Product Details

• Actors: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison
• Writers: Sydney Newman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: June 25, 1996
• Run Time: 146 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304052936
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,504 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Visitation is a routine adventure from Doctor Who's 19th season, beginning with Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor trying to return air hostess Tegan (Janet Fielding) to Heathrow Airport but materializing the TARDIS just as the Plague is ravaging 17th-century England. Three stranded Terileptils (humanoid-reptilian-fish hybrids in laughable costumes) are planning to wipe out humanity, while the local population have accepted the invader's puzzlingly camp robot for the Grim Reaper incarnate. There's much running around, being imprisoned, and escaping again, but little substance in the story other than a return to the original series concept of tying the plot to elements of real history. Trying to find something for all the companions to do stretches the material thin, with the best entertainment coming from Michael Robbins's memorable turn as Richard Mace, an out-of-work actor turned charmingly genial highwayman. The "surprise" ending is predictable, Matthew Waterhouse's Adric as earnestly tiresome as ever and Tegan still tediously grumpy. Sarah Sutton as Nyssa is left too long building a sonic weapon that can vibrate a robot to pieces but doesn't harm the TARDIS or herself, yet Davison goes a long way to redeeming the tale with a charismatic intensity the yarn just doesn't deserve. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Humans are so parochial....and sometimes... so are stories., January 19, 2006

By 

Kevin J. Loria (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doctor Who: The Visitation (Story 120) (DVD)

The Doctor arrives at Heathrow Airport, only it's a few centuries too early, have the TARDIS and crew materializing just as the Plague is ravaging England. As the mystery unfolds, we learn that stranded reptilian-aliens, who are also escaped convicts, are accelerating the Plague in a typical half-baked fashion. As the newly regenerated 5th Doctor, played here by young Peter Davison, joins forces with Richard Mace, an actor turned highwayman. Keeping in the classic mold of the series, there is lots of running, capture, escape and escaping again, but very little story to tie up the historical elements.

Significant story points: THE DEATH of the SONIC SCREWDRIVER

(don't worry kids, it'll be back, check out the new season one DVDs in July)

With so many companions in the TARDIS a common flaw with the first Davison season is trying to find something for everyone to do, this is partly why Nyssa ends up in the TARDIS on a superfluous tech detail. Inspite of this I am still disappointed when Michael Robbins's Richard Mace remains behind, rather than add another mouth the feed (in the dialogue sense). The costumes are awkward, but performances bridge the gap. Locations are ok here and Peter Davison is so charming on screen that this below average concept becomes a very watchable piece of Dr. Who history. Unfortunately, Davison is less charismatic on the DVD commentary, filled with pauses and no real revelations, making for a is a less than interesting extra.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I feel a definite chill about me shoulders...", March 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Doctor Who - The Visitation / Black Orchid [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A marvelous psuedo-historical! One of Eric Saward's best scripts. Michael Robbins as Richard Mace shines with Davison, making a delightful pairing. Even the rest of the TARDIS crew have their part to play. The setting, the location, and even studio bound sets all help this one rise above. It's just a shame that Saward didn't give names to the Terileptils. Even the android(with cricket gloves that didn't bother me) comes across pretty good. A typical lyrical Davison story puncuated by a straightforward script and great timing by all involved.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One of the most average historical period D.W.'s ever., May 15, 2005

By 

Matthew D. Cornelius (stockton, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doctor Who: The Visitation (Story 120) (DVD)

If someone were to ask you to show them not the very best historical Doctor Who and also not the worst historical Doctor Who but the most average you could think of I'd recommend showing them this one. In fact it's not just average for historical Doctor Who is average for any type of Doctor Who story.

Not that average is bad mind you it's just that with with so few Peter Davison era Doctor Who episodes avalible on DVD I wonder why they picked this one. So far all the episodes on DVD of the Davison era have been important episodes. For example Earthshock with the Cybermen and death of Adric or Caves of Androzani not only featuring Davison's finial apearence but also one of the best written, best acted,best written episodes ever.But who knows maybe that was the point to show something average.

The plot the Tardis lands on Earth in 1666 during the plague. There are aliens trapped on Earth they decide to wipe out all humanity so all three of them can have Earth to themselves. The Doctor offers to help them go some place else but they reject his offer.The doctor must stop the aliens evil plan to wipe out humanity with a geneticaly altered plague virus before it's too late! We've seen this sort of thing before in fact it remined me a bit of the Time Warrior from the Pertwee era but it's not as good. If this story suffers from something it's from being too simple and the writter of the episode Eric Saward agrees that it is a simple story in an excellent interview on the DVD extras.

Now on to the extras and on that score the disk gets a 5 star rating the stand out features are.A funny and very informative audio comentary track with Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Matthew Waterhouse and director Peter Moffat. An interview with Peter Moffat about directing Doctor Who over the years. A interview with the episode writer Eric Saward. As well as an interview with the episodes composer. Honestly I really don't feel you can ask for much more BBC really went to town on this disk and I only mentioned some of what I think are the more interesting features. The episode may be average but the extras are far above average even by the high standards the BBC has set with other D.W. disks.

In conclusion this is a solid if not truely great episode. It's a good time but just not the best of the Davison era it is in a word average.