Doctor Who (TV Series) Inferno: Episode 3 (1970) User Reviews

This is starting to get really good.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 2 July 2007]

Doctor Who: Inferno: Episode 3 starts as the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is transported to an alternate parallel dimension where is promptly arrested & taken to Platoon Leader Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) for interrogation, the Doctor quickly realises that he is stuck in an alternate universe & while they aren't completely the same theirs & ours are very similar. Lethbridge Stewart is convinced the Doctor is a spy & sets about arranging a firing squad to execute him, then something goes wrong with the drilling process which could cause a nuclear explosion that might kill everyone...

This Doctor Who adventure was episode 21 from season 7 & originally aired here in the UK during May 1970, directed by Douglas Camfield who fell ill & was replaced by producer Barry Letts for the studio filming on episodes 3 to 7 this is a top story from a good season. The script by Don Houghton is really starting to get going here as the Doctor is thrown into a parallel fascist run world & meets his assistant Liz (Caroline John) who is now a Nazi style guard with an outfit to go with it. The story is intriguing & is holding my interest, this is the point when all the build up & scene setting start to pay off with a satisfying plot involving character's you care about. I'm still not sure about the mammoth seven parts but if the final four episodes are as good as the first three then that won't be a problem & I can't wait for Episode 4.

I'm not sure about the clothes here with Liz dressed in a Nazi style uniform complete with mini skirt & knee boots along with Lethbridge Stewart who wears a stupid looking eye patch in the parallel world. The mutant side of the story seems to have taken a back seat here although someones hand is turning green... I really like the opening credits here as well as the title, writer & episode number are displayed against stock footage of a roaring volcano.

Inferno: Episode 3 has really kick started this story & it's shaping up to be the classic adventure that so many claim it is.

Note to nu Who, this is how you do a parallel Earth story.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 24 August 2015]

After stealing power from the drilling project, the Doctor has managed to take off with the TARDIS console. Stahlman is starting to feel the early effects of touching the jar. The Doctor wakes up, but all is not as it should be, UNIT are shooting at him and Liz has had a makeover and a personality transplant, as has Brigade Leader Lethbridge Stewart. The Doctor realises he's slipped through to a parallel world, where the Royals have been executed and Britain is now a Republic. Central Records discover the Doctor does not exist, so he's sentenced to death.

This episode does not hang around at all, it moves along at a hell of a pace, not one second of Inferno has been flat or boring.

I've recently watched nu Who story Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel, it doesn't hold a candle to Inferno, which boasts a much better realised Parallel world.

I'm not sure if i'm right or not, but Sutton in the parallel world is paler then in the normal one. No sun tan....

A real chance for Carrie John to shine through, she makes the most of playing her other self, as does Nick Courtney.

What a truly wonderful idea to carry out the darkest of plots on a parallel Earth, this is so clever, it's a fantastic episode. The outstanding standard is maintained, wonderful!! 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