Who Review: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

It seems even the TARDIS is not immune to junk mail. A robot appears in the control room, plugs itself into the console, and runs a commercial spot for “The Psychic Circus” featuring clowns and other acts to amaze. Ace is not impressed. She thinks clowns are creepy, and doesn’t think it would be fun. The Doctor, on the other hand, is intrigued, so they land on the planet Segonax, and make their way to the Big Top. But the lure of the circus isn’t just for spectators. People come from all around hoping to get some time in the spotlight. The Doctor and Ace meet a couple of them on the way: Captain Cook and Mags, a girl the Captain refers to as a “unique specimin,” and Nord, the snarly biker with a penchant for rearranging faces–or at least threatening to do so. The TARDIS team also come across an abandoned hippie bus. Ace finds an earring outside the bus. It appears to be evidence of an attack, yet there are no hostile forces around. But all is not as it seems with the Psychic Circus. It’s not like it was in its heyday. It was once a happy troop of performers, touring the galaxy putting on shows. Ever since it settled on Segonax, under the control of the clowns–and whoever controls them–things have taken on a much more sinister tone. People come to audition and never leave. And those who escape are hunted down. The Doctor is curious to get to the heart of things, and his opportunity comes sooner than he expects when he is selected to perform…

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!

Producer John Nathan-Turner suggested the title for the last story of the 25th anniversary season. No-one much liked it, but Nathan-Turner gave script editor Andrew Cartmel and writer Stephen Wyatt (who wrote “Paradise Towers” in the previous season) so much artistic freedom, it seemed a small price to pay. It also inspired the story, providing its theme and atmosphere: the circus.

“The Psychic Circus” was a touring hippie circus that fell into the wrong hands, and is now a source of entertainment for higher beings. Unfortunately, their idea of entertainment usually involves the death of the entertainer. When the Doctor and Ace first enter the Big Top, despite having heard claps and cheers, they see only three people in the audience, a mother and father and their daughter. We learn later the reason for this: the Big Top is mirroring the “Dark Circus” where the real audience of three reside. The Chief Clown, the fortune teller, and the Ringmaster are all working under the new management, though the fortune teller longs for the old days, which is dangerous. Those from the original circus unwilling to comply with the demands of the new overlords are punished until their minds brake, or they escape–in which case they are hunted down and killed. Their original circus leader, Kingpin, was the one who brought the circus to Segonax in search of power. It was this desire for power that enslaved the circus to its current masters, who made a mumbling wreck out of Kingpin–now known as “Deadbeat.”

This is a great set-up to introduce some of Who’s creepiest characters. Even if you don’t think clowns are particularly frightening, these clowns are disturbing. Most of them are robotic, but the Chief Clown, with his strange hand gestures, and quirky smiles is probably the creepiest of them all. The most unnerving thing about these people is the way they so willingly entice acts into the ring, knowing they are going to their deaths. Even a young teenager, billed as the Psychic Circus’s “greatest fan,” is not spared the critical laser-eye of the audience. When it’s all over, the Ringmaster simply holds up the crumpled remains of the boy’s glasses, as if it’s no big deal. Even Mags, who seems to be reasonably sane, has a dark secret–though enough hints are dropped early on that you really have to be not paying attention to figure it out. Her “minder,” or however you wish to characterize their relationship, famous galactic explorer, Captain Cook, seems a bit of a pompous windbag at first. But then he shows his true colors when he orchestrates Mags’s transformation, and then sets her on the Doctor. When the Doctor manages to turn the situation around, the Captain experiences a bloodless death. Not what I would have expected given the nature of Mags’s animal side. But this is a family show. 🙂

I thought the episode one cliff hanger a bit odd. The Doctor and Ace finally arrive at the Psychic Circus, having been forced to eat nasty food, and being verbally assaulted by a biker. Ace is sure she hears a scream coming from the tent. She’s already reluctant to go in given her disdain for circuses, but the Doctor dismisses her concerns and says, “Shall we go in?” And that’s it. Perhaps the screaming is supposed to portend danger, or maybe we’re supposed to be on the edge of our seats with anticipation over what’s inside the tent. Either way, it’s not much of a cliff hanger.

Another odd feature of this story is the Ringmaster’s little rap to introduce the circus and each of the acts. This was first broadcast in 1988, when MC Hammer was getting a lot of attention, and the whole rap/hip-hop scene was growing, so I suppose it’s culturally relevant. But still, why would the Ringmaster of the Psychic Circus rap? Was it to add to the off-beat-ness of the whole experience? I could buy that.

On the whole, this is a good story. It’s different, but that’s the intention. And despite the opportunity for the Doctor to be wacky and clown around (har har), for the most part he doesn’t go there. The one time he does let loose with tricks and stunts is when he’s buying time with the powers behind the Circus, putting on a show for them, while Ace and her friends retrieve what they need to put an end to the show. But this is the Seventh Doctor at last really coming into his own. Sylvester McCoy puts his mark on the character, something we’ve been building to over the past few stories. “Time and the Rani” is well behind us by now. This is not that Doctor.

“Greatest Show” is not “must-see,” but worth watching for the creepy characters, great set designs (making use of real tents), and the maturing of McCoy’s Doctor. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!