DVD Reviews

Doctor Who: Frontios - DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jul 18, 2011, 15:26 GMT

New to DVD! Digitally remastered Doctor Who classic Frontios! An irresistible force draws the TARDIS to the barren surface of Frontios, where in the far future the last surviving humans cower amongst the ruins of their wrecked spacecraft. Under constant threat from lethal meteorite bombardments, few of the doomed colony members realize that the ground of Frontios itself opens up and devours the unwary. Not permitted to assist, the Doctor ...more

Frontios buries its own dead, but the Doctor faces underground peril on a planet but he also witnesses the destruction of his most erstwhile companion – the TARDIS. 

The Doctor (Peter Davison), Tegan (Janet Fielding), and Turlough (Mark Strickson) land on the planet named Frontios.  The colonists, some of the last surviving vestiges of humanity, are led by Plantagenet (Jeff Rawle) and find themselves under phantom attack by orchestrated meteor showers. 

The TARDIS is dragged down under the surface of the planet and apparently destroyed during a meteorite bombardment. The Doctor is forced to help colonists and eventually discovers that their problems stem from an infestation of Tractators, a species of burrowing, insect-like creatures which Turlough has an all too familiar memory of, led by the intelligent Gravis (John Gillett).

Earlier in Peter Davison’s reign as the Doctor, scripter Eric Saward oversaw the destruction of the sonic screwdriver (The Visitation during season 19 in 1982).  The device was constantly being used as an easy escape for both the writers and the Doctor. 

Saward envisioned that the Doctor had a cabinet full of them, but producer John Nathan-Turner decreed that the iconic doo-dad would not return (that is until the series was revived). 

Frontios writer Christopher H. Bidmead tries the same with the TARDIS but you have no fear that this iconic tenant of the show will not make reappearance.  The episode does feature some other thrills in that the colonists are sucked under the ground and the reason for their kidnapping offers horrors – well on paper. 

The usual Who shortcomings are in evidence as the lack of time and budget significantly affects the realization of the device they “power.”  The Doctor also seems overly concerned about the Timelords discovering their intervention with the colonists, not that he hasn’t been intervening since 1963! 

The Tractators also have a better concept than what actually ended up on the screen.  They were operated by dancers and were supposed to put their flexibility to use, but the final costume is so restrictive that they only move they can do is shuffle around.  It still has some good moments and fans of the show should be pleased with the special features section. 

Frontios is presented in fullscreen.  Special features include a commentary with Davison, Rawle, Gillett, script editor Eric Saward, and sound designer Dick Mills, an info text pop-up track, an isolated score, the 33 minute “Driven to Distractation” making of, 15 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, a photo gallery, and the Radio Times in PDF via DVD-ROM.

Frontios has many things that work, but others that don’t.  However, that may be the hallmark of the show in that they did the best they could.  One thing cannot be denied in that the BBC has produced another fine special edition. 

Visit the DVD database for information.