There is one monster from Doctor Who Season 21 that seems to get more coverage than any other – the dreaded Myrka! Often used to mock Doctor Who‘s special effects in the 1980s, the Myrka has gained a reputation for being ‘comically bad.’ But just how bad is it…?
The Myrka debuted in the 1984 story ‘Warriors of the Deep’ – a season opener for Doctor Who Season 21, and one that saw the return of the Silurians and the Sea Devils from the Jon Pertwee era. In the adventure, the Fifth Doctor and his companions find themselves in an underwater base in the year 2084, which is soon invaded by the deep-sea monsters. And one of these monsters is the Myrka – a genetically-modified ‘pet’ of the Silurians, with the ability deliver deadly electric shocks.
On paper, it’s a strong concept – a dinosaur-like monster terrorising its confined victims, picking them off one by one. These days, for a villain on this scale, the production team would probably realise the Myrka using CGI. But this was 1984; CGI was near non-existent at the BBC, and even if it had been possible, the bill would have been astronomical. The makers of Doctor Who Season 21 had two choices: make a physical costume, or draw the monster by hand (a cartoon, basically.)
Naturally, the team opted for a practical effect, and this is where many of the Myrka’s problems lie. It’s not necessarily a ‘bad’ costume, but how can it be realised without making it look like a pantomime horse? The production team was extremely limited and, sadly, the final result did look rather pantomimic; the Myrka did not take the starring role in many people’s nightmares.
So is it fair to point to this particular example from Doctor Who Season 21 as ‘evidence’ of the series’ declining quality? Not really. Like every show at the BBC, Doctor Who was severely limited by its budget, and even the most talented designers in the world would have struggled to pull off a convincing life-size dinosaur with the resources available.
And yet, sadly, this moment from Doctor Who Season 21 has been used again and again to ridicule the series. The most well-known example is the TV show Room 101, where the former BBC One Controller Michael Grade (who famously tried to have the series axed due to his disdain for all-things-TARDIS) chose the Myrka to showcase Doctor Who‘s ropey effects. Namely, he selected the scene in which the character of Solow launches a headlong attack on the monster, attacking the Myrka with a curious high kick.
And this is where hindsight is a wonderful thing. Solow’s decision to tackle a dinosaur with her own unique form of karate looks unintentionally comical, and it does beg the question: why on earth would she try to fight a dinosaur with a high kick? It’s novel, certainly, but then so is jumping out of a plane without a parachute. In this case, the end result looks silly.
Perhaps it made sense at the time. Perhaps there was some reason for this directorial decision. Or perhaps the crew were running out of time on the day and had to cobble something together in a hurry. Whatever the reason, the scene just doesn’t work, whichever way you cut it.
Speaking of hindsight, in the years since Doctor Who Season 21 aired, other commentators have suggested that part of the reason the story doesn’t stick the landing is because of the lighting. ‘Warriors of the Deep’ is flood-lit throughout, and this may seem like a strange choice for a deep sea base, but the truth is many programmes from this period were made in this way. According to legend, TV crews were afraid that, if they didn’t make everything look like it was filmed in the heart of the sun, older viewers would think there was something wrong with their sets.
And whilst this may be true, there is still plenty of atmospheric lighting in other stories from Doctor Who Season 21 – most of them, in fact: ‘The Awakening,’ ‘Frontios,’ ‘Resurrection of the Daleks,’ ‘The Caves of Androzani…’ These weren’t lit up like football stadiums. So how did ‘Warriors of the Deep’ end up looking like a piece of light entertainment?
Well, it’s important to remember that this opening story from Doctor Who Season 21 concerned scientists and technicians; it would have made little sense for the occupants of Sea Base 4 to try and carry out their duties amid plumes of smoke and dim overhead lamps. A brightly-lit, laboratory-style aesthetic is logical. Granted, it detracts from the mood of the piece, but there is some thinking behind it.
The drawback is that, when it comes to a creature like the Myrka, there’s nowhere for it to hide. In ‘The Caves of Androzani,’ when the director Graeme Harper found himself with an awkward costume for the magma creature, he circumvented the issue by concealing the monster in the shadows, and showed the beast sparingly. However, in ‘Warriors of the Deep,’ the Myrka is so dazzlingly-lit that one can practically see the stitching. Any chance of menace and mystery is lost, and all the viewer is left with is a pantomime horse that looks like it has just skipped into a production of Cinderella.
In short, the Myrka doesn’t work. It’s nobody’s fault, necessarily; it’s just one of those things. This doesn’t mean that Doctor Who Season 21 was awful, and that the series was deteriorating, and that all of Doctor Who‘s special effects were going down the pan, but this one monster, in this one particular adventure, didn’t quite make the cut. It was a brave experiment, and it didn’t succeed – but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Maybe one day, someone will explain the thinking behind Solow’s jujitsu…
So how do you feel about the Myrka? Do you think it was as bad as people make out? And does it detract from your enjoyment of Doctor Who Season 21? Let us know in the comments below.
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