Spoilers Ahead!
The Doctor needs somewhere peaceful to recover from his traumatic regeneration. But the sanctuary of Castrovalva is not all it seems …
Four episodes, broadcast: 4 January 1982 - 12 January 1982
Written by Christopher H. Bidmead
Produced by Jonathan Nathan-Turner
Directed by Fiona Cumming
So, the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, has fallen and he can’t get up.
Fortunately, the creepy, pale fellow lurking in the background – known as The Watcher (who?) – merges with the mortally wounded Time Lord and triggers a regeneration.
What follows is a trippy introductory adventure based on the drawings of surrealist MC Escher.
Development Notes From The Collection Season 19 Blu-ray Boxset Released in 2018
Bidmead, who was contracted at short notice, told Doctor Who Magazine that it was a ‘pretty off-the-wall story’.
“I remember thinking it was brilliant. It says something for Adric that when compelled to create a city out of his mind , he comes up with something that Salvador Dali would have adored.
“‘Castrovalva’ was very much about Peter Davison coming fresh into the show and having to solve the puzzle.”
Even though this was the first script of the season, it wasn’t the first to be filmed.
Nathan-Turner decided to record three other stories first (‘Four to Doomsday’, ‘The Visitation’ and ‘Kinda’) to give Davison time to settle in.
“I wasn’t happy with the idea of Peter doing his debut story first,” he said.
“I felt he needed more time to get into his character and become settled. I didn’t want an opening story where everyone could tune in and find out what the Doctor was like from the first episode.
“I wanted to keep everyone guessing so that they would watch the second, third and fourth episodes as well.
“If you look at our figures you’ll see we got it right.”
‘Castrovalva’ part one garnered 9.1 million viewers which was reported to be a 30 per cent increase on Baker’s final appearance.
While 8.7 million watched part two, the views spiked again with 10.2 million viewers for part three and 10.4 million for the finale.
In a 2014 Doctor Who Magazine poll ‘Castrovalva’ was voted the 121st most popular story (out of 241) with a 71 per cent rating.
New beginnings
As a standalone story ‘Castrovalva’ is not an ideal jumping on point for new Doctor Who viewers. It directly follows ‘The Keeper of Traken’ and ‘Logopolis’ and concludes a trilogy where the renegade Time Lord, the Master (Anthony Ainley), has been wreaking havoc.
There’s also a lot going on which can make for a bloated opening to season 19.
We have three established companions: Adric, a moody boy genius with a star of mathematical excellence; Nyssa, a scientist from Traken who saw the Master murder her father and then steal his body (this is explored in greater detail depth via Big Finish audio stories ) and Tegan, a bossy and temperamental Australian airline stewardess.
We witness a recently regenerated Doctor dealing with a little instability. He seeks the Zero Room, a floating coffin in the TARDIS, to heal.
Of course, nothing ever goes so simply for Team TARDIS and the Master is at it once more with a cunning plan to destroy the Doctor … again.
While it’s not the strongest opener for Doctor Who, it is entertaining and is tonally much lighter than the two preceding stories. There are referential nods to the past and the theme of recursion ties in neatly with the Doctor’s struggle with settling into his new incarnation. And seeing everyone bump into wobbly sets is amusing.
Behind the scenes documentary
As a life-long fan of the show seeing my favourite TV stars banter and bicker is an absolute joy. Team TARDIS revisit some old filming locations.
This doco features Peter Davison (the fifth Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Margot Hayhoe (production manager), Bidmead (writer) and Cumming (director). Mark Strickson (Turlough) is the host.
Photos
That verdant green location makes for a marvellous
Extras
Rehearsal scripts and other media.
Let’s Chat
Have you seen ‘Castrovalva’? What do you think of it?