Sometimes, Doctor Who just works. Everything just comes together, and you're left with a faultless story. "The Robots of Death" is one such story, and the sheer quality of every aspect of the production is what makes it such a rewarding story to rewatch, even after the initial 'Whodunit' aspect of the plot is known. Everything just gels.

All three of Chris Boucher's scripts for the series are very good indeed. Few writers have picked up the show so easily, and the loss of Boucher to Blake's 7 was a shame for Who.

The plot is, on paper, bafflingly simple. However, it's the detailing and sheer verve of the script that makes the story. We have Grimwade's Syndrome (a very smart idea) Taron Kapel, Poul and D84... Then there's the crew of the Sandminer - the obsessive, greedy but ultimately decent Uvanov, the brattish Zilda, the canny Poul, the thuggish Borg. And that's without mentioning the fantastic D84. It's a shame this charming robot detective wasn't kept on - if nothing else, the rapport between Baker and de Polnay is superb, even through the mask. There may have been a limit to the partnership, but it's a shame D84 wasn't retained for a couple of stories. He's almost matched by Leela, who is very interesting in a new setting, and is generally well-written.

The Doctor himself is well-played by Baker, getting to play detective and show The Doctor's intelligence in a rather straight performance. There are some ingenuous moments, notably taunting Borg, to stop Baker from getting too po-faced. Everyone manages a good performance, with a glittering guest cast led by the ever-reliable David Collings, convincingly projecting Poul's slide from being the most balanced member of the crew to being wrecked by robophobia. Pamela Salem gives her all as Toos, articulating genuine distress after SV7's (unflinchingly filmed) assault), while Brian Croucher deserves notice for filling in a lot of Borg's characterisation with his surly body language alone. Russell Hunter captures Uvanov's obsessive behaviour nicely too.

It helps that the whole thing looks utterly fantastic. The robots are very well-designed, with the three classes all looking different and nicely defined, and their smooth, human voices make it more chilling when they casually inform victims they are next to die. The human crew's lush costumes work well with the script, conveying an image of rich, decadent people lusting after even more wealth. The Sandminer looks superb as well, both in the model shots (which include a great CSO'd view of the bridge) and from the inside, with fantastic design for the sets.

The plot is gripping, with Borg, Uvanov and even Poul all possible villains (as a segue, much has been made of too much of Dask being seen early on, but until you've seen it, it's pretty hard to guess it's him), plus several other little dramas going on, such as the revelation that Poul and D84 are undercover, and the death of Zilda's brother and Uvanov's blameless censure by the company, not to mention The Doctor's ongoing attempts to educate Leela. Briant's direction uses several impressive set-ups, notably the robot point-of-view shots.

Overall, "The Robots of Death" is a taunt thriller, enhanced by the dazzling production and a wonderful set of performances. It has a superb pace, and there's very little flab. It's a good starting point for someone just getting into older Doctor Who as well - it's near-faultless and visually impressive enough to woo someone used to the newer stuff, without playing all of the best cards at once, or needing much knowledge of the series to be enjoyable.

Review written: 26/08/2006
"The Robots of Death" DVD @ Amazon.co.uk