The TARDIS brings the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem to Tibet in 1917 where an ancient evil is stirring deep within the heart of the Himalayas.
The TARDIS brings the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem to Tibet in 1917 where an ancient evil is stirring deep within the heart of the Himalayas.
THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
The 2004 range of past Doctor releases continued with a script by longtime professional fan Adrian Rigelsford, who was generally more famous for the things he didn’t do (The Dark Dimension) than those that he did. As you might expect from someone with a long-term love of the program, The Roof of the World is very traditional — but Rigelsford goes the extra step with his treatment of the regulars, turning an average plot into a very strong story.
The loudest criticism of The Roof of the World I’ve heard sounds something like this: “It’s exactly the same as The Abominable Snowmen!” I’ve never been able to figure out quite why a story is bad if it’s similar to one of Doctor Who’s most beloved television serials — perhaps if this script was derivative of Timelash, the complaint could be made. To be fair, the basics of the plot are somewhat lacking: the Old Ones who lurk behind the scenes as the bad guys don’t really do anything. Sure, there’s a great deal of yelling about how dangerous they are, but even the Doctor sarcastically puts them down without any sense of danger. The ending is unimpressive as well — these monsters are defeated almost as easily as the Cybermen in The Harvest.
However, Rigelsford makes up for his plot weaknesses with some wonderful atmospheric writing. The setting is brilliantly captured — especially impressive given the small cast — and the author’s treatment of the colonial period actually shows that it had some positive elements. With the constant, harsh (and often deserved) condemnation of the colonial ethic throughout Doctor Who’s history, it’s nice to see a story showing real, sympathetic people involved. Rigelsford also has an easy grasp of his characters: much of the first episode is lighthearted and easygoing, and it’s nice to hear the characters getting along without sounding forced. Indeed, the quieter scenes here are the best: the final lines, especially, are particularly effective.
After a strangely weak performance in The Axis of Insanity, Peter Davison returns to form here with some exceptional acting. We get to see the character having fun as well as demonstrating emotional intensity: his speech overheard at Erimem’s “funeral” is heartbreaking. Furthermore, his performance as the false Doctor in the scene with Peri is amazingly subtle: there’s just enough wrong with the character to communicate that something is wrong but it’s not immediately obvious. This is something I would have loved to see on television: the Doctor sounds much like he did in Black Orchid, a refreshing story in its own right.
BF has been developing Peri as a character to some small extent: she’s not nearly as whiny and helpless as she appeared on television — making one wonder when she’s going to revert — but compare this to The Axis of Insanity to see how one author can get it and another cannot. Rather than being obnoxious and bitchy, here she’s simply strong-willed — of course, she still makes some stupid decisions, but if that ever stopped it’d be a different character entirely. Nicola Bryant’s performance is strong as well, and she does much better with the accent than in her previous appearance.
The focus of much of the story, though, is on Erimem — indeed, the entire second episode concerns itself with Davey’s interrogation of her within her own mind. This allows the audience to see her vulnerable side, something which distinguishes her quite sharply from Leela — and Caroline Morris’s performance is excellent and quite poignant. Rigelsford also captures the Peri/Erimem relationship well; rather than the annoying sorority-sister impression I got from the previous play, here their interactions seem very friendly and natural.
Edward de Souza, distinguished as the only actor to lead in a Doctor Who story without playing the Doctor, returns to the fold here as Davey, and his performance is excellent. As with many older actors, he possesses a gravelly voice which is easily made menacing, and he nearly steals all his scenes. William Franklyn is effective in the role of Erimem’s father, while Sylvester Morand lends a quiet dignity to the role of the blowhard General Bruce. Alan Cox rounds out the cast, nicely exasperated with Bruce in the role of John Matthews.
The production is up to the usual standard, with Gareth Jenkins providing excellent design work. Perhaps the only flaw is the filter put on Caroline Morris’s voice when Erimem is possessed — it’s a bit too cliched and ineffective. Russell Stone’s music is, of course, brilliant, and matches the more casual tone of the script. And with the stronger material comes stronger direction from Gary Russell — the actors all sound as though they’re enjoying every minute of the performance.
The Roof of the World seems to be yet another one of those stories which is condemned for the crime of being too traditional, something which I cannot understand. Yes, the plot has its flaws, but with the work that’s done here on helping to develop the various characters, coupled with a fine atmosphere, it’s hard to bring this script in for too much criticism. A solid entry in the Doctor Who canon and one worth listening to.
7/10