Doctor Who - Image of the Fendahl Reviews

Rating		Votes
10	8%	6
9	11%	9
8	27%	21
7	34%	27
6	13%	10
5	4%	3
4	4%	3
3	0%	0
2	0%	0
1	0%	0
Average Rating 7.4
Votes 79

Synopsis

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide

An anachronistic twelve-million-year-old human skull has been discovered by archaeologists and is now being used by Professor Fendelman in his time scanner experiments at Fetch Priory in contemporary England. The skull is actually an artifact of the Fendahl, an ancient creature that feeds on the life force of others.

Drawn by the operation of the scanner, the Doctor and Leela arrive as the experiments reach a peak. The skull is exerting an influence over the mind of Thea Ransome, one of the scientists in Fendelman's team, and glowing with power each time the scanner is activated. Thea is eventually transformed into the Fendahl core, and a group of acolytes assembled by Maximillian Stael - another of Fendelman's team, who is trying to harness the creature's power for his own ends - are converted into snake-like Fendahleen.

The Doctor shows the remaining scientist, Adam Colby, and two locals, Martha Tyler and her son Jack, how to defend themselves against the Fendahleen using rock salt. By activating the scanner once more, he triggers an implosion that destroys both the Priory and the Fendahl core.

Has Prerequisite Story

0 out of 16 (0.0%) raters say this story requires a previous story.

Extended Ratings

Plot

6.7

(23)

Acting

7.7

(22)

Effects

7.2

(22)

Replay

6.6

(23)

4th Doctor

K-9 Mark I

Leela

Fendahl

Cast

The Doctor - Tom Baker

Leela - Louise Jameson

Dr. Fendelman - Denis Lill

Maximillian Stael - Scott Fredericks

Thea Ransome - Wanda Ventham

Adam Colby - Edward Arthur

Martha Tyler - Daphne Heard

Jack Tyler - Geoffrey Hinsliff

Ted Moss - Edward Evans

David Mitchell - Derek Martin

Hiker - Graham Simpson

Director:

George Spenton-Foster

Writer:

Chris Boucher

Reviews

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Doctor Who

Classic TV Series

Image of the Fendahl

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Reviewed By: TCar96Review Date: 7/31/16 8:31 pm

0 out of 1 found this review helpful.

It's staggering to imagine to the Doctor Who viewer of 1977, their years viewing commenced with Chris Boucher's great Face of Evil and Robots of Death before topping off with Talons of Weng-Chiang. By the end of the year, following the summer break, Chris Boucher returns to pen another gothic yarn with Leela. Wonders to come, right?

Unfortunately not, I can only parrot adamelijah's review that this is Doctor Who at its most safe, playing to the audience and seemingly too terrified to place a foot wrong. Its tough to remember much of note that stood out (for better or worse - certainly something that can't be levied about TIE!). It's our third nondescript BGM in a row; second lazy use of makeup and second time using the location of Pyramids of Mars - only to the detrimental effect of fostering dejavu of seasons past. The Quatermassesque role fulfilled by the scientists was better done in the Pertwee years and two years after Terror of the Zygons, 'it was 1977' holds little weight as a defence of the lazy work done on the Fendahl - a conceptual behemoth, sidelined by what appears to be Pigbin Josh's distant relative.

Despite some great concepts and the odd knock-out scene, Image of the Fendahl trundles along with little focus or rewarding conclusion. It's all perfectly competent, but nothing more. A major contender for my least enjoyed serial from 1977, IOTF isn't quite the morbid brilliance of Season 14, nor the camp guilty pleasure romp of season 16. Straddling between the two it never quite achieves either, and I'd recommend skipping it for a story from either aforementioned run of serials.

Doctor Who

Classic TV Series

Image of the Fendahl

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Reviewed By: adamelijahReview Date: 4/6/15 9:49 am

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Image of the Fendahl finds the Doctor returning to the well for another gothic horror story. The story does have some scary moments in it and some nice atmosphere particularly in some exterior scenes that were recorded on film. Tom Baker is in solid form as the Doctor, having some dark serious moments as well as a few nice comic moments.

The story is hurt by a weak conclusion/resolution to the alien threat. There's still some entertaining moments and I'd say the story's fine, but little more than that. It doesn't measure up the great Gothic Horrors of the previous two seasons or Horror of Fang Rock.