Doctor Who (TV Series) The Pirate Planet: Part One (1978) User Reviews

Douglas Adams' writing needs a narrator

[sgw555 · 8/10 · 21 April 2008]

As a big Douglas Adams fan, I was excited when I saw this episode was written by Adams - I hoped for better dialogue and perhaps even a better plot than normal, because at least Adams finds creative ways to explain gaping plot holes and bizarre technology.

But, as we saw with the attempt at the Hitchhiker's Guide movie, Adams' work does better on the page than on the screen, so the best bits are usually provided by the narrator (the 'Guide').

This episode is better than many, but still falls victim to the same problems of inconsistency and cheesiness: the Captain character is overly buffoonish and his behaviour in the last 7 minutes is inexplicable given the previous 2 hours; if the 'bad guys' had the ability to block the Menticands (sp?) telepathy (as they do in the last 15 minutes), why didn't they just use it all the time?; and why can the whole operation be blown up at the end without everyone falling into a black hole, when up til then they couldn't disturb the 'delicate gravitational balance'? And it continues to astound me that they couldn't get some better actors - surely there were plenty of really good actors who'd have loved to have guested on a Tom Baker episode of Doctor Who, even for scale rates of pay.

One interesting note: For most of the episode, I was totally grossed out by what appeared to be giant cold sores around Tom Baker's mouth, which were only sometimes even partially covered by makeup. However, I've just read here that what appeared to be a huge herpes outbreak was in fact the remains of a dog bite that Baker sustained just before filming. I'm not sure why the makeup department couldn't have done a better job of making them look less like cold sores, but then again I often wonder why they leave everyone's faces so shiny all the time (even in 1978 they had pressed powder, for gods' sake), so perhaps they did the best they could.

Too Much Overacting

[teamdiesel13 · 7/10 · 23 January 2024]

Bruce Purchase (The Captain) makes this serial almost unwatchable. The amount of overacting may be suitable for the stage, but it is too much for TV. The story itself is a good one, as Douglas Adam's was a science fiction genius. The banter between The Doctor, Romana and K-9 is top notch and saves the serial. Tom Baker is at his silly best and his continued chemistry with Mary Tamm is slowly making her one of my favorite companions. Of course she is no Sarah Jane Smith but she is as formidable and puts the Doctor in his place just as effectively. K-9 could carry a serial all on his own in my opinion.

Charting a Promising Course Toward Planetary Plunder

[darryl-tahirali · 8/10 · 17 March 2022]

In the late 1970s, Douglas Adams was a busy man at the BBC. For BBC Radio, he developed his first incarnation of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," whose multiple episodes, which began airing in 1978, spawned a "five-part trilogy" of novels, a 1981 BBC Television miniseries, and a godawful 2005 feature film. (Adams had done preliminary work on the project before his 2001 death.) By 1979, Adams had also become the script editor for season 17 of "Doctor Who," although it was Adams's pilot "Hitchhiker's" script, which he had submitted to the production team the year before, that led to his commission to write "The Pirate Planet."

Not surprisingly, a lot of "Hitchhiker's" is reflected in this four-part story, the second installment of the season 16 story arc "The Key to Time," which finds the Time Lord the Doctor and his companion, fellow Time Lord Romana, traipsing across the universe to round up the Key's six segments before dark forces beat them to it.

Adams was not only keeping very busy, he was an unprolific writer with disdain for schedules (he once remarked that he loved the whooshing sound of deadlines as they went by), which is likely why "The Pirate Planet" is his only "Doctor Who" writing credit during the series' run. (With producer Graham Williams, Adams co-scripted "The City of Death" under the pseudonym "David Agnew" while Adams also wrote "Shada," which never aired during the series' run although a version later became available on home media.)

Commanding the planet Xanak from his cliff-hugging "Bridge," the Captain (Bruce Purchase) announces to his delighted subjects another "new golden age of prosperity" that will shower them "in wealth beyond the dreams of avarice" even if the mysterious mechanism by which that occurs hits a rough patch, felt also by the Doctor and Romana as they try to land the TARDIS "capsule" (as Romana terms it) on what they think is the planet Calufrax, location of the second segment to the Key to Time. But instead of the cold, uninhabited planet the Doctor is expecting, it is a pleasant, populated, suspiciously enriched world, albeit policed by the Captain's armed guards and seemingly terrorized by psychic ghouls called the Mentiads.

One denizen adversely affected by the "omens" proclaiming this latest golden age is Pralix (David Sibley), whose physical and psychological distress troubles his grandfather Balaton (Ralph Michael) and sister Mula (Primi Townsend) along with Mula's boyfriend Kimus (David Warwick), critical of the Captain's regime. While the Doctor, accompanied by his robot dog K-9, encounters them, Romana is arrested by one of the Captain's guards for having a prohibited item, a telescope, and asking a prohibited question: why?

In just her second "Doctor Who" story, Mary Tamm displays smooth confidence and saucy charm as her spirited interactions with Tom Baker begin to crackle. As the blustering Captain, Purchase seems over the top, but there are indications of deeper dimensions in the character while Andrew Robertson, playing the Captain's harried lieutenant Mr. Fibuli, becomes a likeable, sympathetic audience surrogate simply from his deft pirouetting around the glowering Purchase and his stream of deliberately overblown oaths. Part One of "The Pirate Planet" charts a promising course toward planetary plunder.

The Time Lord's Guide to the Galaxy

[JamesHitchcock · 4 September 2015]

"The Pirate Planet" is the second serial in the "Key to Time" series which took up the whole of the 16th season of "Doctor Who". In search of the second segment of the Key, the Doctor and Romana travel to the planet Calufrax, expecting to find a frozen, uninhabited world. When they get there, however, they find it has a temperate climate and numerous inhabitants, ruled over by an autocratic leader known as the Captain.

The title of the serial is partly derived from the fact that the Captain, as played by Bruce Purchase, is an amalgam of Long John Silver, Captain Hook and other pirate captains from fiction. In place of Silver's wooden leg and Hook's hook he has a metal arm. In true pirate tradition he uses a series of strange oaths, has an electronic parrot on his shoulder, refers to his headquarters as the "Bridge" and at one point even tries to force the Doctor to walk the plank.

The title, however, also refers to the fact that the Captain and his associates are engaged in a high-tech form of piracy. The TARDIS has not actually landed on Calufrax itself but on a hollow planet named Zanak. Using technology similar to that which powers the TARDIS, Zanak can materialise around another planet in order to plunder its mineral resources. Most of the inhabitants of Zanak do not realise what is going on; the only ones who do, apart from the Captain and his cronies, are the Mentiads, a mysterious band of monk-like figures with psychic powers. The Doctor, however, discovers that behind the Captain lurks an even more sinister figure, the ancient Queen Xanxia, who will stop at nothing, not even the destruction of entire planets, to gain the secret of immortality.

The story was written by Douglas Adams, who soon afterwards was to go on to fame as the author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", and bears some of the hallmarks of his style. It is generally light-hearted in tone, if not quite as satirically humorous as the "Hitchhiker" series and, like that programme, makes use of lengthy pseudo-scientific explanations. Adams doesn't dare to introduce anything quite as obviously absurd as the "Babel Fish" or the "Infinite Improbability Drive"- to have done so would probably have been to subvert the whole concept of "Doctor Who" more than the producers would have liked. (The "Hitchhiker" series was, among other things, a satirical parody of orthodox science fiction). Nevertheless, his explanations of the science which supposedly underlies the machinations of the Captain and Xanxia have something of the same air about them, only with a greater seeming plausibility.

It was a sad day for the programme when the lovely Mary Tamm left it after only one series. What made her Romana one of the most memorable companions of the series was the way her character complemented that of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. Like him, she is a Time Lord, but of a very different stamp. She is the Gallifreyan equivalent of a Roedean-and- Oxbridge educated Sloane Ranger- young, beautiful, supremely self- confident and formidably intelligent and well-educated. Baker's Doctor is the wise older man, guided more by experience and instinct than by Romana's book-learning. Romana might not have fitted in quite so well with some of the later Doctors. With Peter Davidson's Fifth, himself a youthful public schoolboy type, there would not have been quite the same contrast. As for Colin Baker's Sixth, he and Romana would probably have clashed to the point where they ended up strangling one another.

There are a few plot-holes; if Calufrax, for example, has a cold and icy climate, that is presumably due to the planet's location in relation to its parent star, but it is never explained how Zanak manages to remain temperate in the same location. The plot at times gets just a bit too complex to follow. Overall, however, this is a very enjoyable serial, not too serious, with excellent contributions from Baker and Tamm.

it's Douglas Adams, how can you NOT see it?

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 4 June 2008]

If you're any stretch at all of a fan of Douglas Adams or his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you're either already a fan of Dr. Who or may come across this episode at some point or another. It's actually a great place to start for a (relative) newcomer to the original series, as the story gives a strong combination of the humor, camp, pathos and excitement that Doctor Who provides at its finest. So hopefully this is the "some point".

As someone who's only seen two or three episodes of Dr. Who- both 'old' and 'new'- this is top of the crop. Adams gets how to make it an interesting mystery for the good Doctor Tom Baker to figure out the problem of Calufrax with the section of the key of time they need. It's got some hilarious moments and lines of dialog that are quintessential Adams ("Plank. Theory: simple. Walk along it. Come to edge. Fall off 1000 feet. Die!"), and some cool looking creatures, and of course the Captain, who kicks ass as a dastardly Dr. Who villain.

Must, must see, all four parts of course.

The Greatest Dr. Who Episode

[billebrooks · 10/10 · 14 November 2006]

The Pirate Planet is written by "Hitchhiker's" novelist Douglas Adams, and his humor shines through from beginning to end. The episode takes place on a mobile planet whose sole purpose is to prey on other planets. The boisterous Captain runs the planet with an iron fist, executing any who displease him, although his threats are always hollow when they involve his right hand man, Mr. Fibuli. He has a mysterious nurse who seemingly has far too much influence over him.

Highlights of the episode include a dual between K-9 and the Captain's robotic parrot, the Doctor's attempt at hoodwinking the guards the same way twice, an amusing conveyor system that the Doctor tampers with at an opportune moment, the Doctor's companion Romana popping the balloon that is his ego, the usual at odds factions, the unraveling of the nefarious plot afoot, and the Doctor's incredibly convoluted explanation of how he acquires the second segment of the Key of Time.

Clap of Thunder...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 8 July 2022]

Shiver me timbers, we've lost Calufrax, it's almost as if someone's taken an axe, where could it have gone, has something gone wrong, could the booty be lost through a strange parallax.

Adams' Amusing Arrival

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 9/10 · 6 December 2019]

Review of all 4 episodes:

This was the first Doctor Who story to be written by Douglas Adams. The famous writer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and future Script Editor of Doctor Who is well known for creating quite bonkers but hugely entertaining stories and this is a prime example. There is a crazy, camp, surrealism in this adventure but also some characteristically intelligent dialogue and big science fiction concepts. It makes for a dynamic production.

This is the second part of the 'Key to Time' arc and involves The Doctor, Romana and K-9 searching for the second segment of the Key to Time and encountering a 'pirate planet' Zanak which exploits and destroys other civilisations in order to plunder mineral wealth from other planets.

The explanation for how this is done and for what the backstory is for the different people involved is really fascinating and impressive. The plot is great science fiction but is delivered with Adams' characteristic quirky humour and eccentric style. Tom Baker's equally eccentric personality is perfectly suited and he is a wildly exciting presence throughout. Mary Tamm's Romana also is perfectly suited with her dry humour complimenting the relationship and the witty dialogue.

The Captain is a totally over the top villain but in the comedic style of the story he works as a fun antagonist along with his bullied sidekick Mr. Fibuli and the serious, sinister Nurse. The Mentiads are an interesting addition too.

The effects are acceptable for the day but are not at all impressive and unpolished. The locations and sets are decent though and the ideas themselves are extremely strong.

The humour works really well in combination with the intriguing, big scientific aspects and makes for a joyous serial which zips along providing huge enjoyment.

My ratings: Part 1 - 9/10, Parts 2, 3 & 4 - 9.5/10. Overall - 9.38/10.

Mary Whitehouse you had a lot to answer for!!!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 16 August 2015]

The Ribos Operation was pretty good fun and beautifully made, but Mary Whitehouse's bombardment of the BBC to soften the Series had a major effect. The Pirate Planet is a very silly story, Douglas Adams style of writing is extremely apparent, love or hate.

I hate to say but the feeling I got was Philip Hinchcliffe's astounding work making the show glorious was slowly being undone and the show was reaching new levels of silliness.

The Doctor and Romana begin their search for the second segment and set off for Calufrax, and we meet the Pirate Captain and Mr Fibuli. The Captain declares a new golden age with riches for all, and a strange band of male psychics appear (Mentiads.) The Doctor fails to land the TARIDS on Calufrax, and something has seemingly gone wrong. They have landed where they should have, but it isn't Calufrax. New character Pralix is seemingly affected by the Psychic 'mentiads,' Romana gets arrested for using a 'fordbidden device,' The Mentiads cross the Mountains in order to acquire Pralix, they are seemingly magical, as the Captain's guards have no effect on them. The Mentiads break in and turn on the Doctor.

You will either utterly love or totally loathe Bruce Purchase's Pirate Captain

Romana continues to grow as a character, gone is the Pure white outfit, she's now looking rather gorgeous.

I've never been the greatest fan of The Pirate Planet, and sadly my opinion hasn't changed on the re-watch, episode 1 is just silly, there is zero connection with any of the characters and the Pirate is just annoying.

Very average, 5/10

Stop It This Is Getting Very Silly

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 12 January 2014]

Searching for the second segment of The Key To Time the Doctor and Romana land on the Planet Calufrax where they find the oppressive regime led by the Captain are casting out a strange band of outsiders called The Mentiads . Perhaps more shocking is the fact they're not Calufrax at all

The Pirate Planet was written by Douglas Adams just before he became famous for his novel THE HITCH HIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY which gives a hint of what you might just expect from this story . It's outlandish , silly and often resembles a futuristic pantomime featuring Long John Silver . As expected Barry Purchase plays the Silver surrogate The Captain with OTT bluster and bombast which is full blown and keeping with the feel of the story . However it becomes clear that there isn't much of a story

The story itself is an unsatisfying mix of ideas and subplots . Like so many stories from the classic series the good race are non descript and bland and merely exist to suffer at the hands of the villains . It's a pity that everywhere the Tardis lands he always comes across a race called " Cypher people " who no matter what power and nuances they're given always fail to convince , usually because as seen here they're played by not very good actors who fail to make an impression on the audience . The acting is either completely uninvolving or completely OTT . In fact it's so uneven you might get seas sick watching this story . Perhaps this is why recently rewatching it I can hardly recall seeing it at all

Silly but fun

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 22 May 2015]

Review of the Complete Story:

THE PIRATE PLANET is a typical outing for oddball Doctor Who star Tom Baker. In it, and he and companions Romana and K9 end up on the titular planet, a place occupied by other oddballs and goofs and presided over by a sinister ruler who runs things with a (literal) iron fist. The story is the usual back-and-forth nonsense of capture, escape, villains and heroes, where the villains are typically the most interesting characters in the production and the supposed heroes are bland in the extreme.

Still, fans of classic Who will find much to enjoy here, not least a Baker on typically manic form. Mary Tamm provides solid support and is given an adequate amount of screen time for a companion, but it's K9 who really steals the show here, engaging in all manners of derring do. The presence of a pre-fame Douglas Adams as scriptwriter is both a blessing and a curse; his characterisations (like the robotic Captain Hook) are fun but the plotting is all over the place and largely unfocused. Still, things do pick up for a nicely explosive climax.