Colonisation in Space
The Mutants on DVD
Fandom doesn’t like The Mutants very much. Not only is it a bit crap, it also adds to the confusion about what we should call the first Dalek story. In short, it’s a pain in the bloody arse. And that’s before we get to Rick James.
It begins rather well; the overt political subtext feels daring and adult, and the production design is, on the whole, outstanding. In fact, The Mutants is borderline incredible if you turn the sound down. The costumes are striking and memorable without ever teetering over into embarrassing, the exterior filming looks genuinely alien and inhospitable, and the “monsters” are so impressive it amazes me that the Mutts didn’t end up becoming more iconic (one of them will return in a few years time – but only as a dismembered corpse). Some of the imagery is genuinely breathtaking: the insectoid spine breaking though the Solonian’s back is a terrific example of body-horror, while the psychedelic use of CSO must have given Barry Letts one hell of a hard-on; it almost certainly inspired at least two rock operas by Rick Wakeman.
In fact, forget trying to sync up The Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz, try playing this story to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway if you really want to blow your mind.
The Mutants certainly feels ambitious. The cliffhanger involving characters getting sucked out of an airlock into the cold vacuum of space is remarkably audacious, if not entirely wise, and it’s just a shame that the plot can’t keep up with these heroic visuals. It just feels so pedestrian and clunky before eventually settling on preachy and mawkish. It doesn’t help that the hero, Ky, is such an annoying git you’ll want to punch him in his smug, self-righteous gob before the end of the first episode. And it’s pretty much downhill from there.
You see, The Mutants comes with a towering stumbling block that is impossible to ignore, let alone clamber over – it includes some of the worst acting in the entire history of the series. Whether it’s Rick James and his inexplicable, indescribable and occasionally impenetrable cockney accent (which, let’s face it, isn’t even the worst of his crimes), James Mellor’s bizarre ranting, George Prada making a right pig’s ear of it, Garrick Hagon spouting one-note platitudes or Paul Whitsun-Jones chewing all that marvellous scenery, it sometimes feels like we are watching an elaborate practical joke that’s been hatched out during rehearsals. The results are so appalling, Nicholas Craig could construct an entire series of masterclasses out of this story. Even Geoffrey Palmer looks lost, and that can’t be good.
I think Christopher Barry probably sums it up best in the dying moments of the DVD commentary: it’s too long, it’s too boring and it’s too complicated.
Extras:
Mutt Mad, a 20-minute documentary about the making of this serial, kicks off a varied selection of extras. Featuring interviews with actor Garrick Hagon, producer Barry Letts, director Christopher Barry, co-writer Bob Baker, script editor Terrance Dicks and designer Jeremy Bear, it manages to cover a fair bit of ground in a short space of time – from the uncontrollable excesses of the Bristol Boys to the genesis of the story’s political subtext, including the frankly stunning admission from Dicks that he was (and still is) a staunch supporter of colonisation and Empire and he didn’t take to this story idea at all. I bet he hates green people, too.
Designer Jeremy Bear provides jolly anecdotes and stunning production sketches and there’s a great ‘spot the recycled scenery’ sequence that really made me chuckle. There’s also a detailed discussion of the serial’s special effects that might give you a fresh appreciation for what the production team were (perhaps foolishly) trying to achieve on a ridiculously tight budget. The incidental music is very nice, too.
In short, this is an excellent making-of from Chris Chapman and Dene Films and I really hope they’ve been commissioned to make more.
That said, the stand-out feature on this release is Race Against Time a 40-minute film from the Guerrier Brothers that takes a similar approach to the acclaimed Beneath the Surface documentary in that it attempts to place the story in its sociopolitical context.
It’s great to go beyond the well-worn anecdotes and revelations about the lights going out at 10pm to examine how the programme we love so much fits into a much larger picture and given this story’s barely disguised subtext about apartheid, it’s the perfect opportunity to investigate Doctor Who’s representation of race over the years.
Some of this makes for uncomfortable viewing (cue Patrick Troughton on Pebble Mill At One) while contentious topics like The Talons of Weng-Chiang (still banned in Canada for being racist) aren’t simply brushed under the carpet. Just be thankful we don’t see Alpha Centauri performing with the Black and White Minstrels.
This is an engrossing and accomplished documentary that wouldn’t look out of place on BBC4. It also demonstrates that you don’t need to employ a convoluted or whacky framing device to tackle a serious and far-reaching subject and I highly recommend it, even if this story isn’t on your must-buy list.
Dressing Doctor Who is an unmissable 30-minute interview with the oscar winning costume designer, James Acheson. Covering all of his iconic contributions to the series, from The Mutants to The Deadly Assassin, this is a delightfully jaunty journey through a remarkable man’s memories, many of which conclude with infectious explosions of mirth. You can’t help but chuckle along with him as he regales us with tales about malfunctioning Gel Guards and troublesome Zygons and his appraisal of his time on the show overflows with warmth, humour and honesty. His anecdotes are far too amusing to spoil here (especially the one involving John Landis) and he comes across as a thoroughly top bloke.
In fact, the only quibble I have with this exemplary profile is the incongruous voice-over that sounds as if it’s trying to sell me a time-share in Greece.
Blue Peter is up next and it’s bloody terrifying! Ogrons, Sea Devils and Draconians lurk in the fog as the soundtrack to A Serbian Film rattles ominously around the studio. And if that wasn’t unnerving enough, Peter Purves suddenly looms out of the mist and it’s “Goodnight Vienna” as far as your bowels are concerned. For years, fans believed that Kate Bush may have written Peter’s script for this short but sweet feature, especially if his reference to the Organons is anything to go by.
Commentary duties are performed by Katy Manning, Garrick Hagon, Christopher Barry, Terrance Dicks, Bob Baker, Jeremy Bear, and Brian Hodgson. It ticks along quite nicely with the contributors spread out across the episodes, each of them bringing a range of perspectives and memories to the table. Nicholas Pegg, who sounds like a kindly headmaster, moderates the proceedings with apolmb and it’s definitely well worth setting some time aside for, just don’t play that drinking game where you take a slug every time Katy Manning does her baby voice. Trust me, you won’t make it to Episode 3.
It does tend to descend into “Isn’t it just wonderful, darling!” towards the very end but it’s worth sticking around for the hilarious moment where Pegg attempts to draw Barry on his decision to cast Rick James. Short of grabbing him by the collar and shouting “What were you thinking, man!” poor Chris can’t take the hint and doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.
Rounding things off are the often unappreciated Production Notes (this time by the lovely Richard Bignell and once again they provide the perfect companion to any screening, and you’ll need all the help you can get), a trailer for The Ark (which makes it look fabulous and therefore a breach of the Trades Description Act), a Photo Gallery and some PDF materials (which most of us will never ever look at it but we would miss them terribly if they weren’t there).
In summary, while The Mutants remains a forgettable story this is still essential purchase, mainly thanks to exceptional extras. That and we’re all completely anal and we’ll buy it anyway.
The Mutants is released on Monday 31st January in the UK, and on Tuesday 8th February in the USA.
