Doctor Who: Frontios (Dr Who)

I cannot understand the ambivalence towards this story. I think it's actually Bidmead's best for the series. I love the bleak tone of it - they even dimmed the studio lights for some of this! - and he does swamp us in his usual technobabble. Aye, Logopolis, I'm thinking of you. The diection and acting is also superb (even Mark Strickson does a full day's work here). Frontios was a welcome departure for the fifth Doctor's last series, and I think because the brilliance of Cave of Androzani this story tends to be overlooked. A shame - because it truly deserves better. Give it a go.

Peter Davison is by far the worst actor to date to have played the doctor,he stutters along in the role he always appears as if he cannot settle into the role,also his two companions are simply pathetic.This story is so bad cheap sets and terrible acting.Thank god for Steven Moffat,Matt Smith,Karen Gillan&Arthur Darvill.If they had been as bad as this lot in series 5 there would not have been a series 6.This DVD was handed to Oxfam as soon as i watched it.But i feel guilty in case somebody else buys it and suffers!!!!!!!!!

The 5th Doctor and his companions travel far into the future to the planet Frontios. The Doctor says they should not land but they are forced down to Frontios. Meeting some of the People he does not want to stay for long and make's steps to leave but returning to the TARDIS he find it has been distoryed leaving him and his companions standed on Frontios.

This story is the second to last story to have the 5th Doctor coming to DVD the other being The Awaking on the Earth Story Box set set coming out in June.

Frontios is a good story with a number of interesting elements. The Tardis having drifted to far into the future is forced to land on the Planet of Frontios, one of the last Human settlements, they have been fighting a war with an unknown enemy for many years and believe the Doctor and his companions (Tegan/Turlough) to be that enemy at first.

Frontios works well for many reasons, The Doctor (always played well by Peter Davison) has to cope without the TARDIS as a means for escape. Turlough gets some more depth to his character, when it is revealed that he has met the enemy before. Which leads to some nice OTT acting not seen since Enlightenment. Even the soundtrack is different then the usual 80s style. In fact a lot of style visually has gone into making Frontios different, even the ending of episode 4 is really a cliffhanger for the Ressurection of the Daleks. However, the final representation of the Tractators is disappointing.

With Awakening being released in the Earth Story box set the follwoing month, this is penultimate Davison story, and in my opinion always worth the money.

One question though? Who thinks Kamelion is the Hat Stand???