Doctor Who (TV Series) Inferno: Episode 4 (1970) User Reviews

"Before the day is over I want him liquidated." Classic Pertwee story.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 2 July 2007]

Doctor Who: Inferno: Episode 4 starts as the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is saved from being shot by the alternate Liz Shaw (Caroline John) in the parallel universe, after unsuccessfully being interrogated he is taken to the cells. There he manages to escape & disguised in a radiation suit sneaks back inside the facility just as the drill is about to penetrate the Earth's crust & release forces which could destroy the entire planet, the Doctor is unmasked trying to shut the drill down & Professor Stahlman (Olaf Pooley) has had enough of his meddling so points at gun at him & prepares to shoot...

This Doctor Who adventure was episode 22 from season 7 & originally aired here in the UK during May 1970, directed by Douglas Camfield who was replaced by producer Barry Letts for episodes 3 to 7 when he became ill this is a great story plain & simple. The script by Don Houghton is very much rooted in science fact as much as science fiction, secret Government facilities used for drilling to the center of the Earth for new power sources isn't beyond the realms of possibility & the parallel universe thing has been used many times before in all sorts of sci-fi. Inferno takes itself pretty seriously compared with later Doctor Who adventures & all the better for it, this story has a certain edge to it & isn't as silly as some Doctor Who stories. I really liked the banter between the Doctor & his fascist evil captors & how he was slowly bringing some of them round to his thinking. Things are still coming along nicely & the plot is still interesting & fun, overall Inferno is really rather good so far & I'm definitely not bored with it yet.

So far there hasn't been a great number of effects, just some of the usual poor looking CSO (Colour Speration Overlay) to combine a studio bound set with a shot of an exterior location & the mutants who are just guys with green painted faces & hairy hands.

Inferno: Episode 4 has kept the story going nicely without giving everything away, this is a top story from classic era & I'm looking forward to Episode 5...

No dip, no padding, Part 4 is an excellent continuation.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 24 August 2015]

On the parallel world the Doctor is attempting to repair the computer, despite Benton's efforts to stop him, after success the computer gives more worrying signs. Stahlman is feeling ever increasing effects from touching the jar. Liz and Lethbridge Stewart interrogate the Doctor, trying to discover where he's from etc. Naturally they fail, but the Doctor discovers Stahlman is infected. The Doctor is placed in prison, but next to him lay someone with a green hand. The Doctor manages to break free, and to witness the penetration to the Earth's core....

I cannot believe that the pace of the story has been maintained throughout, is this the serial that proves 7 part stories can actually work?

Caroline John has been particularly good again, I thought the interrogation of the Doctor was fantastically done, bot her and Nick gave such different sides to their characters.

Part 4 is a brilliant continuation, i've enjoyed start to finish, the cliffhanger at the end is amazing, there is so much going on, it's been fantastic, role on part 5.

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