stevedvd The Sunmakers DVD Review

The Sunmakers DVD Review

I don’t think it would be unfair to say the The Sunmakers is one of the lesser regarded Tom Baker stories from perhaps the least discussed season of the Fourth Doctor’s era, Season 15.

Yes Season 15 is a funny old bird. Phillip Hinchcliffe has gone and taken his Gothic Horror era with him, although there is a noticeable hangover from his time in this season with stories such as the wonderful Horror of Fang Rock and the macabre Image of the Fendahl.  Graham Williams has now taken over and the comedy light hearted excesses he would bring to the show become evident towards the end of this run with the epic The Invasion of Time. This story would set the tone for the following two seasons where Tom Bakers over the top eccentricities would know no bounds.  

The Sunmakers is somewhat of a curate’s egg in the middle of all this shifting from one era to the other. Penned by the great Robert Holmes it is essentially one long joke at the expense of the Inland Revenue with Holmes at the time fuming from his most recent tax bill. Although his puns about hierarchy and unnecessary red tape are also thought to be believed to be a not too disguised dig at the BBC management at the time.

The story takes place on Pluto where the planet is heated by several suns, although the light can only be enjoyed by the ruling classes while the working classes dwell below the surface. The wordplay and jokes come thick and fast as the planet is run by the Company, governed by the Collector and the Gatherer, whose armed forces are called the Inner Retinue. If that is not on the nose enough then any people trying to escape this dictatorship flee down the P45 corridor. Not particularly subtle but fun nonetheless.

And that is the overall tone of this story. Nothing is taken too seriously.  Richard Leech as the Gatherer is fantastically over the top and insidious in his dealings with his boss The Collector. And Henry Woolf as The Collector himself is an excellent piece of casting as a strange little creature who barely acknowledges anyone’s presence as he is too busy calculating his wealth.

The under city dwellers are a pretty faceless bunch with only Roy Macready as Cordo garnering any true sympathy from the audience and the rebels scenes are on the whole nothing more than dull padding.

Tom Baker and Louise Jameson give their usual strong performers and Jameson has, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, stated this is her favourite story. Although the twoseome were famously not getting on well off camera this does not translate so screen for me and one of the best Tardis pairings ever are strong in this tale.

Although the Collector and The Gatherer do not impose the same threat throughout the story as say a Sutekh, Krynoid or Fendahl they are nevertheless given polemic endings which stay in the memory. The Collector eventually upsets himself so much he seems to disappear down in a hole in his own chair! Perfectly comical in the vein of the rest of the story.  

However The Gatherer’s ending could not be darker. His demise comes as the under city dwellers create a revolution, capture him, hoist him in the air and throw him off the roof of a very large building. And then they cheer. Quite disturbing really.

Overall this is a fun romp with some hammy characters but one of the more forgettable Tom Baker stories in all honesty.

Overall Story Score: 4/10

DVD Extra’s

The commentary itself is a pleasant enough experience with Tom Baker and Louise Jameson adding their usual value, their modern day friendship clearly shining through. They are joined by Michael Keating who played Goudry and the late Pennant Roberts who directed The Sunmakers.

Running from the Tax Man is a good documentary with reminisces and contributions from all the key players both on screen and off. Where this documentary veers slightly from the usual is the input of historian Dominic Sandbrook who takes Holmes political swipes and puts them in a cultural context as part of 1970’s Britain.

A particular favourite though among the usual Coming Soon and Photo Gallery features is the second and final part of a series looking at the work of Dudley Simpson called The Doctor’s Composer. Simpsons importance to the series should not be undervalued as his music enhances so many classic stories such as Pyramids of Mars and City of Death. He is also responsible for the musical sting that occurs every time Roger Delgado’s Master arrives in a story. Magical stuff and Simpson is simply a likeable and humble chap.

Extra’s 7/10. 

The Sunmakers DVD Overall Rating: 5/10 

Although personally I could watch any Tom Baker story multiple times, this particular tale for me is at the lower end of the list if you are ranking the Fourth Doctor era. Funny in places with a dark undertone, there simply is not enough threat and too much rebel based dialogue that goes nowhere for me. However it is worth a look and some of the extras are truly fascinating for Doctor Who fanatics.