For fans who know the good Doctor only from his most recent Matt Smith/David Tennant shaped incarnations, this 1977 four-parter is an interesting glimpse into his unrefined past; a simpler age bereft of big budgets but with plenty of big ideas.
The Sun Makers sees The Doctor (Tom Baker, more than living up to his reputation), his distractingly scantily clad Amazonian companion Leela (Louise Jameson) and their annoying robot dog K9 (voice of John Leeson) making a TARDIS trip to Pluto in the far-future. This isnt the icy, desolate dwarf planet we know and love though (back in the 70s of course everyone still thought Pluto was a planet, the fools) but a human colony with six artificial suns which the majority of the population never get to see since they live underground and are being slowly worked and taxed to death by the deadly bureaucracy of the Company. This tyrannical, omnipresent regime is overseen by the Collector (Henry Wolf) a deeply sinister little man with terrifying eyebrows.
Writer Robert Holmes obviously had his satirical hat on when he penned The Sun Makers ; you get the impression he wrote it after having had a bad experience with the Tax Man (the excellent Making Of confirms this) and decided to get his own back with this tale of the good, honest working man being driven to suicide by the evil Company taxing him for breathing (in fact with the portrayal of a repressed, hopeless population drowning in red tape there are definite parallels with Terry Gilliams Brazil, which would hit cinemas eight years later; perhaps the former Python is a closet Who fan?) Taxation might not sound like the most thrilling basis for a sci-fi adventure and with the four episodes adding up to 100 minutes there are long, talky moments that drag; but the witty satire and earnest performances, especially from wild-eyed, slightly scary Tom Baker, mean it is genuinely entertaining.
Even in its newly remastered form and with Pennant Roberts assured direction, The Sun Makers looks distinctly cheap to modern eyes. It does occasionally give the impression that it deserves a bigger budget, for example at one point the Doctor is marvelling at the incredible view he has of a futuristic metropolis; but we dont see the view, we just see him standing on the roof of what is clearly some innocuous British factory building. Audiences will probably be divided into those that find the creakiness part of the charm and those too spoiled by 21st Century Who to see past the wobbly sets and wonky effects.
Extra features include some very brief outtakes, an audio commentary featuring the principal cast and director Pennant Roberts and a very interesting Making Of which includes the scandalous theory that the sinister Company was based on the BBC!
Overall Verdict: Although with its miniscule budget its unlikely to convert any non-fans; those who already appreciate the charms of vintage Who will find these solid episodes a worthwhile investment.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary with actors Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and Michael Keating, director Pennant Roberts.
Running From the Tax Man Retrospective Making Of
Outtakes
Trailer
The Doctors Composer A look at the career of composer Dudley Simpson
Photo Gallery
Coming Soon
Radio Times Listings
Programme subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes
Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon