The Macra Terror review

The idea of animating a whole, unavailable old Doctor Who story is a step forward from filling in missing episodes and judging from what’s been done here, a fascinating opportunity. Originally shown in 1966 and long since wiped, this 52 year old tale has always been one of the less regarded of the canon. Those who did see it at the time don’t rate it highly, those who have seen telesnap reconstructions or heard audios don’t seem much more enthusiastic either. This release lifts `The Macra Terror` from its foggy origins and gives it a chance to succeed. It can’t be some huge re-make nor can it alter the overall plot but it does take liberties with the original to service a better story and also to make the Macra more memorable for those who only know them from their surprise re-appearance in `Gridlock` and those couple of photos. Purists may carp – and a telesnap version is included for them – but this is as good as `The Macra Terror` can be- and it’s better than you think it will be. 

The Power of the Daleks

Matthew Kilburn reviews the newly released animated version of the classic 1966 story which introduced the second Doctor.

BBC Worldwide’s animated The Power of the Daleks is one of the projects one thought would never take place. We’d seen cold water poured on the volcanic flames of an animated parts one and four of The Underwater Menace, and had been assured for years that more than two episodes of a story would never be attempted again. Then, almost without warning, The Power of the Daleks was upon us, and BBC Store was no doubt gratified with many more new customers to strain its servers. As widely trailed, the budget and timescale only allowed for limited powers of expression and motion for the characters and must have entailed difficult choices for a talented team of recreators.