Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang

CinemaSerf

It's curious that the BBC never thought to bolt these six episodes together to makes a single feature? Quite a few of these Tom Baker "Dr. Who" stories might have made for quite decent stand-alone films. This is one of them as he and his prehistoric, knife-throwing, companion "Leela" (Louise Jameson) find themselves in Victorian London just as Chinese mystic "Li H'sen Chang" (John Bennett) is performing at the theatre of "Jago" (Christopher Benjamin) and young girls are going missing with alarming regularity. Our visiting Time Lord recognises the magician (after several hundred years!) and quickly realises that the malevolent deity "Weng Chiang" (Michael Spice) is probably nearby and desperate to reunite with his ancient time cabinet so he can rejuvenate and take his place once again at the head of humanity - snacking on distilled young virgins as he goes. Baker was at the top of his game with the role by now and he gelled well with the enthusiastic Jameson as the pair try to track down and thwart their new nemesis. The production uses the Victorian scenario to good effect with a solid supporting cast and some basic, but still quite effective (for 1977) visual effects that culminate in a lively denouement with a laser zapping ornamental lion in the hands of a menacing homunculus. I grew up watching this on Saturday evening television and find them still quite entertaining and inventive stories to watch.