Director: John Black
Actors: Peter Davison, Stratford Johns, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse
Studio: 2 Entertain Video
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~£19.99~~
Buy New: £12.98
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Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

17 reviews
Sales Rank: 3298

Format: Colour, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 97
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5014503243128
ASIN: B001ARYYUE

Theatrical Release Date: 1981
Release Date: September 15, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
An adventure starring Peter Davison in the title role, this latest classic Doctor Who release, Four To Doomsday, has plenty of interesting ideas up its sleeve, even if they aren't all fully realised by the time the credits run on the last episode. But there's still plenty to enjoy, nonetheless.

The basis of Four To Doomsday is that the Doctor is trying to return Tegan back home, but instead finds himself on a strange spaceship, that almost inevitably is heading to Earth with unpleasantness very much on its agenda. The Doctor, accompanied by Nyssa, Adric and the aforementioned Tegan, naturally has to come to the rescue, aided by some very economic special effects (even for the time).

Four To Doomsday, however, is certainly a story with its moments, and the appearance of Stratford Johns is very much responsible for many of them. It's also breezy enough, and easily pulls you through its four episodes. The plot doesn't bear too much scrutiny, though, with a narrative that jumps around and loses cohesion. But it's all engaging enough, with Davison very much finding his feet in the role. Few people would launch a campaign to have it lauded as an all-time classic, but it's good fun, warts and all, nonetheless. --Jon Foster

Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Not as bad as it's made out to be - again!! September 18, 2008
3 out of 9 found this review helpful

I saw this story for the first time yesterday on DVD. I was expecting something truly awful but I was very pleasantly surprised. The sets, design,lighting and direction are very effective, especially considering the financial and time restraints put on the progamme in the 80s. Well done crew!! The acting isn't too bad either - The TARDIS crew are fine. I found Persuasion's and Enlightenment's human forms chilling - I've always favoured humanoid aliens as more threatening, especially glamorous ones, you know, how does the quote go : '..so beautiful as to be evil..'? These two, with the excellent Stratford Johns hold the story up. Pity the plot unravels feebly by the middle of Episode 3 but the trio above could have had their roles expanded with the theme of political corruption and surveillance states brought more to the surface etc... Still not too sure about what to make of the recreational dances & fights - they feel like a crowded Blue Peter studio outtake! The commentary by the cast and director is cracking, engaging, funny and insightful - well worth a listen! Basically, not as bad as it's made out to be and there are some interesting concepts floating around there too. Five stars for being an underdog for so long! BTW, I watched 'Revenge of the Cybermen' last month and nearly died of boredom!! Oh, but I'm not allowed to say that because his Holiness Tom Baker's in it and all his stories are EXCELLENT..apparently! LOL!

4 out of 5 stars

Pleasing addition. June 12, 2008
17 out of 25 found this review helpful

This was always one of my favourite Doctor Who stories, and one of the more memorable Peter Davison outings.
His first story, but shown fourth, you can see he is settling in in places.
This story has, for me, a very memorable premise; that of a huge spaceship with a catalogue of lifeforms from earths history. I found the concept of these people being taken from points in time fascinating and the idea is put across well.
The lizard aliens who suddenly re-appear changed into the exact form of drawings done by Tegan is also a clever and rather creepy idea; one that stayed with me.
This story is also notable for having Stratford Johns as guest name.
I am a fan of Peter Davison doctor who stories, as for me, and being aged 12 when this was shown on TV, Doctor Who suddenly got a whole lot more interesting and grown up with the departure of Tom Baker and the arrival of a new Doctor. Much more like 'proper' science fiction, at the time.
I also found the 'Tardis family' of The Doctor, Adric, Tegan and Nyssa a much more interesting dynamic than One Doctor. One Companion, and it suddenly seemed much more that here were a crew, rather than just a companion.
I found the same dynamic when i watched, years later, the first few William Hartnell stories; A crew of four. Much more engaging.
This story is very much of that ilk; a classic Doctor Who adventure that could almost have been made then had it been written in those years.

So, Peter davison gets to chuck a cricket ball in space, and yes those effects are dire, but they didn't appear so at the time i remember!

Four To Doomsday has much to recommend it and while not as classic assome is a good way to spend 90 minutes.

UPDATE.
And, yes, i am pleased to see it being released, and i feel thet a lot of the negative comments being posted here by other reviewers are truly unfair.
This is a good story, not great, but competent, and is worth buying.
And, full marks to the person who was able as a child to be aware enough to be critically accurate and be able to recognise poor stories when they were originally released.
I feel that there are a lot of Doctor Who stories out there that are clunkier and cheesier than this one; 'Frontier In Space' or 'Monster of Peladon' anyone? which don't stand up well today, and have many a toe-curlingly embarrasing sequence. But Doctor Who is pure escapist entertainment, and that is what it should be judged as; not whether it stands up as a classic or whatever, get some perspective!!

Despite its cheapness, (and this was not limited to this one story at all, but shared with the majority of Doctor Who since Day One, including all those stories that people label as classics; there are a lot worse,) the design and atmosphere of this tale are well up to standard. Four To Doomsday is let down by the usual Doctor Who complaint; Bad special effects. All the classic stories suffer from this to one degree or another and you have to suspend your disbelief with most old Doctor Who; you just have to do it a little more here.
In its defence, the Monopticon effect is achived relatively well, but its the cricket in space bit everyne remembers and i feel that this is why people are panning this story.
But bad special effects do not a bad story make; Witness the appalling New Series clunker that starred Peter Kay, and the Kylie Christmas Special.
All the bells and whistles in the world couldn't save those...

The thing is that the story is an interesting concept and fairly well realised. Thewriting is no worse than any other, and it is directed competently.
I am looking forward to seeing it released.

4 out of 5 stars

stop moaning! September 16, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

you just can't satisfy some people. 'Four to Doomsday' is crisp, witty and imaginative. Doctor Who always seems to work best within constraints, and this is a real addition to the canon. Don't be so joyless!

4 out of 5 stars

Slightly unhinged, but witty and fun September 21, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

The negative reviews here are being very unfair on this story (I have a suspicion that some stories are classed as disasters, and it's then difficult to see past that and appreciate what's actually on offer). Plus points: a very imaginative idea, an enthusiastic cast, some proper drama between the regulars (Adric's betrayal and Tegan's panic), some great gags, and some of the best set design the classic series ever had. Minus points: it's clearly true that the regular cast are still finding their feet, and the writing feels slightly unhinged - it doesn't seem to develop in the way you'd expect it to, but instead heads off in its own, slightly mad directions. There's nothing wrong with that though - it's fresh and good fun (and, for sheer entertainment, it actually beats a lot of Davison's second series into the proverbial cocked hat).

4 out of 5 stars

Some nice elements but mixed in with a fair bit of filler September 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Barcode: 5014503243128

I have always liked Peter Davison's Doctor so to go back and see where it all began for him was certainly an interesting experience. Four To Doomsday is most definitely a mixed bag, but I found much to enjoy in this story, even if it did come in inconsistent bursts.

In terms of the look and feel of the episode, with a new Doctor and a new season, the BBC was obviously keen to impress and as a result we are treated to some very nicely designed sets. Four To Doomsday sees the show at its most Sci-Fi, ideas of technology and intelligence forming a crucial part of the story. But as nice as these elements are, certainly from the first part of this serial you get an overriding feeling that there's just something slightly lacking when compared to other stories of the era.

For starters - and this isn't necessarily a bad thing - but this is a very wordy serial. There is a lot of dialogue, some of it getting pretty deep and at times the story can feel more like a lesson in morality, philosophy and science than an episode of Doctor Who. There are moments when this is done well and it is here that this episode really succeeds, but equally there is a lot of filler too.

The whole thing flows along nicely but nothing much really happens in episode 1 and for much of episode 2. Then we get episode 3 which shows real potential, the tension and drama of the story suddenly being turned right up as all the plot elements slide into place. We get treated to some wonderful bits of dialogue here and for a while it looks like everything is building to an epic finale but then sadly things drop off again in episode 4. So, episode 3 is without a doubt the best of the four, if anything, worth it alone for when Tegan gets angry at Adric and knocks him out.

The companions are interesting in this story, growing into their roles - I've always loved Davison's classic `TARDIS team' as I think it gave a real element of youthful energy to the show. As is standard with the three companions, because of the complexities of giving them all parts to play in the story, all three get sidelined at various moments - Nyssa getting hypnotised, Adric being knocked out and Tegan trying to figure out how to fly the TARDIS. Equally though, all get their chance to shine too, oh, and who knew Tegan could draw so well?

In terms of the villains, the costumes of the Urbankans isn't the best, coming across like a mix between a cabbage and a frog, but Stratford Johns is fantastic with his charming yet egotistical Monarch and his self indulgent banter is a delight to listen to, and along with his creepy assistants Enlightenment and Persuasion, this trio inject much needed gravitas into this story.

Their bizarre fascination with the failings of `flesh' beings is quite unnerving and adds to an overall sinister feel to this story - a sense of sterile conditions populated by `androids' who have settled into a mindless monotony lasting thousands of years. It sent a chill down my spine as the Greek philosopher reveals his true form, holding up the computer chip and declaring `This is me' - great cliffhanger.

Without a doubt the worst element of this story is the ridiculous 'entertainment' room/variety show thing. It's used to pad out a fair bit of the story and ultimately just looks and sounds a bit of a mess and doesn't really mesh fully with the feel of the rest of the serial. In regards to the whole space-walk sequence, again, a nice idea but sadly the effects just don't cut it. Another disappointment was the way the ending comes around far too suddenly, before you know it Monarch is defeated in a flash and everything is resolved.

In terms of extras, as well as the standard commentary you also get some raw studio footage and an interview with Peter Davison but is quite lacking compared to what's on offer on other Doctor Who DVD releases. I'd really like to give this story five stars as there are some really nice elements to it, moments that just remind you why you love Doctor Who so much, but these are scattered in with a lot of filler and ultimately this story's inconsistency lets it down a lot it, and as a whole it just isn't strong enough to warrant a top rating. That said, it's still worth a watch, just maybe see some of Davison's other stories first.

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