The Mark of the Rani: Part 1 (2 Feb. 1985)

In a 19th century mining village, a renegade Time Lady known as The Rani is draining brain fluid from local men, turning them savage and berserk. It is here The Master plans to coerce her ... See full summary »

Director:

Sarah Hellings

Writers:

Pip Baker, Jane Baker

Stars:

Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Anthony Ainley

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Colin Baker	...	The Doctor
Nicola Bryant	...	Peri
Anthony Ainley	...	The Master
Kate O'Mara	...	The Rani
Terence Alexander	...	Lord Ravensworth
Peter Childs	...	Jack Ward
Gary Cady	...	Luke Ward
Richard Steele	...	Guard
William Ilkley	...	Tim Bass
Hus Levant	...	Edwin Green (as Hus Levent)
Kevin White	...	Sam Rudge
Martyn Whitby	...	Drayman
Sarah James	...	Young Woman
Cordelia Ditton	...	Older Woman

Storyline

In a 19th century mining village, a renegade Time Lady known as The Rani is draining brain fluid from local men, turning them savage and berserk. It is here The Master plans to coerce her help in his vengeance upon The Doctor while also establishing a power base for controlling Earth's future.

---

Plot Keywords:

master

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1985 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Blists Hill Open Air Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The yellow Spencer jacket with pink trim worn by Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown) is the same costume worn by Christina Cole (Mrs. Elton) for her grand entrance in church in Emma.

---

Quotes

The Rani: [On seeing Peri for the first time] Who's this brat?

User Reviews

Three Time Lords for the Price of One

Mark of the Rani is a good two-parter from the weakest period of DOCTOR WHO -- I don't find Colin Baker's performance engaging, nor is he aided by the particolored outfit that producer John Nathan-Turner saddled him with. Bolstered by a lot of on-site shooting, Anthony Ainley as the Master and Kate O'Mara in a dynamite debut as renegade Time Lady 'The Rani', this comes off as a good one, led by one-shot WHO director Sarah Hellings and a well-researched, if under-written script by Pip and Jane Baker.

Although nominally set at a conference of now-eminent British scientists and engineers about 1820, only George Stephenson, the developer of an early steam-powered locomotive, figures prominently, although some Luddites show up to suggest the chaos of the era. Most of the script concerns itself with the conflict between the Doctor and the bickering duo of the Master and the Rani.

In terms of performance, I find the Doctor and the Master a little monotonous as they slang each other in the same disdainful tone of voice. O'Mara's outright contempt for the boys is a welcome relief, and the script suggests, without delving into the subject, the societal conflicts between the Doctor's humanism, the Master's hunger for power and the Rani's soulless scientist that might have reflected the concerns of the era. Perhaps a longer serial, linking the social crisis and the conflict between the Time Lords might have made this a better pair of episodes but, given the general poverty of the era, this is, nonetheless, exciting: more than good-enough fun.