COMMENT  Spoliers ahead

Let’s start with the heretical view that this is slow-moving (read: too long), badly written (read: erratic plotting, lame dialogue, cardboard characters), and poorly acted tosh with a political message (read: apartheid) grafted onto it's sci fi-for-kids trappings. Because that is what it is but that makes no difference if you love the show.

This is not a BIG FINISH WHO-Bible bashing audio tale, it’s the real deal, and as such is is nothing less than an historical artifact. If you’re too young to have seen pre-Baker WHO when it was originally broadcast, then you have to see this, lame as it is.

I loved it.

For all its many, many failings, this drama dismisses with contempt the later Tom Baker/JNT stories with a knowing wink to the camera, it has the courage to stick to its guns: to trust its audience and respect the material.

The villain is played by Paul Whitsun-Jones, an odd cross between portly thesps-thesp, Brian Blessed and Goon, Harry Secombe. PWJ is very much a JNT era actor, very LOUD, very ARCH and very BROAD, playing to the Gallery. Add to that. the guy who plays Cotton is so bad that he will put your teeth on edge.

But there are many, may reasons to love this piece of television history. The score is excellent, mood noise more than anything and adds an unearthly hair-tingling to the outing. Pertwee is on top form, lisp akimbo (”Rocketsth!”) and his way with dialogue is extraordinarily much his own (“Would you kindly explain that remark, sir?”). Indeed, in his cravat, smoking jacket, bouffant ‘do’ and with a dolly bird on his arm, he is nothing less than the Leslie Philips of Space/Time!

If all this seems snide, then pardon me for sniggering. There are reasons to snigger! Watch Varan try to scratch off the mutation on his arm and hand: he can’t because then he would destroy the makeup! Why was this in shot? Also note how Whitsun-Jones’ Marshall maps out the cave strategy, clearly thinking that his scrawl will not be in shot; his marks are merely sweeping curves which make no sense.

The CSO is really dodgy at times. The Mutts look silly. What was Barry Letts thinking, showing the hunchbacked insectoids in full studio lighting?

I would love to see this on DVD with a cast commentary. What was all the fuss about, you may say? And if you do, you’ve missed the point.