84.5%

Not many fans like this story: so I fall into the category of being one of the few who not only like it but rank it as a good Colin Baker story. By that I mean that its one of the few decent stories that Colin Baker was given during his short tenure on the show. That doesn't mean that it is brilliant, but I certainly think that it does not warrant some of the hatred levelled at it.

I won't comment on the story element about the public watching other members of the public. For one thing it has to be remembered that at the time the story was written the year 1984 was looming in the minds of many familiar with Orwell's literary work; for another I really have little interest in the current obsession with "reality" TV. Instead, I'll focus on what I liked about the story. For a start it was the first, really good story during the Colin Baker era. Secondly, it introduced a wonderful foe ie Sil - a role played wonderfully by Nabil Shaban (who also guests on the commentary track). I remember an interview from the time in which Shaban remarked how interesting it would be if he was ever to portray the Doctor - apart from the challenge it would represent to writers (now why haven't Big Finish ever taken Nabil Shaban up on such a challenge?). Thirdly, I always disagree with some of the points made in criticism of the story.

There are some powerful performances in the story - Martin Jarvis shines in this story, never going over the top during the vote sequences. Although Ron Jones was not a particularly great director, the scene when the Governor and Peri plead with Maldak is wonderfully done and the absence of background music or sound enhances the scene. On the other hand, Jason Connery turns in a very wooden performance and in later interviews, he has made it clear that it was a job to him and mocked his time in the show. His lack of interest shows and basically goes through the motions without really trying to play the part. True, there are some poor moments in the story but its never as bad as its made out to be.

At the end of the day its my opinion that this is a very good story, often overlooked or derided, and I would urge new viewers to watch it and old viewers to give it a second chance.