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Doctor Who: The Robots of Death (Story 90)

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It is little surprise that Dr. Isaac Asimov named this as his favorite Dr. Who episode (though it actually comes as considerable surprise to learn that he even watched the series at all). Certainly the plotline and backstory development borrow liberally from the future society Asimov established in the Lije Bailey/R. Daneel Olivaw novels; it even works in references to the Three Laws of Robotics. The influence of an earlier book, RUR (Rossum's Universal Robots), also surfaces in exploring man's reaction to robots and their total absence of human body language (robophobia). Even the author's name, Karel Capek, is mirrored in that of the villain Taren Capel.

Newcomer director Chris Boucher (The Face of Evil) took the suggestion of longtime Dr. Who editor Robert Holmes and created an isolated, murder-mystery adventure as a vehicle to solidify the role of Leela, a companion he had introduced in the previous serial. Boucher drew from one of his favorite novels, Frank Herbert's Dune, to envisage the Storm-Mine setting. Effects director Peter Grimwade is immortalized in the episode thanks to a bit of ad-libbing by Tom Baker. Amongst the cast was David Collings as Poul, David Baile as Dask (Taren Capel), and Pamela Salem as Toos; Salem had actually been an unsuccessful applicant for the role of Leela.

Though not a milestone episode, I would name this is one of my favorite Tom Baker-era stories, largely because of its attention to detail -throwaway lines by characters reveal a rich tapestry of politics, history, and sociopolitical orders not always seen in a Doctor Who serial. We get a sense of the social "pecking order" on this nameless future planet from Uvanov's obvious disgust with Zilda's and Chub's family standing; at the same time we learn that the all-pervasive Company is not above covering up an employee's potentially embarrassing (or potentially expensive) past. Poul is a great study in contrasts: nobody on the Storm-Mine is the least suspicious of him until Leela turns up and likens him to a hunter. The insertion of D.84 is even more clever, and it illustrates just how inured this society has become to anything out of the ordinary. Uvanov dismisses Leela's assertion that D.84 can speak simply because "everyone knows" that particular class of robots can't speak.

In the same way, the crew dismisses the Doctor's theories about the murderer because "everyone knows" robots are incapable of such a thing. Robot behavior and robot Urban Legends are clearly at the forefront of even casual conversation, as evidenced in the opening scenes when we meet the entire crew idling away in the lounge. I also like the fact that the cast is a little more varied, racially speaking, from the usual spate of pale English actors. Helps to paint a more realistic vision of the future.

D.84 (Gregory de Polnay), the "undercover" agent, provides some wonderful back-and-forth dialogue with the Doctor and goes a long way toward widening the scope of the story. The robot's recount of the life of Taren Capel has made the murderer into a tragic figure before we've even figured out who he is, and it even gets to explore its own feelings of inadequacy; next thing we know it has even cracked a joke at the Doctor's expense. I always thought D.84 would make an ideal traveling companion -a sentiment I was surprised to learn was shared by many other fans. Its plaintive request to "please do not throw hands at me" is priceless. Definite homage to Daneel and Giskard there...

Though we, the audience, know the killer at the outset of this "whodunit," it is the question of who is the puppet master that takes up the scope of the story. This is also an uncharacteristically graphic episode; there are several strangulation scenes, a disturbing shot of a dead body being buried in a downpour of gravel, and blood all over the hand of the initial killer robot. There are also some chilling pyrotechnics; for my money one of the scariest scenes depicts another of the killer robots trying to break into the command deck, calmly announcing in its polite bureaucratic monotone that everyone has to die. Another great moment comes when Leela throws her knife squarely into the chest of an attacking robot -which then casually knocks it aside and keeps on coming. It is the first time we've seen anything even approaching fear on Leela's face.

The society that has been postulated is full of cause-and-effect: the Doctor's casual line about it being "the end of this civilization" is clearly no exaggeration. The characters, for all their feigned ease and opulence, are clearly not wholly comfortable with this robot-dependent society they have created for themselves, and as a result there is an omnipresent creeping paranoia that lurks just under the surface for most of the storyline. The parallels to the distrustful, robot-dependent society in Asimov's Caves Of Steel are obvious: mankind has gone and made another technological breakthrough which has become an indispensable part of daily life before everyone's really had time to adjust. Likewise, the Storm-Mine's carefully-ordered life is exposed to be a powderkeg; one little deviation from "everyone knows," and suddenly everybody's world is turned upside-down. This is especially apparent with Uvanov (Russell Hunter)'s newly-found "blow 'em all up" attitude, Poul's total mental breakdown, and Toos's hysterical sobbing (the latter also provides a great springboard for the audience to learn Leela's surprisingly tender and compassionate side).

When Doctor Who first appeared here in the Sates in the late 1970's on Public Television I was so smitten by it that I took to setting up my little casette recorder by the TV set to record the audio from the shows, then listen to them while I'd do my homework or whatever and relive them in my head like a radio drama. One of my favorites to listen to was "The Robots of Death" and by golly if it didn't improve when I finally scored my VHS tape of this excellent adventure and could watch it again at my convenience. True science fiction, "Robots" is set in an un-defined future on a Sand Miner that trolls the sandstorms of an un named world that seems to be one huge desert -- the exteriors of the Miner chewing it's way across the barren landscape are amongst the most impressive effects shots from all of Doctor Who. Manning the Miner are a skeleton crew of, for the most part, vain and repugnant humans overseeing a staff of efficient, indifferent robots. The fact that there are only 8 or 9 people and about 500 robots is a sign that something is going to go wrong, but never mind. This was Leela's second episode with the Doctor, and while Louise Jameson's tantalizing animal skin outfit makes her a welcome addition to any story, her noble savage character serves well as a counterpoint to not only Baker's Who but the detatched, luxury minded humans who seem to populate the miner for one reason -- to be killed off by the robots one by one. My favorites are Poole, the Company man who isn't telling every thing he knows, and Toos, the ample chested female co-pilot of the mine who insists on wearing this helmet [hat?] that looks like it was meant for a Terry Gilliam hallucination. In fact, ALL of the human crew dress kind of oddly, wearing flowing gowns and lounge suits that don't seem to be at home on a mining platform. But no matter -- the point is that they are dependent upon the robots to do their dirty work, especially the nutcase member of the crew who starts re-programming the robots to kill off his obnoxious crewmates (who could blame him? they are a vile lot, for the most part). But the Doctor smells bigger trouble and gets involved, prophetically proclaiming that "This isn't the only robot dependent civilization in the galaxy, you know." The best scenes are probably the ones with the crew members nervously bickering about how to deal with the murders of their crewmates, and since the robots are all expressionless facades they really don't generate a whole lot of dread, but the story is interesting and the production design offbeat enough to keep even the jaded Sci Fi fan's interest. Even after he has listened to it 1000 times before. Highly recommended.

This Tom Baker story is an extremely stylish, visually stunning and well written example of Doctor Who. Set aboard a sandminer crawling across the desert surface of a nameless planet, "The Robots of Death" is a murder mystery with interesting characters, whose interactions show people with hidden motives, secrets and fears - they are three dimensional and believable. The story has both action and creeping suspense, with some genuinely frightening, psychological and claustrophobic moments. But the piece de resistance to this story is the design. There's the art deco of the sandminer and the wonderfully decadent costumes, but best of all, the robots themselves. They look exquisite and are beautiful and deadly. Their cold, calm menace is chilling; the "pulse" music that accompanies their slow paces through the corridors of the Sandminer is wonderfully atmospheric. Isaac Asimov meets Agatha Christie in a highly memorable adventure.

Well, maniacs or no, the good folks involved in the production of this masterpiece of a "Doctor Who" storyline surely deserve to gloat a little. The story's concept is good solid science fiction at its very best, the characterization is psychologically complex and interesting and the acting top-notch and convincing. The plotline is pretty much flawless, starting on the right foot and never losing steam. And the very palpable level of suspense is probably a new benchmark in the show's long history--my wife and I were planning on watching the first two episodes of this DVD one day and the last two the next, but after the end of episode two my wife adamantly insisted on seeing it through to the end, and I wasn't hard to convince.

The title of course gives away something of the basic premise. Ever wonder what C-3PO would be like on a bad day? The contrast between the mildly polite and proper behavior of the robots and their brutal acts of murder makes for a chilling contrast (death with etiquette?). But of course there's more to these events than meets the eye, and the viewer is kept guessing until the end, misled again and again with a host of false leads and dead ends (if you'll pardon the expression). This is very much a whodunit in the style of Agatha Christie, a format invented and developed in Britain and, as this show demonstrates, still very much their forte even when rearticulated into a science fiction idiom and spiced up with a healthy bit of influence from Isaac Asimov (seasoned with a little dash of Frank Herbert). To go into any more detail than that would be to stack up spoiler upon spoiler, so I'll leave it at that.

I will only go on to say that there are a host of other little things I liked about this storyline. The dialogue is expertly scripted, with little comments here and there by the different characters all adding up to give the viewer a very concrete impression of some future society in all its complexity. The visually appealing mix of styles in costume and interior decor nicely suggests such a society as well, a sort of generic "earthling" culture spread out among the stars--and the dominant "art deco" look gives just the right suggestion of fin-de-siecle decadence, of "the end of a civilization" as the Doctor puts it. This goes for the vaguely neo-classical design of the robots as well. As for the conclusion, I'm sworn on the holiest of oaths not to give it away, but I can say that it's a classic example of the Doctor using good old basic scientific knowledge and know-how to save the day--simple but quite effective, not to mention laced with an incredibly satisfying dose of irony and instant karma.

On a different note, this is also the first DVD so far to feature the Doctor's traveling companion, Leela. She remains one of my favorites. It's always wonderful how she bring a neolithic sensibility to a futuristic setting, giving everything a fresh perspective, and for once its nice to have an aggressively capable woman character, one who's much more likely to have a go at the monster or villain with her trusty knife than stand there screaming for the Doctor like some ninny. I don't think we've really quite seen that since Barbara made a speed bump out of a Dalek back in 1964. Plus, okay, I had a huge crush on this character when I was a teenager, and it's a nice bit of nostalgia to see her again--and wow, the crush was well-founded, I must say. Ahem, anyway, as I was saying.

This is apparently one of the first "Doctor Who" DVD releases, and as such it has minimal extras. Which is fine. The extras on many of the "Doctor Who" DVDs are better than average, but just how many documentaries about the "Hinchcliffe Years" can we have without getting a tad redundant, really? Just sit back and enjoy "The Robots of Death"--and make sure to set aside about two hours to do so.

"The Robots of Death" is a well-remembered 1977 "Doctor Who" adventure heavy on the gothic horror favored by the show at that time. Within another year or two, the program would return to funny monsters in ill-fitting costumes, but you won't see that here. "Robots" is a logical, if unsexy choice, to be the first Tom Baker/Fourth Doctor story released on DVD.

Because the story is 24 years old, some of the special features are a stretch. Most compelling to US audiences is the featurette on Howard DaSilva, who provided cheezy and sarcastic voiceovers for the show when it was first aired State-side. Oddly, no photo of Howard is provided, but his lines are so amusing you'll play them often enough to wear out that sector of the disc.

The long, mute, test model shots of the story's "Sandminer" vessel, try the patience. Many blockbuster movies like to load their DVDs with technical features, demonstrating the magic of filmmaking. While the Sandminer shots remain impressive for a small-budget show, perhaps the DVD space may have been better reserved for more informative feature, such as one about Louise Jameson (Leela), who appeared in so few DW stories.

The key feature is the commentary track by producer Philip Hinchcliffe (often credited with the show's 1970s success), and episode writer Chris Boucher. Hinchcliffe relays a few anecdotes about working with Tom Baker, but by and large the two spend the first half of the story (which neither had seen since 1977) ignoring what happens on screen, and the second half so caught up in events that the commentary nearly stops! Hinchcliffe also keeps comparing this 1977 adventure favorably to today's big-budget Hollywood films. Well, yes.. the DVDs cost the same. However, the title of this review (spoken by Hinchcliffe, about guest-actor Russell Hunter) is more than worth the price.

The copy-editing on the actor biographies is poor. Louise Jameson's TV credits are the same as Tom Baker's, and oddly omitted is the credit guest-star David Collings' biggest role, Bob Cratchit in the 1970 "Christmas Carol".

Most important to the DVD is of course "The Robots of Death" themselves, and happily this story is worth your time.

Take one part of Murder on the Orient Express, add a dash of Dune and season it all with overtones of Asimov's Robot saga all the while adding the wit and intelligence that is Doctor Who at its best and you've got the classic Tom Baker era story, The Robots of Death.

Robots of Death comes out of season 14, which is arguably one of Who's best. And Robots is one of the reasons it's so fondly remembered and revered by fans of Doctor Who. The story strikes the right chord between overwhelming dread and an intriguing mystery. And like the best mysteries, it will keep you guessing until the final episode when the culprit is revealed. Chris Boucher adds his own unique twist to the time-honored murder mystery genre and makes the final solution to the problem a wholly unique one. (To say more would be to give away too many details and it's best to see this one now knowing whodoneit. (No pun intended).

The story alone would be worth the price of the DVD. However, the BBC and WB have packed this release with some many extras that it's icing on the cake. The commentary track by producer Phillip Hinchcliffe and writer Chris Boucher is interesting enough and contains a few interesting tidbits for long-time Who fans. The Howard DeSilva intros and exits for the episodes are a unique part of the American broadcast of Dr. Who and are a welcome addition. Finally, the best part--the story is presented in episodic format for the first time in the United States for a commercial release of the story--the way Dr. Who was meant to be seen.

Of course, this being DVD the picture and sound are of the highest quality--though there are some obvious signs of age in the audio track. But you've got to give them credit for working with the material available to produce a nice sounding story.

All in all, this is a MUST for any Who fan. Great story, great Doctor, great packing and presentation. Well worth the price of admission.

"...And then we will be irresistable!" The TARDIS materialises inside a sandminer, and the Doctor and Leela are tailor made suspects in a murder mystery. How did Chris Boucher do it? One classic after the other! "The Robots of Death" is probably one of the most claustrophobic murder mysteries in the entire series. Leela's second story only fleshes out her character even more. The futuristic setting is ideal for her development: "The other mechanical man told us to wait here..." Tom Baker is also in fine form. And the supporting cast is stellar! Chris Boucher's script is filled with one memorable line after the other. And the robots, well, they might be one of the most unique robots ever on the program. Kudos to D-84. How can one season have so many classics? And thanks to the Doctor Who Restoration Team for a another stellar product. I've never seen Who so clean & crisp, showing a high standard in the art of transferring old programs onto DVD. The Howard Da Silva extra is a nice touch, as so with all the other bonuses. Only makes a classic serial even better!

I have avoided this program like the plague most of my life, and now I found that I've been mistaken.

I remember seeing bit of this show on PBS and it just looked so cheesy that I could not bring myselt to watch it.

On a whim, I took Doctor Who-The Robots of Death out of the local library and I really enjoyed it. The story was good. The acting not bad. The script had some silly lines, but all in all it was a good viewing experience.

I don't expect to turn into a Doctor Who fanatic this late in life, but I can certainly see myself checking other episodes out of the library.

Yes, it is old. Tom Baker is, to me, the best portrayor of the Doctor WHO personality. In particular this is one of the best stories that I found in my memory. The Doctor and Leela arrived to a Sandminer, just to be accused of being murderers. The sandminer tripulation are some aristhocrats who are served by Intelligent human-like robots. Some dumb, some others with the ability to speak, and probably others with the need for killing people!!!. Needless to say, the Dvd has all four individual chapters (with its openning and closing credits!), so you can watch them one by week, to recreate that time ago in front of the tv. It even has some extras, like the original peeks of the next chapter the narrator used to increase the need to watch the next chapter. Want a producer and writer comentary?, you have it. It is even fun to watch the old special effects, because they give a very good remembrance and felling of authenticity. For the newcomers, they could seem old and bad effects, and the story too simple, but for hard time fans is like going back to the youth.

Doctor Who episodes -- at least during Tom Baker's run -- tended to fall into certain basic plot categories. Two common themes were: The doctor must liberate people in servitude ("Face of Evil", "Underworld"; "The Sunmakers"); The doctor must uncover and foil a clever alien scheme to destroy/conquer earth ("The Android Invasion"; "Terror of the Zygons"). A lesser-used device was the "ten little Indians/haunted house" approach, which we saw in the superb "Horror of Fang Rock" episode and here, in one of the few Tom Baker Dr. Who DVD's available, "The Robots of Death."

This episode is regarded by many fans as a true classic, one of the best of the whole long-running Dr. Who television show, and not merely the Baker years. I disagree. I think the story was told better in "Fang Rock", one of my personal favorites which also features Leela as the companion. I am very curious as to exactly how the BBC decides which Who episodes get committed to DVD, especially considering that not all of them are even out of VHS yet (what's the holdup, fellas? It's been 30 years!). But even I have to admit that few, if any, Baker-Who episodes are as dark and creepy or as well thought-out as this one, and probably none have better overall production. The robots are unusually well-designed for such a low-budget show, and when they turn evil their pleasant voices, frozen faces, and penchant for manual strangulation are downright frightening. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Storywise, "Robots" is sound. The Doc and Leela land inside a giant spice-miner run by a handfull of greedy, effete, not terribly nice fortune-hunters who wear ridiculous costumes and seem to spend most of their time loafing about while a large staff of robots does most of the work. You have to take only one look at the robots to figure out that the tail is wagging the dog here, and before you know it, one of the crewmen is murdered and the Doctor and Leela, being stowaways, are of course blamed.

This starts the "ten little Indians" part. The spiceminer is wandering a gigantic, hostile desert of killer sandstorms and towering rock: there is no way off the ship. The humans, basically French aristocrats circa 1789 with their powdered faces and silly costumes, have no weapons and are so morally vacuous and wimpy they practically invite the robots to kill them. The robots oblige, having been tampered with by a member of the crew with a serious identity crisis, a robot fetish and a healthy dose of homicidal mania. One by one the humans get strangled, each trying to figure out who the killer is, and everyone suspecting -- of course -- our hero and his knife-wielding gal pal.

It is a nice plot device, and since it was not used very often I can let the writers off the hook for copying the fine work they did in "Fang Rock." My problem is mainly that the human characters on the miner are all pretty much loathsome and deserving of a good strangulation. It is hardly uncommon in Who episodes for the Doctor to be abused by the very people he is trying to save, but in this case the people just don't seem to be worth saving at all. In fact, the nicest character we meet on the ship is D84, the supposedly mute "dumb" robot who turns out to be a company agent. 84 should probably have read "Message to the Oppressed" a few more times before he chose which side he was on.

Don't get me wrong here. "Robots" is a good, entertaining episode with a very high creep factor. Tom Baker and Louise Jameson are very good and the writing is on par with their acting -- this is one of those episodes where Leela gets to do more than just say, "What is it, Doctor?" in different tones of voice, which was not always the case during her time as a companion. It is much darker than your average Tom Baker outing, and I do think the plot would have been better served by more sympathetic crew-members. DVD-wise, the extras are nothing special overall, but the audio commentary is very interesting. But overall I must admit....these are the criticisms of a nerd. Go ahead and buy the damn thing. I did.