DVD Reviews

Doctor Who: The Sun Makers – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Aug 19, 2011, 22:37 GMT

The TARDIS, along with the Doctor, Leela and K-9, arrives on Pluto in the distant future. The time travelers discover the planet has a breathable atmosphere and enjoys heat from six small suns, but the humans who live there are taxed and exploited heavily for the privilege. When Leela is captured and sentenced to death, the Doctor must save his companion, as well as stopping the ruthless Company, before it ...more

Frequent Doctor Who scripter Robert Holmes had his own run-in with Internal Revenue and his fury resulted in a lambasting on the science fiction show.  Nobody likes the tax man, but this does offer a fun diversion for fans instead of pondering their bills. 

The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson) arrive on Pluto in time to save a suicidal Cordo (Roy Macready).  What they also find is now Pluto has six suns, a breathable atmosphere and a large industrial community run by the Company.

The Company taxes the workers on everything imaginable; such was Cordo’s attempt since he not only owes his own taxes but those of his deceased relatives as well. The Doctor and Leela join forces with an underground band of rebels led by a man named Mandrel (William Simons) to defeat tax Gatherer Hade (Richard Leech, fitting name) and the devious Company accountant the Collector (Henry Woolf).

The tale goes that Holmes had his own troubles with the tax man and the devilish fellow came up with this political satire, supposedly toned down from his original script on fear from producers about governmental challenge.  The show didn’t show any fear in making the Collector resemble a politician of the time though. 

The show is well acted with kudos going to Tom Baker and his companion Jameson.  Leech (again a fitting moniker for an actor playing a tax collector) is a pompous delight as the official and Woolf is delicious at the over-the-top bushy eyebrow-ed (to resemble Brit politico Dennis Healy) accountant.  

The satire pushes the episode along, especially the little man against the mindless corporation, and is another good turn by Holmes.  Add to that the turns by Baker and company and you’ve got an interesting adventure.  Maybe not the best, but still good for fans. 

The Sun Makers is presented in fullscreen.  Special features include a commentary from Baker, Jameson, Pennant Roberts, and Michael Keating, a pop-up trivia track, the 25 minute “Running from the Tax Man” (that also offers the alluring, yet glossed over, titillation that Holmes’ story was lampooning bureaucracy at the BBC), the 18 minute “The Doctor’s Composer” is the second part of an interview with composer Dudley Simpson, a still gallery, 1 minute of outtakes, and the Radio Times listing on the DVD-ROM side. 

It’s a fun trip to Pluto… unless you owe, then it’s off to work you go.  Robert Holmes’ creative pen comes up with another gem, but expect some of the usual BBC limitations (no budget and get it done quickly). 

The quality still shines through in both performance and satirical edge.  You don’t even have to declare those great special features, but they do help the bottom line. 

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