Rating: 
Summary: "Diamonds and Rubies not valuable?"
Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy writer, Douglass Adams, wrote this, the 2nd story in the "Key to Time" adventures. Set after "The Ribos Operation", The Doctor and Romana land on Zanak. Zanak is not your run-of-the-mill planet. The whole planet is a giant ship which can go anywhere in the universe. Zanak is hollow, so another smaller planet can fit inside of Zanak and they mine the inner planet. The first doctor who i watched in a long time!
Rating:
Summary: "Diamonds and Rubies not valuable?"
Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy writer, Douglass Adams, wrote this, the 2nd story in the "Key to Time" adventures. Set after "The Ribos Operation", The Doctor and Romana land on Zanak. Zanak is not your run-of-the-mill planet. The whole planet is a giant ship which can go anywhere in the universe. Zanak is hollow, so another smaller planet can fit inside of Zanak and they mine the inner planet. The first doctor who i watched in a long time!
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite Hitchhiker's but...
Review: The late Douglas Adams wrote three scripts for the classic English sci-fi serial Dr. Who. Speaking as a fan of both the writer and the series, I hate to admit that the combination of the two never quite jelled. While both approached science fiction from a refreshingly English point of the view (i.e., none of the painfully serious, pompous preaching that have basically made the various incarnations of Star Trek, for me, unwatchable), Dr. Who was always -- at heart -- a rather earnest enterprise and that idealism was an uneasy mix with Adams' more pythonesque sense of the absurd. As a result, all of Adams' scripts ended up playing more like a slightly toned down version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and less like Dr. Who. However, this is not to say that Adams' scripts didn't have their charms. When taken on their own terms, they are actually some of the most entertaining stories told over Dr. Who's lengthy run.The Pirate Planet was Adams' first script for Dr. Who and -- if rather underappreciated at the time -- it probably holds up the best. The Doctor (played, in his fourth incarnation, by Tom Baker) and his companion, Romana (played by the very classy and lovely Mary Tamm) -- while searching for the second segment of the all-powerful Key to Time -- run across a hollow planet-turned-spaceship that is ruled by the occasionally buffoonish but thoroughly evil Captian (played by Bruce Purchase who manages to be both hilarious and evil at the same time) who basically spends his time using his hollow planet to plunder the valuable minerals of other, less-hollow planets (of course, these other planets are destroyed in the process but these things happen...) Its actually a rather clever story and -- even if his script is heavy with his trademark humor -- Adams also managed to keep the threat of the villians entirely credible and so, even if the story is full of silliness, it never actually becomes silly itself. As for the humor, this episode actually contains some of Adams' funniest lines. Luckily, Baker and Purchase were obviously pros when it came to delivering over-the-top comic dialouge and Mary Tamm's own regal bearing and distinguished air brings just the right amount of class to the absurdity on screen. If you're not familiar with Dr. Who, the Pirate Planet is probably not the best introduction to the series. However, fans of the series will probably enjoy the Pirate Planet's change of pace and this is definitely a must have for fans of Douglas Adams curious to see what he was doing when he wasn't following Arthur Dent across the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite Hitchhiker's but...
Review: The late Douglas Adams wrote three scripts for the classic English sci-fi serial Dr. Who. Speaking as a fan of both the writer and the series, I hate to admit that the combination of the two never quite jelled. While both approached science fiction from a refreshingly English point of the view (i.e., none of the painfully serious, pompous preaching that have basically made the various incarnations of Star Trek, for me, unwatchable), Dr. Who was always -- at heart -- a rather earnest enterprise and that idealism was an uneasy mix with Adams' more pythonesque sense of the absurd. As a result, all of Adams' scripts ended up playing more like a slightly toned down version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and less like Dr. Who. However, this is not to say that Adams' scripts didn't have their charms. When taken on their own terms, they are actually some of the most entertaining stories told over Dr. Who's lengthy run. The Pirate Planet was Adams' first script for Dr. Who and -- if rather underappreciated at the time -- it probably holds up the best. The Doctor (played, in his fourth incarnation, by Tom Baker) and his companion, Romana (played by the very classy and lovely Mary Tamm) -- while searching for the second segment of the all-powerful Key to Time -- run across a hollow planet-turned-spaceship that is ruled by the occasionally buffoonish but thoroughly evil Captian (played by Bruce Purchase who manages to be both hilarious and evil at the same time) who basically spends his time using his hollow planet to plunder the valuable minerals of other, less-hollow planets (of course, these other planets are destroyed in the process but these things happen...) Its actually a rather clever story and -- even if his script is heavy with his trademark humor -- Adams also managed to keep the threat of the villians entirely credible and so, even if the story is full of silliness, it never actually becomes silly itself. As for the humor, this episode actually contains some of Adams' funniest lines. Luckily, Baker and Purchase were obviously pros when it came to delivering over-the-top comic dialouge and Mary Tamm's own regal bearing and distinguished air brings just the right amount of class to the absurdity on screen. If you're not familiar with Dr. Who, the Pirate Planet is probably not the best introduction to the series. However, fans of the series will probably enjoy the Pirate Planet's change of pace and this is definitely a must have for fans of Douglas Adams curious to see what he was doing when he wasn't following Arthur Dent across the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Rated 4.5 -- excellent story
Review: The Pirate Planet (DVD) is one of my picks of Baker shows and not because of the story being by Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). It doesn't drag, there is plenty of plot, and it holds my attention. Well, we'll overlook a few set problems, but that's Doctor Who.
Rating:
Summary: "Ah, back to sanity."
Review: THE PIRATE PLANET must count as one of the Doctor Who stories with the highest number of total deaths. Untold trillions of people are killed, countless civilizations are completely wiped out, and genocide occurs multiple times - and this is even before the opening credits have run. Strangely enough, with all of this death, destruction and mayhem in the background, the story that follows is a goofy and silly Douglas Adams script that bounces between slapstick gags, silly one-liners, and hilarious dialog. There's a serious undertone to the story (horrific, if one really pays attention), but somehow it never really overshadows the humor. Bruce Purchase has the thankless task of playing a villain who actually has a legitimate reason for being a seemingly over-the-top, screaming, raving lunatic. His Pirate Captain plays very well off of Andrew Robertson's Mr. Fibuli, and the two of them make for hilarious viewing no matter what else happens to be going on in the scene. The Captain's dialog is particularly wonderful, and Purchase obviously relishes the task of stomping through the BBC sets screaming such energetic nonsense. "By the left frontal lobe of the Sky Demon", indeed. "Obliterable!" The balance between drama and comedy becomes a little strained at times, with the story not quite knowing which direction to go. The example that leaps to mind is the Doctor's passionate confrontation with the Pirate Captain as he expresses the absolute horror at the destruction that has been unleashed. And the moment his speech is over, Tom Baker goes straight back to into ham mode. It's been said that surrounding the sudden seriousness with humor (as these sequence did) helps to emphasize the horror that the Doctor feels, but I just don't see it. It's a stunning moment that's striking in spite of the surrounding humor, not because of it. Individually, a lot of the pieces are quite good, but not all of them gel together.
There are several aspects of the plot that don't really make much sense under scrutiny. The ending is a bit of a problem with the conclusion boiling down to a few twists of the TARDIS controls solving all the problems. The dramatic battle between the two ships attempting materialization in episode four would have been a more satisfying conclusion, but unfortunately there are too many loose ends left dangling, so the plot must continue on for quite a while afterwards. It's a pity that there isn't a little more drama, though overall it doesn't make the adventure that much less enjoyable. One can see that Douglas Adams hadn't quite yet got the hang of writing for Doctor Who's format; of the three cliffhangers, only the conclusion to episode three carries any sort of dramatic weight. The other two seemingly appear out of nowhere, with hardly any build up at all. Still, the main question is whether the story was entertaining or not. And that is the main thing that THE PIRATE PLANET does well. Whether it's watching the Doctor claim credit for the discoveries of Isaac Newton, or boggling at the sheer scale of Douglas Adams' imagination, this adventure does a lot of things right. The dialog is nice and snappy, with Tom Baker's antics containing more positives than negatives. Even the pieces that don't make a lot of sense are amusing to watch. The story marches ahead confidently, defying logic or reason. Maybe it's a matter of style over substance, but Douglas Adams had quite a lot of style. It may be madness, but it's madness that is hugely entertaining to behold. The DVD commentary from actor Bruce Purchase and director Bernard Roberts is more restrained than that of Tom Baker and Mary Tamm in the previous serial (THE RIBOS OPERATION), but what it lacks in pure entertainment it makes up for in its informative nature. Purchase is particularly amusing - after one of the Pirate Captain's more explosive outbursts, he quietly asks Roberts if he managed to hear that all right. The production notes feature on this disc is particularly noteworthy, giving us details about what the original Douglas Adams script was like and how it evolved as it reached the production stage. That initial script certainly seemed to be more Hitchhiker's Guide based, with little tidbits in it such as Queen Xanxia being sold the time dams by a corrupt and collapsing mega-corporation, and Mr. Fibuli wryly noting near the end that the newest "Golden Age of Prosperity" was occurring mere days after the previous one. Once again, the Doctor Who DVDs give us picture and sound quality that is far greater than other comparable television discs on the market. Another tradition being kept is the strange desire to feature extremely boring film clip extras. I'm not sure who would be interested in seeing the zombie Mentiads marching and attacking the Captain's Guards without the aid of special effects, but I suppose someone must be. Of course, these extras (along with the Who's Who and Photo Gallery) are just that - extras. And they certainly can't detract from what is a great disc.
Rating:
Summary: "Ah, back to sanity."
Review: THE PIRATE PLANET must count as one of the Doctor Who stories with the highest number of total deaths. Untold trillions of people are killed, countless civilizations are completely wiped out, and genocide occurs multiple times - and this is even before the opening credits have run. Strangely enough, with all of this death, destruction and mayhem in the background, the story that follows is a goofy and silly Douglas Adams script that bounces between slapstick gags, silly one-liners, and hilarious dialog. There's a serious undertone to the story (horrific, if one really pays attention), but somehow it never really overshadows the humor. Bruce Purchase has the thankless task of playing a villain who actually has a legitimate reason for being a seemingly over-the-top, screaming, raving lunatic. His Pirate Captain plays very well off of Andrew Robertson's Mr. Fibuli, and the two of them make for hilarious viewing no matter what else happens to be going on in the scene. The Captain's dialog is particularly wonderful, and Purchase obviously relishes the task of stomping through the BBC sets screaming such energetic nonsense. "By the left frontal lobe of the Sky Demon", indeed. "Obliterable!" The balance between drama and comedy becomes a little strained at times, with the story not quite knowing which direction to go. The example that leaps to mind is the Doctor's passionate confrontation with the Pirate Captain as he expresses the absolute horror at the destruction that has been unleashed. And the moment his speech is over, Tom Baker goes straight back to into ham mode. It's been said that surrounding the sudden seriousness with humor (as these sequence did) helps to emphasize the horror that the Doctor feels, but I just don't see it. It's a stunning moment that's striking in spite of the surrounding humor, not because of it. Individually, a lot of the pieces are quite good, but not all of them gel together.
There are several aspects of the plot that don't really make much sense under scrutiny. The ending is a bit of a problem with the conclusion boiling down to a few twists of the TARDIS controls solving all the problems. The dramatic battle between the two ships attempting materialization in episode four would have been a more satisfying conclusion, but unfortunately there are too many loose ends left dangling, so the plot must continue on for quite a while afterwards. It's a pity that there isn't a little more drama, though overall it doesn't make the adventure that much less enjoyable. One can see that Douglas Adams hadn't quite yet got the hang of writing for Doctor Who's format; of the three cliffhangers, only the conclusion to episode three carries any sort of dramatic weight. The other two seemingly appear out of nowhere, with hardly any build up at all. Still, the main question is whether the story was entertaining or not. And that is the main thing that THE PIRATE PLANET does well. Whether it's watching the Doctor claim credit for the discoveries of Isaac Newton, or boggling at the sheer scale of Douglas Adams' imagination, this adventure does a lot of things right. The dialog is nice and snappy, with Tom Baker's antics containing more positives than negatives. Even the pieces that don't make a lot of sense are amusing to watch. The story marches ahead confidently, defying logic or reason. Maybe it's a matter of style over substance, but Douglas Adams had quite a lot of style. It may be madness, but it's madness that is hugely entertaining to behold. The DVD commentary from actor Bruce Purchase and director Bernard Roberts is more restrained than that of Tom Baker and Mary Tamm in the previous serial (THE RIBOS OPERATION), but what it lacks in pure entertainment it makes up for in its informative nature. Purchase is particularly amusing - after one of the Pirate Captain's more explosive outbursts, he quietly asks Roberts if he managed to hear that all right. The production notes feature on this disc is particularly noteworthy, giving us details about what the original Douglas Adams script was like and how it evolved as it reached the production stage. That initial script certainly seemed to be more Hitchhiker's Guide based, with little tidbits in it such as Queen Xanxia being sold the time dams by a corrupt and collapsing mega-corporation, and Mr. Fibuli wryly noting near the end that the newest "Golden Age of Prosperity" was occurring mere days after the previous one. Once again, the Doctor Who DVDs give us picture and sound quality that is far greater than other comparable television discs on the market. Another tradition being kept is the strange desire to feature extremely boring film clip extras. I'm not sure who would be interested in seeing the zombie Mentiads marching and attacking the Captain's Guards without the aid of special effects, but I suppose someone must be. Of course, these extras (along with the Who's Who and Photo Gallery) are just that - extras. And they certainly can't detract from what is a great disc.
Rating:
Summary: BRUCE PURCHASE IS A CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO VILLIAN.
Review: THE PIRATE PLANET starring Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and Bruce Purchase is a classic story. The real actor in this adventure that made a classic, was actor Bruce Purchase who did a great performance of portraying Android Long John Silver The Captain. It was truly he who made THE PIRATE PLANET a classic. The make-up of Purchase is exellent and very well done. This is the kind of Doctor Who adventure that fans will remeber for years to come. In 1978 when this episode was broadcasted after THE RIBOS OPERATION and THE INVASION OF TIME, they should sold action figures of The Captain. This story also acts like if it is a LEGO adventure especially where the story is set. A brief look into this classic tale: The Doctor (Baker) and his companion Romana (Played by the topless beauty Mary Tamm) with dog KG (John Leeson - Blake's 7) are still travelling through time and space inside the TARDIS where they are searching for the next key of time. Where they land on a planet only to discover it is ruled by a android pirate named The Captain (Purchase in a exellent performance, they discover that the pirate planet is hollow and has the ability to materialize. Need to say more about the plot by anyway, if you're a fan of Doctor Who or Bruce Purchase then add this to you're collection.
Rating:
Summary: Has anyone seen a video called The Pirate Planet?
Review: The second story of the Key To Time series, The Pirate Planet, is a winner just like its predecessor, The Ribos Operation. In the opening titles for every episode, the viewer will notice that the writer is Douglas Adams. Yes, it is THAT Douglas Adams, who was taken away from us this summer, so the viewer will know what to expect. The dialogue here is superb as a result, especially those of the Doctor, Pirate Captain, Romana, and Mr. Fibuli. Example: the Doctor while jetting from one end of a corridor to another via a linear induction corridor: "I'll never be cruel to an electron in a particle accelerator again!" And he makes an entrance on the bridge, with a rapid fire introduction delivered to Mr. Fibuli. "Hello, I'm the Doctor. I've heard what a wonderful chap you are. I see you've met my assistant Romana. Getting on like a house on fire, are we? What a splendid place you have here!" Calufrax is the destination of the second segment of the Key, but somehow, the TARDIS lands on Zanak, a planet that somehow occupies the coordinates of Calufrax. The planet is ruled by the Captain, a big yelling bully of a pirate whose entire left side is mechanical, all due to when he crashed his vessel on Zanak long ago. But what exactly is he up to? The truth later becomes apparent, as he and Romana have "stumbled upon one of the most heinous crimes in the Galaxy." There's a silly moment where the Doctor steals an aircar by tossing a bag of jellybabies on the hood of the aircar, distracting the guard with a trail of jellybabies, and then taking off, waving bye to the guard. Tom Baker gets upstaged here as he did in The Ribos Operation, but only once. His attempts to contact the citizens of Zanak as to the whereabouts of the planet Calufrax come to naught, as they either ignore or run away from him as if he is deranged. "Excuse me, have any of you seen a planet called Calufrax? 14,000 kilometers wide, oblate spheroid?" Exasperated, he spreads his arms out and yells, "Has anyone seen a planet called Calufrax?" To add insult to injury, Romana succeeds in striking a conversation with a citizen of Zanak on her first try. However, he does burst into the house of Balaton and says, pop eyes and all, "Excuse me. Are you sure this planet is supposed to be here?" Bruce Purchase is well-cast as the shouting Captain, and like Garron in Ribos, has a fair share of good lines. "Find him and destroy him, or by all the suns that blaze, I'll tear you apart... molecule for molecule." That is followed by a silly, insane giggle. He works best with his first mate, the timid and bookish Mr. Fibuli. "Excellent, Mr. Fibuli. Your death will be delayed." Fibuli says, "Oh, thank you again and again, sir. Your goodness confounds me." And his oaths: "By the left frontal lobe of the Sky Demon", "by the great parrot of Hades." Silly silly silly! Mary Tamm shines again as Romana. When ordered to get into an air car by a guard, she says, "I'll take that as an invitation." She hands him her telescope, thanking him, and as she's getting in, asks, "Will you drive? I assume you know where we're going." All of this said in an unruffled, dignified, but casual manner. Now that's class! Her outfit consists of white slacks, heels, and blouse, over which she wears a pink tunic. And her hair, parted in the middle, is a wave of curls framing her classic features. By the spleen of the Sky Demon, another shining story in the Doctor Who canon!
Rating:
Summary: "They slammed him to the wall with good vibrations?"
Review: This adventure, penned no less by Douglas Adams, is a zany, over the top romp. It has lots of inexplicable technobabble, machines and gadgets with absurdly long names and a blustering cyborg pirate Captain, complete with robot parrot. It's also lots of fun! With Douglas Adams you know to expect it to be completely over the top, and he certainly delivers! The second story in the Key to Time series has the Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive at the exact moment in space and time they are supposed to - but the wrong planet! The plot of the story is not really feasible sci-fi; many of the concepts are incomprehensible and sometimes downright silly. But the story is so enjoyable, who cares? Everyone looks as though they're having fun; some of the characters are plain and bland, but the Captain and Mr Fibuli are an excellent pairing. I also love the close-up on the Polyphase Avatron when K9 appears on the bridge's monitor! Despite its deliberate humour, "The Pirate Planet" has its serious moments. I don't think I've ever seen Tom Baker's Doctor so passionate when he confronts the Captain about the immorality of his actions in episode three. The story also has plenty of pace and an exciting, tension filled final episode. It's terrific!
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