The universe is falling apart, and the mathematicians who keep it together are dying-'eh? Mathematicians? Yes you read correctly. This is Tom Bakers final story as The Doctor and it's a brilliant story involving The Master, a complex plot involving the planet Logopolis and a strange figure called The Watcher.
The story that would be Baker's last needed to be epic, memorable and poignant and, for the most part, it does achieve this. Having stolen poor Tremas body at the end of The Keeper of Traken. The Master is free to continue his maniacal plans to destroy the universe and The Doctor. It also introduces the character of Tegan, a rather attractive but slightly annoying Australian air hostess who gets caught up in The Master's plan.
My memories of this story are that this, for me, was the first time I had seen the Doctor regenerate. It is a process that is always moving as the viewer has to mourn the loss of one Doctor whilst getting used to a new one. This process seems just as painful for the Doctor and his on screen preparations for regeneration match ours.
Key scenes of note feature a shrinking Tardis, Tardis inside a Tardis and poor individuals reduced to doll like status by The Masters compressor weapon. Tom Baker provides a fantastic performance and his slow realisation that his time draws to a close is brilliantly acted with his interactions with the mysterious Watcher.
Logopolis is a well loved classic story and my only gripes are the, at least for mathematical novices such as me, frankly mind melting babble and the concept of the universe being held together by elderly gents mumbling calculations whilst sitting in caves. That said these minor wrinkles are easy to forget as the inevitable final scenes grow closer. Yes we know that The Doctor falls or is pushed from a Satellite dish type contraption (unfair since the Tenth Doctor survived a dive out of a space ship, through a glass roof and only received scratches and a torn jacket). But that's what happens when you trust The Master. So to quote good old Tom "it's the end... But the moment has been prepared for"
Join us on Wednesday for Logopolis pressing Play at 7.30pm.
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