Who Review: The Ark in Space
On leaving U.N.I.T. HQ, Harry Sullivan gives the TARDIS’s helmic regulator a sharp turn, and the crew find themselves on a space station in the far future. The Doctor dates the station to the 30th century, but is convinced they are at a time centuries beyond that. His theory is confirmed when they discover records of the human race stored on microfilm, and row upon row of cryogenically preserved people. A couple of the station’s residents, Vira and Noah, revive and inform the Doctor that the people stored on the station are the last survivors of planet Earth. Centuries ago, scientists predicted solar flares would soon consume all life on the planet, so they selected the best representatives of mankind to be held in suspended animation, along with records of all man’s achievements, until such a time as it was safe to return to Earth. But something has gone wrong. The station’s residents have been asleep longer than planned because someone, or something, cut the power to their wake-up call. And that someone, or something, has already taken over one of the sleepers, and is using his knowledge of the station to stage a coup that will wipe out the human race…
SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen this serial. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!
“The Ark in Space” was written by new script editor, Robert Holmes, after previous attempts at the story by other writers fell through. Holmes was new to the script editing job, but certainly not new to Who, having written stories for both the Second and Third Doctors. Robert Holmes is, in my estimation, one of the best Classic Who writers, certainly the best post-1970, and “The Ark in Space” is often held up as an example of why he is so highly regarded as a Who writer. I have to say, I fully concur with the assessment. This is a great story, and, along with its predecessor, “Robot,” helps firmly establish both the character of the Fourth Doctor, and Tom Baker as the new Doctor.
Holmes, and new producer, Philip Hinchcliffe, wanted to make Doctor Who a little darker and more adult. Today, that would involve not only gritty stories, but gritty effects and sets. In 1975, the budget for Doctor Who didn’t exist to do visually grittier, so the story had to compensate for what the visuals lacked. And does it ever! The idea of an alien insect race that lays its eggs in a dormant human host is quite nasty. And seeing the gradual transformation of Noah into the Wirrn swarm leader was quite cutting edge for children’s television at the time. It’s not just the outward change, either–it’s the mental struggle we see as Noah’s mind fights against, but eventually succumbs to, the Wirrn possessing him.
The space station set is very well realized, even if the Wirrn themselves lack. And really, where they lack is in money, not imagination. The dead Wirrn looks very good, but the living ones move like actors in costume. The same goes for the Wirrn larvae which are, essentially, stunt men in big bubble wrap sleeping bags. To be fair, bubble wrap was new at the time, so most people wouldn’t have recognized it. But it is, perhaps, a bit overused, though, again, it must have been hard trying to create the effect on such a tight budget. I think the Wirrn larvae in the solar stack, squirming around and looking out the window, is probably the most effective of all the creature shots in the show.
The story itself, however, is hard to fault. A great idea (which is often claimed was stolen by Ridley Scott for the movie “Alien”), a plot that works well, some great lines and memorable moments (the Doctor’s “Homo sapiens…” speech, for example), and superbly acted by all. Even newcomer, Medical Officer Harry Sullivan, proves useful (though modern sensibilities will grate at his old fashioned view of women).
A couple of interesting moments. First, the High Minister, whose voice comes on the intercom while Sarah is getting ready to be preserved, sounds a lot like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the time this broadcast, Thatcher was only just starting to make her mark politically, so I doubt it was intentional. Nevertheless… Also, I found it curious that Vira refers to “Noah” as “a name from mythology,” clearly showing no regard for biblical faith. However, a later voice on the intercom talks about how the planet’s “prayers” are with them, and says, “God be with you.”
Another point of interest is the fact that this story follows directly on from “Robot,” and continues directly into the next story, “The Sontaran Experiment.” Indeed, this whole season forms a story arc, though not quite in the same way as the New Series season arcs. That kind of story continuity was not common in Doctor Who, especially after the Hartnell era in the early-to-mid 1960s.
To sum up, this is Classic Who, and without doubt a must watch (in bold type) for Whovians. It’s simply one of the best serials of the Classic era, and it played a big part in solidifying Tom Baker as the new Doctor.
