Carnival of Monsters: Episode Four

EPISODE: Carnival of Monsters: Episode Four
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 337
STORY NUMBER: 066 TRANSMITTED: Saturday 17 February 1973
FIVE FACES OF DOCTOR WHO REPEAT: Thursday 19 November 1981
WRITER: Robert Holmes
DIRECTOR: Barry Letts
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 9.2 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who Revisitations 2: Seeds of Death, Carnival of Monsters & Resurrection of the Daleks
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

" I'm sorry to have to tell you, gentlemen, but you are all in very serious trouble! You are, I take it, the representatives of authority on this planet? Then you have allowed the importation and the operation of a machine that is expressly forbidden by intergalactic law!"

The Doctor is restored to his full size. The officials tell the Doctor where he is and he's pleased to find the Tardis. He tells them they have allowed the import of a machine forbidden by intergalactic law. Vorg thinks the Doctor is a carnival performer but the Doctor berates him from using the scope to hold intelligent lifeforms. Knowing the scope is failing the Doctor retrieves a device from the Tardis which allows him to be reinserted into the machine to rescue Jo. He leaves Vorg with instructions to activate the device again later. The humans in the malfunctioning scope collapse due to the heat. The Drashigs escape from the scope and go on the rampage. Vorg finds the missing part in his baggage and uses it to reactivate the eradicator & destroy the Drashigs.

Vorg activates the Doctor's device causing the specimens inside to be returned to where they came. The Doctor & Jo materialise by the scope as it blows up. Back in 1926 Major Daly finally finishes his book as he bids Clare good night. Vorg regales Plectrac with tales of how he defeated the Drashig and then engages him in a game of chance as the Doctor & Jo leave in the Tardis.

Finally, after three episodes of being trapped in the scope with the Drashigs & the Bernice's crew, the Doctor escapes into Inter Minor and gets to interact with the rest of the characters in the story! And, thanks to the events of the last few episodes, he's rather angry!

SHIRNA: It's one of the Tellurians.
PLETRAC: Hurry, it must be eradicated!
SHIRNA: Why? He hasn't done anything wrong. Are you all right, dear?
PLETRAC: Don't touch it. It's probably crawling with germs.
VORG: He's right, Shirna. Come away. The thing must be destroyed.
PLETRAC: Eradicator detachment, one charge, maximum intensity.
KALIK: Wait!
PLETRAC: Stand aside, Kalik.
KALIK: This procedure is not in order.
PLETRAC: Not in order?
KALIK: The eradicator cannot be used without authority from the tribunal.
PLETRAC: In an emergency, it's perfectly
KALIK: One alien hardly constitutes an emergency.
PLETRAC: The function of this tribunal is to keep this planet clean. This Tellurian creature comes from outside our solar system and is a possible carrier of contagion. Furthermore the creature may be hostile.

DOCTOR: Will you kindly stop referring to me as the creature, sir, or I may well become exceedingly hostile.
PLETRAC: Silence! This tribunal is deliberating.
DOCTOR: The tribunal is not deliberating. The tribunal is arguing. And quite nonsensically, if I may say so.
PLETRAC: The tribunal will not tolerate insolence from unauthorised lifeforms.
DOCTOR: Will one of you kindly explain to me exactly where I am? Which planet, I mean?
KALIK: You are on Inter Minor.
DOCTOR: Inter Minor? Not Metebelis Three, the famous blue planet of the Acteon galaxy?
ORUM: Oh, no.
DOCTOR: I see. Oh, thank heavens the Tardis is safe, anyway.
PLETRAC: This container is yours?
DOCTOR: Yes, it is indeed. And, oh yes, just as I thought. A miniscope. Now this is outrageous! Who is responsible for this device? Is it yours?
PLETRAC: Certainly not! It is the property of this Lurman. The female is his assistant.
DOCTOR: And you, sir, you are?
PLETRAC: Chairman Pletrac of the Admissions Tribunal.
ORUM: One wonders why the tribunal is submitting to questioning by this creature. Shouldn't it be the other way round?
DOCTOR: Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you, gentlemen, but you are all in very serious trouble.
ORUM: Really? One almost admires its audacity.
DOCTOR: You are, I take it, the representatives of authority on this planet?
PLETRAC: One's authority comes direct from President Zarb himself.
DOCTOR: Then you have allowed the importation and the operation of a machine that is expressly forbidden by intergalactic law.
PLETRAC: One did not allow it! One has already ordered the deportation of the Lurmans and their machine.
DOCTOR: But for the moment the machine is here and it is in operation. Surely you'll scarcely deny that?
PLETRAC: Well, strictly speaking, one must concede that, er, in a sense
DOCTOR: Then you are responsible, are you not? As a direct result of your carelessness, my young companion is trapped inside this machine, in a situation of extreme peril.

PLETRAC: Look, one is forced to remind you that the question before this tribunal is your own eradication as a menace to public health.
DOCTOR: If you will allow me to rescue my young companion, and give what help I can to the rest of the unfortunates trapped in here, then I am prepared to overlook the entire matter.
ORUM: One is indeed overwhelmed.
DOCTOR: If not, then you'll just have to take the consequences. Let me know when you've made up your mind.

Interestingly here the Doctor does not understand Vorg's carnival speak: it's the one of the few points, if not the only point, in the series history he doesn't understand what's being spoken to him!

VORG: Marvellous, Shirna! What audacity, eh? Do you know, I do believe he's one of us?
SHIRNA: One of us? He's a Tellurian.
VORG: Of course, but I recognise the type. He's in the carnival business, I'm sure. I mean, look at his manner and look at his clothes. Don't forget that I've worked many a Tellurian fairground.
SHIRNA: You may be right. He's certainly got the style.
VORG: Oh, I'd wager on it. He's got the measure of these grey faced idiots right enough.

VORG: I bet he understands the palare. Listen to this.
SHIRNA: Eh?
VORG: The Tellurian carnival lingo. Watch. Palare la carny?
DOCTOR: I beg your pardon?
VORG: Varda the Bona Palone?
DOCTOR: I'm sorry.
VORG: Niente dinari round here, y'jills.
DOCTOR: I must apologise. I'm afraid I do not understand your language.
VORG: Oh, you understand, all right. You're a showman, the same as me, ain't you.
DOCTOR: Are you a showman, sir?
VORG: Allow me to introduce myself. I am the great Vorg! And this beautiful young lady is Shirna, my assistant.
DOCTOR: Delighted, Miss Shirna. I am the Doctor.
VORG: Doctor. Great title, you know. Doctors, Professors, always pulls them in.
DOCTOR: Tell me, sir, are you in charge of this disgraceful device?
VORG: Yes, why? Is something wrong?
DOCTOR: Yes, something is very wrong. I too have an assistant, you know, and she's trapped inside this machine. Now somehow I've got to get her out.

The twin dangers of the escaping Drashigs and the failing scope add some urgency to this final episode which provides a good resolution to the story: Kalik's coup is quashed at the start with only his blood shed, while Vorg finds himself the hero of the piece and returns to his old tricks with three magum pods and a yorrow seed to earn a living! The Bernice is returned safely home, presumably due to arrive at it's Bombay destination the next day:

DALY: Who is it?
CLAIRE: Only me. I didn't wake you, did I?
DALY: Of course not.
CLAIRE: I wouldn't want to wake you just to say goodnight.
DALY: I've been reading.
CLAIRE: Have you finished it?
DALY: Yeah. Seems like the longest book I've ever read in me life.
CLAIRE: It does seem to have been a long trip somehow. Daddy?
DALY: Hmm?
CLAIRE: Oh, nothing.
DALY: Disappointing ending, you know. Fellow became a missionary. I thought he was going to marry her.
CLAIRE: Oh, you are an old romantic, aren't you, Daddy? I'll bet half your stories about the East are just romances.
DALY: You'll see for yourself tomorrow, Claire. Bombay!
CLAIRE: I'm looking forward to that.
DALY: Don't think young Andrews is though.
CLAIRE: That's what I mean, you see. Romantic. Goodnight, Daddy.
DALY: Goodnight, my child. Sleep well.

In a nice little touch the last we see of the Bernice is Major Daly finally crossing off on the calendar the day that they've been living again and again inside the Scope!

You can say Carnival of Monsters is about things, and several issues have been suggested including immigration, television and Zoos, but above all of these it manages to be a cracking Doctor Who story. Later Doctor Who stories will try and be "about" stuff but be rubbish to watch. This is fab, and seems to have a myriad of issues underneath. While Inferno's my favourite Pertwee story it's a little long for an evening's viewing at 7 parts, so Carnival of Monsters is probably the one I watch the most, is my favourite four part Pertwee and probably my second favourite Third Doctor story.

Carnival of Monsters was repeated on BBC2 on the 16th to 19th November 1981 as part of the Five Faces of Doctor Who repeat season, but oddly shown the week before it's preceding televised story The Three Doctors! It was the first Third Doctor story I saw.

Carnival of Monsters was novelised by Terrance Dicks. My local library had a copy so it got read several times when I was younger. It was released on video in March 1995 with the alternate edit of episode 2 featuring the unbroadcast theme music. Carnival of Monsters was first released on DVD in July 2002 as the second Jon Pertwee release with a commentary by Katy Manning & Barry Letts. A special edition DVD re-release occurred on 28 March 2011 as part of Doctor Who Revisitations - Volume 2 along with the Seeds of Death and Resurrection of the Daleks. A new commentary for Carnival was recorded featuring Peter Halliday, Cheryl Hall, Jenny McCracken, Brian Hodgson (who makes his last credited appearance as providing Special Sound for this story) & Terrance Dicks moderated by Toby Hadoke. For my money it's the best commentary of the entire range with several lesser used performers getting to share their thoughts.