Review of Daemos Rising

Introduction

Doctor Who fans probably already know this, but as long as the BBC has been baiting them with talk of new series of the show, a small independent production company called Reeltime Pictures has been making documentaries and one-off drama productions about Doctor Who.

Reeltime aren`t a bunch of amateurs. They`ve been in the corporate programme business since the 1980s. "Daemos Rising" is their latest project, and it`s as good as anything the BBC might have put out (if not a damn sight better.

It`s a spin-off of the classic Jon Pertwee adventure "The Daemons" - the one with the mobile gargoyle, the white witch, the heat barrier and the exploding church. Oh, and the Brigadier`s best-ever line, "Chap with wings. Five rounds, rapid."

The Brigadier`s daughter (played by Beverley Cressman) finds herself facing a second Daemon invasion of the planet when she is contacted by ex-UNIT operative Cavendish (Miles Richardson). The 53 minute adventure was written by David J Howe, and also features narration by Ian Richardson.

Video

Shot on DV and presented in slightly masked-down 4:3 (to arrive at a 1.66:1ish image), the programme demonstrates that the only thing stopping the BBC re-making Dr Who is snobbery and the malign influence of M*chael Gr*de.

Audio

Pleasingly a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, although the soundtrack gives little scope for a lively soundscape.

Features

The programme comes with a pleasing slew of short documentaries about the making of the programme and various interviews with Doctor Who alumni. Making appearances are former Dr Who producer (from the golden age) Barry Letts and his co-writer of the original Daemons episode Robert Sloman. Together they submitted the script under the pseudonym Guy Leopold. There`s a "creature feature" on the special effects, a piece about the score for the adventure and a promotional item for Kent`s Cavern, where much of the action takes place.

Conclusion

It`s not quite fully-fledged Doctor Who, but there`s enough of a glow of the golden age of the time lord to give this show a frisson. One thing is certain, Reeltime could have been turning out top-rate Doctor Who episodes for the BBC not only all the time the show`s been off the air but during that awful era BBC management aimed the show into a crash-dive.