By: Anton Massopust III

There it is waiting – in the pipe – in the Darkness.”

In this lost Doctor Who classic redone with animation, the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton and Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling) land with the TARDIS off the North Sea near a natural gas pipeline and base. The Doctor is curious to find that something is moving in the pipes they are stunned. They are brought to the complex under suspicion of sabotage. The manager of the plant does not believe that there is anything wrong. He doesn’t want the drilling and the gas flow to stop because he feels it will ruin his record. His assistant does not feel that the same way. He begins to trust the Doctor and his companions and believe that there is something sinister going on. When the members of The Outlaws of the Rigs that are out in the North Sea are suddenly attacked by a giant weed and foam, they lose contact with them at the complex. The pipeline itself is being blocked by huge mass of seaweed with stingers. If it stings you, you get possessed. The weed uses them as vessels in order to take over all the rigs then the powerplant, and with plans to get all of England.

The Doctor s convinces everyone that they are under attack and they must find the nerve center and attack it – the battle of the Giants as he puts it. Victoria is having second thoughts about traveling with the Doctor and she really reflects that maybe it’s time to settle down after this crisis has passed. But she may be the key to defeating this menace.

This lost classic is brought back to life in animation in color and in black and white, and through photographs and original audio. So, whichever your choice you want, you can watch it on three discs in the set with plenty of extras and audio commentary. 

My only criticism is that the conclusion is a little bit silly, but story is extremely eerie. There is plenty of suspense and scariness, especially at the end of part 5 when all these people on a rig and have been possessed by this weed. The crew of the rigs have been possessed. Giant foam surrounds the Doctor and Jamie and want to possess the doctor. They say, “We have been waiting for you, Doctor!” That’s a cliffhanger! It’s classic Doctor Who, but it is a bit slow. You have to remember that that’s the way things were in those days, but definitely something to add to your growing Doctor Who collection if your completist like me, it’s a fun scary fun for a hot summer day or a rainy afternoon.