At long last, the 1967 Doctor Who serial ‘The Underwater Menace’ has been released on DVD.
Though the first and fourth episodes remain missing, Episode 2 was reunited with the extant Episode 3 in late 2011, making it the earliest surviving episode of Patrick Troughton’s run as the Second Doctor, and what a joy it is getting to witness even more of his acting in motion.
> Buy ‘The Underwater Menace’ on DVD on Amazon.
Here are a few things we learned from this week’s new DVD release…
1. The genesis of ‘The Underwater Menace’ was, to say the least, fraught. Originally assigned to director Hugh David, he turned it down in favour of ‘The Highlanders’, and after a few shuffles of the season’s schedule, it became Patrick Troughton’s third serial and was directed by Julia Smith.
2. This shuffle, coupled with the unexpected addition of the lovely Frazer Hines’ Jamie McCrimmon to the TARDIS crew, meant that the script had to undergo a rewrite to incorporate a third companion.
3. Though he first appeared in ‘The Highlanders’, this story marks Jamie’s first outing as a travelling companion of the Doctor. He would go on to become the Second Doctor’s longest-serving companion, departing at the very end of ‘The War Games’, just before the Second Doctor’s regeneration.
4. Polly alludes to a previous TARDIS visit to Cornwall: she and Ben, along with the First Doctor, visited 17th-century Cornwall in the Season 4’s ‘The Smugglers’.
5. The seaside scenes were filmed not in Cornwall, but in Dorset, in December – which must have been especially fun for Anneke Wills, who spent most of those scenes clad in a seashell dress (complete with seashells made from ashtrays). To add insult to injury, the cast received a note from director Julia Smith ahead of the location shoot, reminding them to wear long johns.
6. By contrast, Ben and Jamie’s wetsuits were incredibly hot and uncomfortable to wear in the studio – even if they did look a bit sexy.
7. Polly is a polyglot – and apparently, Jamie speaks Gaelic.
8. The Doctor signs a note as Dr. W – but whatever could the W stand for?
9. The whole fishy motif of the story is pure visual gold. It’s such a shame that we only have 2/4 of it, but let’s not dwell on sad things.
10. Playing the diabolical scientist Zaroff, the intensely enthusiastic Joseph Fürst delights in chewing the scenery as though it were made of halloumi.
11. This story sees the Doctor donning a number of disguises, including a pair of sunglasses. Well, there’s nothing to say they aren’t sonic…
12. In his spare time, Patrick Troughton enjoyed fishing, making miniature models of warships, and birdwatching.
13. Part of Polly’s cliffhanger scene in the first episode was cut in Australia because it was felt that Anneke Wills being threatened with a syringe was too scary. Indeed, producer Innes Lloyd received letters from parents concerned that the scene would give their children anxiety about getting their flu jab.
14. Patrick Troughton confirms that the mop-top hairdo he wears as the Doctor was indeed his own hair.
15. Those were definitely not Colin Jeavons’ real eyebrows, however.
16. NUTTING IN ZE WURLD CAN STOP ME NOW!
> Buy ‘The Underwater Menace’ on DVD on Amazon.
What do you think of ‘The Underwater Menace’? Let us know below…