With orders coming through on high to curb the violence of the series, producer Graham Williams, "Image of the Fendahl" effectively marked the end of the Gothic horror that had defined much of Phillip Hinchcliffe's era. The story also sees Chris Boucher basically ignore K9, who joined the crew in the preceding story "The Invisible Enemy", in favour of giving the Doctor/Leela team he created and crafted in "The Face of Evil" and "The Robots of Death".

The story feels a lot like a Hammer film, with similar trappings to "Pyramids of Mars". Here Boucher grafts supernatural concepts onto the script, and in the style of "The Daemons" puts some science behind them. The storyline is superb, with the idea that the Fendahl has spent millions of years manipulating the human race for this set of circumstances - Thea's empathy with the skull, Fendelmann's driven research with the time scanner, Stael's interest in the occult - being a complex and interesting one.

It certainly helps lend the Fendahl a real air of threat as just how dangerous and powerful it is can be gleaned from its' labyrinthine plotting. The revelation that the Time Lords attempted to put the Fendahl's planet in a timeloop adds another layer of menace to the creatures.

Being a Chris Boucher script, the characters are all superbly defined. Everyone feels like a real person, especially the scientists at the Priory. Significant time is given during the first episode to flesh out their personalities. Edward Arthur injects just the right amount of flippancy into the glib but dashing Adam Colby, and his scenes with Tom Baker are wonderful - he might actually have made rather a fun companion, in the tradition of Ian Chesterton. Wanda Ventham fits the Hammer-style role of the doomed innocent nicely, while Scott Fredericks captures the intense drive of Stael, especially with his steely glance.

Dennis Lill's finely measured performance combines well with Boucher's clever script to sell the audience a red herring, as Fendelmann, seemingly the bad scientist of the piece, turns out to be just another victim. His last desperate attempt to talk some sense into Stael is a remarkably strong scene. Daphne Heard sometimes lays it on a bit thick as Ma Tyler, but she's more irritating than implausible, while Geoffrey Hinsliff is competent and not too slack-jawed as her son Jack.

Tom Baker also puts in one of his strongest performances, keeping the distant, unemotional alien playing from much of the Hinchcliffe series, but is still able to inject comedy into his performance without shattering the illusion. He lends huge conviction to the scenes where the Doctor is frozen by the Fendahleen. Louise Jameson is adequate as Leela, but I've always felt the character was pretty limited anyway, simply existing to ask stupid questions on the behalf of the audience and look good (which she doesn't manage in this one... is there any scientific explanation for how Leela looks fantastic in the brown leather costume, but dreadful in the cream one?) never really growing beyond her basic character as outlined in "The Face of Evil". Seeing as the idea was a Pygmalion theme, it'd be nice if Leela ever actually learnt anything.

Considering the exquisite build-up, it's perhaps inevitable that it's a bit of a letdown. The Fendahl itself suffers from one atrocious make-up decision (painted eyes on closed eyelids have never, ever looked good) and from also not being given much to do... Its' avatars, the Fendaleen, are better half-glaced early on, though at least the freezing is a respectable scripted explanation to cover their immobility. It's a shame they're given a silly weakness (salt kills them) which further undermines what were earlier made out to be unstoppable creatures. George Spenton-Foster crafts a masterful atmosphere, especially during the opening episodes, and the night-time scenes have a near-film feel to them.

Overall, "Image of the Fendahl" is a very efficient chiller, even if the pace drops a little in the last episode. Tom Baker's performance drags it through some slow moments, as do the excellent supporting cast, and it's proof that Graham Williams could do straight stories with the best of them.

Review written: 20/05/2006
"Image of the Fendahl" VHS @ Amazon.co.uk