OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 667
STORY NUMBER: 150
TRANSMITTED: Monday 26 October 1987
WRITER: Stephen Wyatt
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Mallett
SCRIPT EDITOR: Andrew Cartmel
PRODUCER: John Nathan-Turner
RATINGS: 5 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - Paradise Towers
The Kangs help the Doctor escape, but the Chief Caretaker is taken over by Kroagnon and has the cleaners start to kill everyone in the building. Mel is attacked by a swimming pool cleaning robot and when Pex freezes she takes his gun and shoots it which gets Pex taunted by the Kangs when they arrived with the Doctor who is finally reunited with Mel. The remaining Rezzies come to the pool to ask for the Doctor's help as does the Deputy Chief Caretaker who reveals to the Kangs where a hidden supply of explosives is allowing them to attack the cleaners and set a trap for Kroagnon. Pex volunteers to lead Kroagnon to the Doctor but they arrive to soon. Kroagnon attacks the Doctor but Pex finds the courage to attack Kroagnon and they both fall into the Kang base detonating the booby trap and killing them both. All the remaining Paradise Towers residents gather to mourn Pex. As the Doctor & Mel leave Paradise Towers the Doctor is presented with a red and blue scarf making him an honorary Kane. The Tardis dematerialises revealing some newly painted wall scrawl proclaiming that "Pex Lives!".
Is Richard Briers going for Zombie or Gumby with his possessed Kroagnon performance? I'm not sure, but we can tell he's not the Chief Caretaker any more!
The scarf at the end reminded me that years later I'd own a double sided university scarf: on one side is the colours of Royal Holloway College and on the reverse that of the University of London.
You can't say that Paradise Towers isn't trying to make an effort. In lots of ways it succeeds, projecting a society that's gone to pieces in the aftermath of a war with the Kangs speaking in their own distorted version of English a particular highlight. I can remember really enjoying Paradise Towers when I first saw it .... Twenty Five years ago! Watching it again now it stands head and shoulders above the last few stories and just like 25 years ago I'm encouraged to think what lies ahead.
Stephen Wyatt novelised his script for Target Books and if my memory serves it's the first book published after the cessation of the hardback range. It was released on video on 2nd October 1995 (I found a dated receipt for it inside the video case when I opened it up to watch the last two episode on video while staying at my Mother's) and on DVD in July 2011.
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