Doctor Who (TV Series) Inferno: Episode 2 (1970) User Reviews

"We'll have a hell of a job keeping this quiet." I can sense padding already...

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 2 July 2007]

Doctor Who: Inferno: Episode 2 starts as coolant is pumped to the drills & the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) manages to decrease the nuclear reactors power averting the immediate crisis. Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) is left with a dead Harry Slocum (Walter Randall) who the Doctor says was metamorphosing into some creature, he also has to try & please the man in charge Professor Stahlman (Olaf Pooley) who wants the Doctor removed & considers him a threat to his plan & then there's the small matter of what that green slime is...

This Doctor Who adventure was episode 20 from season 7 that originally aired here in the UK during May 1970, directed by Douglas Camfield (who was latter replaced by producer Barry Letts who directed the studio work for episodes 3 - 7 when Camfield became ill) this is shaping up nicely. The script by Don Houghton is moving along at a sedate pace as it's obvious there's a bit of padding here and there to accommodate the mammoth seven parts, however the story is intriguing enough to retain my interest & hopefully all this build up & scene setting will result in a more satisfying climax to the story. This is a good story so far but over the first two episodes not that much has actually happened something that would be unthinkable in the 2007 series. Still this remains good clean sci-fi fun & provides plenty of entertainment.

There's not really been anything that scary or exciting so far as Inferno has been pretty exposition heavy to this point. Did you know that Sheila Dunn who played Petra was in fact the wife of director Camfield? Well, now you do.

Inferno: Episode 2 is part of a greater thing so while on it's own isn't anything special is part of what is shaping up to be a classic Doctor Who story.

A fantastic second part with a great fight scene.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 24 August 2015]

Another murdered man is discovered, and an affected Harry bursts in....

The coolant flows halting the danger of the reactor. Harry is dealt with, but radiates a lot of heat. The Doctor recalls hearing the noises in Krakatoa. Something is turning people into mad green killers, the Doctor has to deal with an attack. The computer system is giving some worrying messages, which Stahlman chooses to ignore, he and the Doctor clash, as a result power to the Doctor's TARDIS project is cut. Stahlman has handled a jar containing the Green slime found on the drill, and has removed a component from the computer and destroys it. The Doctor manages to power up the Console and take off.

The stunt involving Wyatt and the Doctor is superbly done, it looks realistic, it's funny it looks more modern and realistic then similar stunts done in the show years later.

Sometimes with a 6 or 7 parter there can be an early dip. Fortunately not here, this is another exceptional part with absolutely no flaws.

Olaf Pooley is putting in a particularly powerful performance as Stahlman, he's very much up to the Doctor and the Brig.

Very impressed with Part 2, all as it should be this is a brilliant episode. 10/10

Hot stuff!

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 21 September 2014]

Review of all 7 episodes:

Inferno has a tremendous reputation and that is very well deserved, it is fabulous in almost every way. The brilliance of the story, script and acting is clear throughout and particularly in the famous portion of the story which involves an alternative reality with fascist versions of the Brigadier, Liz, Benton and guest characters. This highly entertaining aspect of the story brings out fantastic performances from Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John as villainous versions of their regular characters. When this alternative reality is brought in, it is Doctor Who at its truly magnificent best.

The story involves a scientific project lead by Professor Stahlman to drill through the earth's crust which runs into trouble due to Stahlman's refusal to slow down or take precautions and due to a mysterious green substance coming from underground which causes physical and mental changes to those who touch it. The Doctor throws in a whole new dimension - literally - when he accidentally causes the TARDIS console to transport him to a parallel universe where the same scenario is occurring but in a fascist Britain.

The entire script is superb, intelligent and believable with great dialogue delivered perfectly by the whole cast. Pertwee, Courtney and Caroline John are at their very best throughout whilst John Levene not only fully establishes Benton as an extremely good regular character he also plays the fascist version of Benton with gusto. There are great realistic guest characters played to perfection. Olaf Pooley (Stahlman), Christopher Benjamin (Sir Keith), Sheila Dunn (Petra Williams) and Derek Newark (Greg Sutton) could not be better. The story has a nice gritty, grown up science fiction feel but also has bags of action, stunts, thrills and fun.

The plot thread where people touch a substance emanating from beneath the Earth's crust and turn into werewolf-like creatures known as 'primords' is the least impressive aspect of the story in my opinion and even that is very entertaining. At first I disliked the primords subplot but after repeated viewings I realised it makes more sense than it first appeared. The substance affects the people physically and mentally at different rates depending on how much they touch. It drives them to seek extreme heat and to try to achieve the penetration of the earth's crust. They use the knowledge they had before being affected to help them. It is actually a fun idea providing a lot of thrills but the make-up effects were limited by the age and budget. That does not detract from the quality of this really fantastic story which I would put easily in my top 15 or 20 stories of all time. It is a true classic.

The vast majority of this 7 parter is truly special and it deserves the huge praise it receives.

My Ratings: All 7 Episodes - 10/10

Season 7 Review:

Season 7 was the biggest change in the show's history. A new colour presentation instead of black and white. A new Doctor with a very different persona. A new format with fewer stories which generally had more episodes. A new concentration on contemporary Earth. A new team helping the Doctor with the extensive use of UNIT. This all worked terrifically well thanks to the incredible writing, acting and production. It simply is one of the best seasons of Doctor Who (both classic and new series) of all time. Near perfect magic.

Season 7 average rating: 9.34/10