The Visitation [Doctor Who, Story 119]

The Visitation by Eric Saward
15 - 23 February 1982

(A/N: Another short one - and then another after. Please do pardon me, it's been a weird old time.)

I'm interested to note, first of all, that this is incoming script editor Eric Saward's first contribution to the Doctor Who canon. The Visitation feels rather different from what I know of the rest of his output - largely in part, I think, because of its historical setting. I'm interested to see how his style develops, but as far as first outings go this one is quite strong.

The Restoration era is a fresh one for the show and rife with potential. Once again, like in The Romans, we see the Doctor becoming embroiled in the cause of a major historical disaster, though this time it is not quite played for laughs. While the attempts to offer us some drama from the interactions among the main cast are quite awkward, the new characters are fun, particularly Mace and his interplay with the Doctor.

I didn't make too much of the Terileptils as villains, but they're fine; the strongest impression they made on me was the horrifying image of them crackling and popping in the fire at the end. The central plot was nevertheless very enjoyable and I feel I'll be returning to this story often in the future.

Black Orchid is next.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 11 October 2022.)