Who Review: The Leisure Hive

The Doctor misses the opening of Brighton Pavillion in England… again! So Romana suggests an alternative holiday location: the Leisure Hive on Argolis. They turn up in time to see a demonstration of the Tachyon Recreation Generator, a device that can duplicate and manipulate matter–a real draw for the tourists. And this Leisure Hive needs tourists. Thanks to the emergence of other leisure planets in the area, Argolis is close to bankruptcy. Their only hope is to sell to the Foamasi, reptile-like creatures against whom the Argolins waged a twenty-minute war some years ago. The Foamasi seem like ideal customers since they are able to live in the highly radioactive outdoor atmosphere of Argolis. But the Argolin leadership refuse to accept their offer. It seems someone is trying to force their hand as the Doctor and Romana witness an attempt to sabotage the Tachyon device, leading to the death of a tourist. This is only one of a series of deliberate attempts to disrupt Argolin equipment. The Doctor and Romana try to help, but find themselves instead the objects of suspicion. Their only hope of getting away is to discover who is responsible for the mysterious deaths, and why.

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 Leisure Hive” launched Doctor Who’s 18th season, and it did so with a kick up the 80s. New producer John Nathan-Turner decided the show was getting old and silly, and needed a breath of fresh air. He commissioned a new version of the theme, a new title sequence, and even a new wardrobe for the Doctor. Nathan-Turner didn’t like the overly-comical turn the show had taken over the last season, so he dropped much of the humor, and hired Christopher Bidmead to take over script editing duties. Bidmead sought out scripts that would bring a more serious edge to the show, employing “real science” at the service of science fiction. As the season progressed, Nathan-Turner’s overhaul of the show would see the departure of Romana and K-9… and eventually the Fourth Doctor himself. But that’s to come…

David Fisher penned this story, and, being the competent writer he is, came up with an interesting premise. The idea of “leisure planets” will be taken up again in the New Series, when the Tenth Doctor and Donna visit the “resort planet” Midnight. Argolis was built in response to the war against the Foamasi (an anagram of “Mafiosa”). That it was a twenty minute war demonstrates the show hasn’t completely lost its sense of humor. The Argolins want to dedicate themselves to peace, and the Leisure Hive stands as a reminder of their bloody past, and their determination to make a better future.

But not all the Argolins are on-board with this plan. In a clever twist, we learn that the Tachyon Recreation Generator is not about recreation (i.e., having fun), but re-creation. Pangol, the youngest of the Argolins, turns out to be a “child of the generator,” the only successful survivor of an old cloning experiment. He wants to use the machine to duplicate, or re-create, clones of himself that will form a new and powerful army. With this army, he intends to rebuild the Argolin race and defeat their enemies (which, to his xenophobic mind, are legion), starting with the Foamasi.

The Doctor puts an end to Pangol’s plan by using the TARDIS randomizer to destabilize the Tachyon Recreation Generator, thus producing an army that eventually disappears. In this nimble piece of writing, we are reminded that the Doctor’s travels have been guided by the randomizer for fear that the Black Guardian might catch up with him (see Season Sixteen’s “The Armageddon Factor”). Even the Doctor and Romana don’t know where they will end up when the TARDIS dematerializes. However, at the end of “The Leisure Hive,” the Doctor elects to leave the randomizer attached to the TRG. It seems he’s fed up of running from the Black Guardian, and wants to be able to go wherever he wants. The Doctor bypassed the randomizer to travel to Brighton and then to Argolis; this is a more permanent solution.

The concept of Tachyon Particles is a real scientific thing. These are hypothetical particles that can travel faster than light. In this story, the hypothetical is made real, thus delivering on Bidmead’s promise to re-anchor the show in “real science.”

The best effect of the whole story has to be the Doctor’s “old” make-up, when he is aged by the TRG. It looks quite convincing. The Argolins’ make-up and costumes aren’t bad, but I’m afraid that’s about it for the production compliments. The external models look like models, and the reptilian Foamasi look like costumes, complete with stitching and dry, solid eyes that don’t even attempt to look like living matter.

And I have to ask, why wasn’t K-9 aware that his sea water defenses were faulty? He’s usually pretty good with his diagnostic checks. I’m surprised he went head-long into the sea oblivious to  a problem that seriously compromises his safety. I suspect JN-T wanted rid of the dog no matter what–even if the excuse was seaweed limp. His opening shot is different–a slow pan of the beach that takes a couple of minutes to get to the TARDIS, and then the Doctor asleep on a deck chair. I’m not sure it works, though, especially for a young audience who would be getting restless after the first ten seconds. Perhaps the fact he never tried anything like that again says a lot.

“The Leisure Hive” is worth watching, if only for it’s historical value. I remember when it first aired, I was shocked at the new “star field” title sequence, and the synthesizer-based theme. The old theme and titles had been in use for ten years, so it was the only theme I ever knew up to that point. In fact, I believe my exact thought was, “What have they done to Doctor Who?!” Ironically, this arrangement of the theme ended up being my favorite. And this face-lift was long overdue.