Doctor Who (1967): The Enemy of the World reviews

This is one of the second Doctors best stories. I'm so glad they found the footage.

Great 2nd Doctor story with none of the traditional monsters, just the Doctor facing himself as the villian of the piece. Good twist at the end to keep things rolling along. Missing episode done with telesnaps and dialog does enough to keep the story on track. Very enjoyable watch.

I didn't expect much–the novelisation didn't wow me as a kid, plus non-British accents aren't traditionally handled well in Doctor Who of this vintage, and then you have the whole doppleganger thing which usually works out rather naff on TV… But turns out it's a well-handled story that easily holds the interest. It's fairly light on both companions and Doctor, but it works well. Troughton shines in the double role.

The plot twist in the last couple of episodes is a bit bizarre, but the result is a 6-parter that doesn't feel padded. The cliffhangers are most refreshing, they are actual turning points in the plot rather than rushed attempts to get one or more main characters into serious peril just in time for the credits to roll. The ending is a little abrupt, however.

Although I don't mind vanilla releases, and in the case of a recently-recovered story I'd rather have it released quickly than languish waiting for featurettes to be assembled, I do find it irksome that “Digitally Remastered Picture and Sound Quality” is trumpeted as a special feature on the case, instead of, you know, the absolute minimum we expect from any DVD release of archival material! It would have been more honest to omit the orange “Special Features” box from the case insert altogether.

All in all, very glad to be able to see this one at last!

This Patrick Troughton story that was thought lost until it was rediscovered in Nigeria, show's the 2nd Doctor at his finest. Not only does Pat Troghton play the role of The Doctor, but he also conquers the role of the villain Salamander. A great story to get stuck into.