Robert Holmes wrote some of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time. If you’ve never seen one of his adventures before, here’s where you should start…
5) Terror of the Autons (1971)
Robert Holmes created the dreaded living plastic creatures that are the Autons, and fans of modern Who may know them from ‘Rose’ and ‘The Pandorica Opens.’ But they actually made their debut at the same time as the Third Doctor, in an epic adventure called ‘Spearhead from Space.’
And whilst that is undoubtedly a Robert Holmes classic, ‘Terror of the Autons‘ makes for essential viewing for any Doctor Who fan. There are some truly terrifying and iconic moments in this adventure, including the bizarre (but chilling) scene in which a man is eaten by a plastic arm chair, and Jo Grant is attacked by a killer daffodil. Then there is the Doctor fighting off a possessed telephone cord, plus the deadly ‘troll doll’ which instilled fear into the hearts of many a teddy bear lover.
Most notably, ‘Terror of the Autons’ saw the debut of the Time Lord’s arch enemy the Master, played by Roger Delgado. The Master was in fact the co-creation of Terrance Dicks and Robert Holmes, and he is at his evil best in this classic adventure.
4) Pyramids of Mars (1975)
If you ever sit down to watch ‘Pyramids of Mars,’ you may wonder why it features on our list, given that it’s credited to Stephen Harris rather than Robert Holmes. The truth is, Stephen Harris doesn’t actually exist; this is a pseudonym used by the production team for Robert Holmes and Lewis Greifer, as it was considered bad form by a script editor to write scripts for his own show (Robert Holmes was Doctor Who‘s script editor at the time.)
But even though Holmes doesn’t take the credit for the story, much of the work is his own. Apparently, the drafts submitted by Greifer needed considerable work, and the writer wasn’t available to submit the rewrites, so Holmes resolved to rework the scripts from the ground up.
And if you’re a relatively new Doctor Who fan, you may already be familiar with ‘Pyramids of Mars’ as it was recently re-released as part of the Tales of the TARDIS series, bookended by the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday. Moreover, the story’s central villain – Sutekh – made a blazing and terrifying return in the Series 14 finale, revealing that he had been clinging to the TARDIS’ outer shell ever since his encounter with the Fourth Doctor.
3) The Deadly Assassin (1976)
Tom Baker was forever badgering the production team to let him travel solo in the TARDIS without a companion, claiming he could cope quite easily by talking to himself! The producer, Philip Hinchcliffe, insisted this idea was unworkable, and gave Baker a story on his own to show how ridiculous the suggestion was.
And whilst it’s true that the Doctor does, ideally, need a companion, ‘The Deadly Assassin’ is actually a first-class Doctor Who adventure, and sets up the version of Gallifrey that we know today. (That is, the Doctor’s home planet.) It also introduces the Matrix, the virtual reality world which continued to rear its head in the years that followed, most recently in 2020’s ‘The Timeless Children.’
Other, more obscure elements from the story have also left a significant mark on the Whoniverse, such as the Eye of Harmony (the source of the Time Lords’ power) which has since been relocated to the heart of the TARDIS and last appeared in 2013’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.’ It was also central to the plot of the 1996 TV movie.
In short, there’s nothing quite like ‘The Deadly Assassin.’ It’s a strange, chilling and gripping adventure, and perhaps one of Robert Holmes’ darkest. Oh, and there’s also the Master to contend with, just to keep you on your toes!
2) The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977)
You may have noticed that three of the entries on this list have come from the mid-to-late 70s. This is the Philip Hinchcliffe era – one of Doctor Who‘s most successful producers who, together with his script editor Robert Holmes, created some of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, and ‘The Talons of Weng-Chiang’ is one of them. Sadly, it was also the last to be overseen by Hinchcliffe, who would be replaced the following year with the equally talented (but different) Graham Williams.
This Robert Holmes story is all set in the swirling fog of Victorian London, and takes inspiration from the Jack the Ripper murders which plagued Whitehall in the late 1800s. In the story, the Doctor is investigating a series of disappearances which seem, somehow, to be connected to a cryptic stage magician, and a plague of giant sewer rats.
It’s not unlike a Sherlock Holmes story, and indeed ‘The Talons of Weng-Chiang’ pays homage to this fact by dressing the Doctor in a suitably ‘Holmesian’ outfit, complete with a deerstalker and cane.
The story also introduces two beloved characters to the Whoniverse, Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot, who were so loved that the BBC almost gave them their own spin-off series. These plans ultimately came to fruition at Big Finish, where the pair enjoyed several seasons of audio adventures.
1) The Caves of Androzani (1984)
In many ways, ‘The Caves of Androzani’ is like nothing else written by Holmes. It’s a gritty war drama set in a series of underground caves, and sees the Doctor and his companion Peri caught in the crossfire.
In fact, this turns out to be one of the Time Lord’s most deadly adventures. In the first episode, he and Peri are unwittingly poisoned by a toxic substance known as spectrox, and although the Doctor ultimately finds the cure, there is only enough to treat his friend. He sacrifices himself to save her, before collapsing on the floor of the TARDIS and beginning his fifth regeneration.
Surprisingly, Robert Holmes came close to never even writing this story. The producer John Nathan-Turner was reluctant to use writers who had historically penned for the programme, and only commissioned Holmes after being persuaded by script editor Eric Saward, who recognised Robert Holmes’ genius.
In the event, ‘The Caves of Androzani’ went on to be one of the most popular stories of the Fifth Doctor’s era, possibly of all time, and Robert Holmes was subsequently invited back for the following two seasons.
Alas, he died whilst writing his final story ‘The Ultimate Foe,’ and this was ultimately completed by the writing duo of Pip and Jane Baker. It’s a great adventure, though, and definitely worth adding to the pile if you’re having a Robert Holmes marathon.
Which is your favourite Robert Holmes story? And which ones would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
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