VHS : Doctor Who - The Mark Of The Rani

Rating: - Good old Colin Baker again!
This is a pleasant and watchable tale from Pip and Jane Baker (Space:1999), a pair who are noted for their reliable professional reputation, rather than for writing anything terribly Earth shattering. The result is a highly watchable and inoffensive script with solid research behind it, but a story which is less than the sum of its parts. The Master and new evil Time Lord the Rani make a good double act and their interaction is as enjoyable as that of the Doctor and Peri. Whatever Colin Baker did wrong in the eyes of audiences in 1985, he remains far more engaging than Sylvester MacCoy and his costume, while outrageous, is certainly eye catching and attention grabbing. His sheer energy makes him never less than entertaining to watch. This story is directed with real skill by Sarah Hellings, another example of the high quality contributions made to the series by women directors. The hostorical setting looks suprb, very authentic and gives great production quality to the story. Guest stars like Terrance Alexander add real class as well. It's a pity the plot is such a throwaway thing, because the dialog is amusing and whacky and the story holds the attention well. Overall a very good 90 minutes, just a little hollow in the middle. But I enjoyed it all the same.

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Rating: - looks nice, sad about the plot
This is well directed with superb location filming and historical costumes, but sadly that's about it. Colin Baker and Peri are likeable enough here, but Colin overacts to the point of being really annoying at times, though I like the big ham during some of his later scenes in this story. But the plot is a bit of a drag, the Master is rather poorly used and the Rani isn't much chop, sorry, despite Kate O'Mara's best efforts. Even full-blown pantomimes like Twin Dilemma and Timelash are far more entertaining than this, which has the production values and viual quality to be something special. It's just above average. Still, it could have been worse, it could have been a Sylvester MacCoy story!

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Rating: - Surprisingly Dull
My abiding memory on watching this is how dull it all was, no dramatic tension, no urgency, poor direction. And no way has Anthony Ainley made the part of the Master "his own", in fact his presence in this story is entirely superflous.

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Rating: - Highly intriguing
I always found this episode to be a bit of an enigma as before i had seen it i always associated the Rani with the Time and the Rani, her second appearance. When learning of another episode, i sought it out and to my surprise, its an entertaining piece that also includes the Master! The banter between the two evil time lords is in a class of its own and Colin's doctor is at his patronising, all-clever best. Some interesting ideas (mines that turn people into vegetation), a little bit of history (the Industrial Revolution) and some great sets (the Rani's Tardis) make this a memorable episode and almost make you wish we had seen more of Kate O'Mara's evil-in-a-sexy way Rani.

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Rating: - Okay.
The location filming is good and the Rani makes a reasonable villain. Colin Baker, though, still does not impress and manages to overact terribly at times. I never liked Anthony Ainley as the Master and I felt that by this time he had no real purpose or threat, his contribution in 'Mark of the Rani' is really quite pointless. One very positive note about this episode is the contribution of actors Terence Alexander and Gawn Grainger, either of whom would have made an excellent replacement for Peter Davison when he left.