Doctor Who: City of Death
This Story, Co-written by Douglas Adams, was One of the Stronger Stories of Doctor Who's Seventeenth Season
Baker and Lalla Ward show some of their best chemistry as the Doctor and Romana go to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa when they discover a plot to steal the painting. Glover plays Count Scalioni, who is revealed to be Scaroth, the last survivor of the Jagaroth. Scaroth's ship exploded while on prehistoric Earth, causing him to be splintered across several different eras of the Earth's history.
In 1979 Paris, Scaroth seeks to build a time machine to travel back and prevent the explosion, which destroyed his ship and scattered him across time. But doing so would prevent life on Earth from having ever existed. Other great performances here include Catherine Schell as the Countess, Tom Chadborn as Duggan and David Graham as Kerensky. City of Death is a well-written Doctor Who adventure with great performances from both the leading and supporting actors.
The DVD contains several notable bonus features, including the 44-minute featurettes "Springtime in Paris," a behind-the-scenes documentary which includes some recently discovered studio footage. Also included is "Eye on Blatchford," a spoof documentary on the life Scaroth. Actors Julian Glover and Tom Chadborn join director Michael Hayes on the commentary track. The show was nearing the end of its Golden Age by this time, but CoD is a very good story, and one of my favorite Tom Baker stories.
If you enjoyed City of Death, you may also like these Doctor Who stories starring Tom Baker:
Published by R.E. Norton
I'm a 43 year old Midwest male - happily married with a 15 year old stepson and a three year-old little boy. My wife and I are very active in our church. My hobbies include reading, creative writing, music... View profile
- Doctor Who Vs. DavrosA look at the two-part story that makes up the fourth season finale of the hit BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who.
- Doctor Who and the Ten DoctorsDoctor Who-The Ten Doctors combines all current incarnations of Doctor Who along with most of the companions and many of the most iconic villains of the series.
- Doctor Who League Table - After First GameHaving now completed two Doctor Who television stories and the novelisations associated with them, I decided it was probably time to do something that is quite inherently human and place them in a league.
Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani (1984)The four-part "The Caves of Androzani" brings the Peter Davison era of Doctor Who to a close. The Fifth Doctor leaves the program and its fans with a truly classic DW adventure.- Woodland Cemetery in Ironton, Ohio: The City of the DeadThis is about Woodland Cemetery in Ironton, Ohio, commonly known as the City of the Dead because of its over 8000 "residents."
- Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks
- The Top Ten Doctor Who Episodes Ever (okay, Eleven)
- Doctor Who: the Tomb of the Cybermen
- Ultimate Doctor Who - a Look at an Underrated Era of Doctor Who Books
- Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng Chiang
- Doctor Who & City of Death
- Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks
- Douglas Adams was script editor for Doctor Who during Season Seventeen.
- CoD includes cameos by John Cleese and Eleanor Bron.