly) have smaller roles than might be desirable. The Doctor is very much on centre stage in this story, and Pat Troughton is well in his stride in the part.

Linking narration is by Colin Baker, who played the Doctor's sixth incarnation, and is surprisingly subdued given Baker's portrayal of the Doctor. The visual aspects of the show would probably added quite a bit to the enjoyment of the show (particularly in setting the holiday camp tone), but based on stills the appearance of the Macra is probably not truly missed.

The story is quite strong and not unduly tied in to the shows ongoing history, so is suitable for both fans and casual listeners...