There are some Doctor Who stories which never seem to get the love they deserve, and this was certainly true of ‘The Enemy of the World’ before its recovery in 2013. Why was this classic adventure overlooked for so long?
They say dying is a good career move, and this is undoubtedly the case for Doctor Who stories. One of the advantages of being missing, presumed wiped, is that fans can mourn how wonderful these lost adventures must have been, and shroud them in mystery and intrigue. People certainly feel this way about ‘The Massacre,’ for example, given that not one frame of footage has survived. Even ‘The Space Pirates’ has seen a surge of interest of late.
But nobody really thought much about ‘The Enemy of the World.’ For the longest time, it was represented in the BBC archives by one single episode – episode three. And, ironically, this happens to be the least interesting and lowest-budget entry in the whole story, being shot entirely in a caravan, a kitchen and a corridor, with the Doctor only appearing in one scene. It doesn’t exactly give ‘The Power of the Daleks‘ a run for its money.
(C) BBC
And so, alas, ‘The Enemy of the World’ became one of those Doctor Who stories that not many fans were fussed about seeing again. It certainly didn’t top many missing episode hunters’ wish lists, despite the fact that its soundtrack existed in its entirety. It’s possible that not many fans had actually sat down to listen to it.
Indeed, nobody could even be sure when this serial was set. Unlike many other Doctor Who stories, the time period for ‘The Enemy of the World’ was never specified. All anyone knew was that it was set in the distant future on Earth, and revolved around a would-be world dictator slowly putting his plans for global domination into operation. It was a sort of futuristic James Bond thriller.
(C) BBC)
One intriguing element that did always shine through, though, was Patrick Troughton’s performance – not as the Doctor (excellent though it was) but as Salamander, the Time Lord’s double. This was the aforementioned dictator – the eponymous enemy of the world. He was a stylish Mexican with neatly-parted hair, and a far cry from Troughton’s cosmic hobo. The role certainly gave Troughton the opportunity to display his prowess as a character actor, even if his fellow cast mates did rib him as to what accent he was supposed to be speaking in.
And, in all honesty, this was probably the most interesting part about the surviving episode three. Like many Doctor Who stories, ‘The Enemy of the World’ suffered from being a six-parter, and it was undoubtedly treading water by its third instalment, where the plot seemed to grind to a halt for 25 minutes.
And so there weren’t many people desperately yearning for the recovery of ‘The Enemy of the World,’ certainly not over other long-lost Doctor Who stories such as ‘The Macra Terror’ or ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan.’ But the serial received a surge of interest in the summer of 2013, when the internet rumour mill was declaring that ‘The Enemy of the World’ had been recovered in its entirety, in Africa, alongside ‘The Web of Fear’ and ‘Marco Polo.’
Now, fans are used to hearing ridiculous rumours about the recovery of missing Doctor Who stories all the time, but this was one rumour that just wouldn’t die, and every time someone tried to chop off its legs, some high-profile source would say something that would make them grow back.
And there was a good reason for this, because the rumour actually turned out to be true. Well, mostly. A heap of Doctor Who stories had indeed been recovered, and ‘The Enemy of the World’ was among them, in its entirety. This was confirmed in the run-up to the series’ 50th anniversary celebrations, the credit going to missing episodes hunter Philip Morris who had recovered the serial from a TV station in Jos whilst sorting through its archive. Better still, ‘The Enemy of the World’ was to receive a midnight release on iTunes, fully restored, for people to watch instantly.
It’s fair to say that the Whoniverse went into something of a meltdown, and not just because a pile of missing Doctor Who stories had been recovered. One of the things that really got fans talking was the fact that ‘The Enemy of the World’ was good – as in, really, really good. Many hailed it an instant classic. And it was almost comically ironic that, for decades, this serial had been solely represented by its least interesting episode.
That being said, the corridor fest that was episode three suddenly made a lot more sense in the context of the episodes that surrounded it. In order to be properly enjoyed, it seemed, ‘The Enemy of the World’ had to be watched in its entirety, from beginning to end, a bit like a movie. This was when the power of the script really shone through.
And it wasn’t just the gripping storyline that took people by surprise. It goes without saying that classic Doctor Who stories are not often hailed for their visual effects, but the model work in ‘The Enemy of the World’ was stunning. Even the set dressing was impressive, particularly the lift that Salamander used when entering his bunker. It was arguably one of the slickest and best-looking Doctor Who stories of the Second Doctor era.
Finally, if you’ve never seen this adventure before and you’re on the fence as to whether you should watch it, let me say two words: Bill Kerr. Prior to this, he was best known as a comedy actor, appearing for many years in the radio version of Hancock’s Half Hour, but his performance as Giles Kent in ‘The Enemy of the World’ is one of the highlights of this adventure. It really has to be seen to be believed; Kerr is exceptional and gives the role his all, and then some.
It’s a shame, therefore, that ‘The Enemy of the World’ was overlooked for so long, but thanks to the sterling work of Philip Morris it has now regained its place as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of the Troughton era.
What is your favourite moment from ‘The Enemy of the World’? Let us know in the comments below.
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