Review
More about Doctor Who
More about this serial
Review
More about Doctor Who
More about this serial
This is a four-part serial, first broadcast between 29th September - 20th October 1979. A brief and somewhat spoiler-ish summary of the plot: on holiday in Paris the Doctor and Romana can't keep a gang of criminals from stealing the Mona Lisa, or an over-eager detective from breaking things and whacking people, but in the end they do manage to save the universe.
It's a Douglas Adams story, even if based on an existing script by another writer and written together with the producer. That covers it, really.
If you like 'The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy', and especially 'Dirk Gentry's holistic detective agency', you're in for a treat. Adams is in top form here and the serial gets it right in every way. (Except for the various copies of the Mona Lisa that are kicking around in this story, all of which look like caricatures of the real thing.)
If you prefer your science-fiction straight, you may want to give 'City of death' a miss. Or maybe not, since it is both great comedy and fine science-fiction.
My verdict:
I love Douglas Adams. What more can I say?
An introduction:
Doctor Who reviews: introduction
More "brilliant!" Doctor Who:
Doctor Who reviews: brilliant!
More from the Tom Baker years:
Doctor Who reviews: 1974 - 1981
Similar stories:
Doctor Who reviews: genre benders
Original version of this review:
06/08/23
Episode guides:
BBC Cult
Serial reviews:
Behind the sofa
Outpost Gallifrey
DVD reviews:
Outpost Gallifrey
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