EPISODE: The Face of Evil Part Four
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 443
STORY NUMBER: 089
TRANSMITTED: 22 January 1977
WRITER: Chris Boucher
DIRECTOR: Pennant Roberts
SCRIPT EDITOR: Robert Holmes
PRODUCER: Philip Hinchcliffe
FORMAT: VHS: Doctor Who The Face of Evil but The Face Of Evil DVD is due soon!
The Tesh & the Sevateem battle as the Doctor confronts Xoanon. He tries to compare the computer but Xoanon triggers a countdown to an atomic explosion. The Doctor is opposed by Tesh & Sevateem that have fallen under Xoanon's control but when Neeva is killed fighting off Xoanon's monsters he interrupts Xoanon's control allowing the Doctor to complete his work causing Xoanon's circuits to explode. Coming round two days later he speaks with the repaired Xoanon who is now trying to work with the united Sevateem & Tesh. The Doctor leaves in the Tardis, accompanied by Leela.
Couldn't care by this point. Really couldn't. There's some great ideas here but the execution is horrible. Worst fourth Doctor story yet. Fortunately there's better stuff just round the corner.
Given the team's recent encounter with Mary Whitehouse and the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association you can understand why the title was changed from the original "The Day God Went Mad".
We get yet another Xoanon voice in this episode from Roy Herrick who was Jean in The Reign of Terror and will shortly be Parsons in The Invisible Enemy.
Face of Evil was novelised by Terrance Dicks and released on video in 1999. Fairly typically for this blog (Colony in Space, Invasion of the Dinosaurs) but it's due out on DVD not long after this is published! (March 5th 2012)
The new DWM, which has just popped onto the doormat, has the commentary team for this DVD: Louise Jameson, Leslie Schofield, David Garfield, Michael Elles, Philip Hinchcliffe, cameraman John McGlashan and our favourite extra: Harry 'aitch Fielder ! Mr Hadoke in the chair as per usual nowdays.
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