Doctor Who — The Underwater Menace — Episode 1 — A Review

4th February, 2024: an introduction.

Any minute now, an air fryer is going to go ‘Ding’.

Literally, ‘Ding’.

That means … ?

That a large baked potato is almost done: and all I have to do?   Is turn it over, and put it back on for another five minutes.

So the underneath is done.

The fact frozen vegetable swill be getting microwaved at the same time?

Is almost incidental.

Once those are done?

And dinner, eaten … ?

I’m going to be watching an Patrick Troughton episode of classic Doctor Who: then making a start on telling you all about it.

I’ll have this written review — and its companion, video, version — up by tomorrow night.

Hopefully?

That’s when you’ll be reading this post.

~≈📺≈~

5th February, 2024: The Underwater Menace, Episode 1.

Following on from The Highlanders, Episode 1 of The Underwater Menace opens with with the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) guiding the TARDIS to its next landing point: whilst he, Ben and Polly (Michael Craze and Anneke Wills) explain the TARDIS to their new companion, Jamie (Frazer Hines.)

It’s only after the Doctor mentions Robert Burns* that he realises two things.

Jamie hasn’t heard of Scotland’s national poet: Jamie started travelling in the TARDIS in what, for him, is 1746: some thirteen years before Burns was born.

And the place the team has landed … ?

Really isn’t Cornwall, as Polly believes.

No: from what the team learn, they’re west of Gibraltar, south of the Azores … and firmly on the Atlantic Ridge.

In what they’re told is the fabled land of Atlantis … 

~≈📺≈~

Now … 

Why did I start watching The Underwater Menace?

What did I make of it?

And am I relieved this animated version exists?

Let’s do that last question, first, shall we?

Yes: I’m glad this animated version was made.

Especially as — at one point — many expected The Abominable Snowmen to be the last of the animated stories to be made: as BBC America pulled their funding.

Quite who’s funded this, and the upcoming release of The Celestial Toymaker, I don’t know.

But I’m grateful they did.

Why did I start watching The Underwater Menace?

I have to admit, I started watching as I had some free time: I’d finished making a batch of videos for my long running series of quizzes.

But, on top of that … ?

I’d watched the DVD version,  many years ago: a DVD version that consisted of the only two surviving episodes — episodes two and three — alongside telesnap versions of episodes one and four.

The telesnap versions, I should add, are reconstructed episodes of a Doctor Who story: with missing episodes recreated from a mix of publicity photos and off-air, fan-made, audio recordings.

I watched that DVD version, quite some time ago.

Or, at least, had it on in the background, whilst working at my computer.

So really didn’t pay that much attention to the story.

I felt — given an excuse? — I should have another look at the story: then tell you about it.

That chance came last year: when the animated version was released in the UK.

It’s only now that I’ve had the chance to start watching it: properly watching it.

What did I make of this first episode?

For starters?

The actual animation is — as it’s been for some time — extremely well done.

Granted, some of the designs differ between the telesnaps and animated versions: 

• The Temple Guards have spears with prawn shaped blades, rather than the tridents of the live action broadcast.
• Many of the priests have conch-shell headdresses, rather than the tentacled ones in that same broadcast.
• The various temple singers have different masks.

But?

The colour depth is — as always — pretty damn good, as is the detailing and backgrounds.

The animations, themselves, as smooth as ever.

And the story?

Engrossing!

About my only complaint?

Is that some of the audio seems very muffled: especially early on in the episode.

I’m going to assume that’s a problem with the source audio recordings: rather than any fault of Mark Ayres, the sound restorer for these animated versions.

The man does well with these reconstructions: so I don’t think any muffled dialogue is his fault.

He’s doing his best, with the material given.

As this episode stands?

As things stand, this first episode is both watchable, and entertaining, marred only by some muffled dialogue.

Which hasn’t totally spoilt my enjoyment: merely made part of the episode hard to hear.

~≈📺≈~

As a minor footnote?   Various versions of The Underwater Menace are available on Amazon: the animated version is available in both bluray and DVD.

The original DVD version I got hold of — that includes the telesnaps reconstructions — is also still available: at a quite reasonable £7·99p at the time of writing.

One minor odd thing, there?   At least on the streaming front?

I have an Apple TV 4K: complete with the BBC iPlayer.

From the little I’ve seen, over the past few months?

Bar An Unearthly Child, most classic Dr Who stories were available on the AppleTV version of the iPlayer: including the telesnaps version of The Underwater Menace.

I’m assuming the animated version wasn’t available to stream.

For some reason … ?

I can’t find The Underwater Menace on my AppleTV: the iPlayer only goes back to episode four of Full Circle.

I can find it in iPlayer, in a web browser on my computer: and on my Android phone’s iPlayer app!

But not on the AppleTV equivalent.

Quite what’s happening, there, I don’t know.

But I wouldn’t mind hearing your opinions!

~≈📺≈~

Related to that … ?

As you may or may not realise, I’ve owned episodes of Doctor Who on various physical media, over the years.

And made a point of making digital copies of those discs’ contents, every time I’ve bought one.

I see this as making back ups of my property.

But I’m also aware that — if something goes wrong with streamed episodes of a show I’m following? — the digital copies can be streamed locally.

Or the physical copies played on a blu-ray player.

Quite what’s happened on the Apple TV version of the iPlayer?

I don’t know.

But I have both the animated and telesnaps version of The Underwater Menace to watch: and can stream the iPlayer version from my computer to my AppleTV.

That’s something I find reassuring.

~≈📺≈~

At any rate … I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this first episode of The Underwater Menace.

And plan on watching more.

I’ll be watching episode two of The Underwater Menace on Sunday, 11th February: and putting my written and video reviews up on 12th February.

I’ll see you then!

Episode 1

★★★☆

*        Pointless trivia for you: Burns worked for HM Customs and Excise, as an excise man.   Which possibly didn’t make him popular with Scotland’s whisky makers!