This latest DVD release from the Doctor Who archives sees Tom Baker’s Doctor arriving on Gallifrey after receiving a vision of the President of the Time Lord’s assassination.

Not only is he unable to prevent the President’s death, he finds himself framed for the murder and facing execution.

In order to prove his innocence he must venture into the Matrix, an other-worldly repository of information created from the collective minds of dead Time Lords. The bulk of the story takes place here, where the Doctor must battle the eponymous assassin to the death in order to thwart the diabolical plans afoot, laid-out by none other than his arch-nemesis – The Master.

It goes without saying that everything here is horribly dated. Both in effects and overall style, the early episodes of Doctor Who have little success in convincing anyone they’re watching the distant future. Even so, everything is imbued with that un-mistakable Who charm, thanks in no small part to Tom Baker’s charismatic performance, and it’s hard to not enjoy ‘The Deadly Assassin’ on some level.

This is standard Who stuff and is enjoyable enough for most viewers with an interest in science fiction or TV nostalgia, but is perhaps best appreciated by long-serving Doctor Who fans.

Released on DVD on Monday 11th May 2009 by BBC DVD.