Bluffer’s Guide to Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus (Eps. 21–26)
The Doctor finally saves the world! By accident?!
Describe The Keys of Marinus in six words:
Doctor spends 90 minutes finding keys
This is… the one with the quest
Why was this made?: Following the success of the Daleks, Verity Lambert and David Whitaker wanted Terry Nation to write another serial. Nation did so, including a new monster — the Voords (or the Voord) — which was hoped by the production team to be just as popular as the Daleks (They weren’t).
Returning to design this story was Raymond Cusick who had previously designed The Daleks. John Gorrie directed what would be his only Doctor Who serial.
First broadcast: 11 April — 16 May, 1964
What Happens:
The TARDIS lands on an island inhabited by Arbitan. Arbitan is guarding a Conscience Machine which controls the thoughts of the Marinus population. However, Yartek and his Voord(s) want to seize control of the Machine which they can’t without four keys.
The travellers split up, find the keys, and return to the island. They don’t know that Arbitan has been murdered. Ian gives the fake key to Yartek who puts it in the Machine and it promptly blows up.
Observations / Things to Say:
- Force barrier prevents the time travellers from getting to the TARDIS. At least this makes a change from the TARDIS being faulty (even Marco Polo began with circuits needing to be fixed)
- Philosophically all very unsound: A machine that controls people’s thoughts? And the Doctor’s okay with this? (Well, clearly not, hence Arbitan having to use the force barrier)
- Susan — snivelling child here. Enigmatic alien character completely eroded.
- Sabetha seems more onto it than Susan
- Back to fight scenes with no music, yet they manage to get the Conscience Machine to hum.
- William Hartnell is on fire. Making the Doctor both detective and lawyer is inspired. Hartnell/the Doctor is clearly having fun. The Doctor’s smug little grin when he flicks on the light to catch the bad guy
Hot Takes:
Various characters say “Voords”. Yartek says they are his “creatures”. Interesting how we’re meant to remember them: Despite the publicity and the production team’s hopes that they’d rival the Daleks, by the time we even meet Yartek, it’s been a month since we’ve seen the Voord. I wonder, having a Voord in pursuit, giving chase, adding an extra element to each story, would have made it work better?
Between You and Me:
I loved this story when I first saw it.
It was 2003 at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation repeated Doctor Who from the beginning, Monday to Thursday. The different settings, the cliffhangers, the quest, worked on me. And those episode titles: The Sea of Death! The Screaming Jungle! The Snows of Terror!
Watching it now, it’s hard to feel the same. But I do remember it. The dreams of those cliffhangers.
I will always have an appreciation of William Hartnell’s era.
Anyway, enough sentimentality. Here’s Carole Ann ford as Susan being menaced by a Voord.
Further / Recommended Reading: