Hmmm... "Castrovalva", eh?
Always one that I consider to be largely underwhelming and in need of a good stiff reappraisal. And yet, it has so far never received one.
Hell, even "Four To Doomsday" has been let back into polite company in recent years...
So what's precisely wrong with it? Is it too low-key, focusing too much on the weakness and fraility of the main character, leaving the (too-numerous) supporting characters to pick up the pieces?
Not really, seeing as how that was fast becoming a standard trope for post-regeneration stories by then. Serial 5Z just took it further than most had, up to that point.
(But you must admit, having your lead character carted around in what looks suspiciously like a coffin for the best part of an episode probably wasn't one of John Nathan-Turner's better ideas).
We can't accuse it of being too cerebral, either. Christopher H. Bidmead managed to pull higher concepts than recursive occlusion out of the hat in "Logopolis" and make them work in a dramatic and interesting way.
Maybe I'll never know just why "Castrovalva" doesn't seem to work for me.
That's a nice shot, catching a wonderful bit of Davison face acting, and was more than likely used as a pin-up in Doctor Who Monthly, if that's your taste in wall adornment.
Janet Fielding looks incredible here. Make the most of it, girl! Next season's hairstyle will have you in tears!
Would this have been taken on the day that Matthew Waterhouse had his, erm... illness? I don't remember seeing this photo back in the 1980's, but it has certainly done the rounds in more modern times.
Same goes for that one I suppose, but it's become so inextricably connected with the story In My Mind that it seems churlish to omit it.
So, "Castrovalva", eh?
Just a bit too "meh" for it's own good...
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