Doctor Who: Castrovalva: Part 4 starts as the Doctor (Peter Davison), Tegan, (Janet Fielding) & Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) realise they are are trapped in Castrovalva & that the entire place is one big space time trap, they must find a way out of Castrovalva before it folds in on itself completely while the evil Master (Anthony Ainley) who created Castrovalva & everything in it as a huge trap for the Doctor will do everything he can to stop them leaving...
This Doctor Who adventure was episode 4 from season 19 that aired here in the UK during early 1982 & was Peter Davison's first story as the Doctor, directed by Fiona Cumming I didn't like Castrovalva that much. The script by Christopher H. Bidmead certainly tries something different with an artificially created city that exists purely as a trap for the Doctor, unfortunately it takes until Part 3 to get to this part of the script while up to that point Castrovalva had mostly been set entirely in the TARDIS without the Doctor having to do much. By the end of this episode he was pretty much back to his eccentric self & the pace picks up considerably so I'll rate Part 4 one star more than the previous three episodes. The twist that I have been predicting has indeed gone to plan & I'd have been more surprised if it hadn't to be honest plus the final confrontation between the Master & the Doctor felt rushed almost as if the makers deliberately kept it back as long as they could to stretch the twist right to the end of the final episode.
I'd say there was nothing scary or creepy in Castrovalva at all & there weren't any monsters or aliens either. By the end of Part 4 I was starting to warm to Davison as he finally snaps out being in a half awake state which was annoying me no end. I must also mention the supporting cast the male members of which all seem to sport some fine looking handlebar moustache's & then there's the head-wear they have on, one looks like he has a lampshade on his head! I quite liked the incidental music to Castrovalva though.
Castrovalva over it's four episodes only gets 4 stars out of 10 from me & I consider myself a Doctor Who fan, I've got nothing against Davison but I thought this story lacked fun & didn't entertain me that much. Not the best of starts to the Davison era I'm afraid...
This Doctor Who adventure was episode 4 from season 19 that aired here in the UK during early 1982 & was Peter Davison's first story as the Doctor, directed by Fiona Cumming I didn't like Castrovalva that much. The script by Christopher H. Bidmead certainly tries something different with an artificially created city that exists purely as a trap for the Doctor, unfortunately it takes until Part 3 to get to this part of the script while up to that point Castrovalva had mostly been set entirely in the TARDIS without the Doctor having to do much. By the end of this episode he was pretty much back to his eccentric self & the pace picks up considerably so I'll rate Part 4 one star more than the previous three episodes. The twist that I have been predicting has indeed gone to plan & I'd have been more surprised if it hadn't to be honest plus the final confrontation between the Master & the Doctor felt rushed almost as if the makers deliberately kept it back as long as they could to stretch the twist right to the end of the final episode.
I'd say there was nothing scary or creepy in Castrovalva at all & there weren't any monsters or aliens either. By the end of Part 4 I was starting to warm to Davison as he finally snaps out being in a half awake state which was annoying me no end. I must also mention the supporting cast the male members of which all seem to sport some fine looking handlebar moustache's & then there's the head-wear they have on, one looks like he has a lampshade on his head! I quite liked the incidental music to Castrovalva though.
Castrovalva over it's four episodes only gets 4 stars out of 10 from me & I consider myself a Doctor Who fan, I've got nothing against Davison but I thought this story lacked fun & didn't entertain me that much. Not the best of starts to the Davison era I'm afraid...