"Doctor Who" The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: Part 3 (1988)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Alan Wareing

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (1963)

Original Air Date:

28 December 1988 (Season 25, Episode 13)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Time Lord | Alien | Renegade | Companion | Eccentric

Cast

Sylvester McCoy	...	The Doctor
Sophie Aldred	...	Ace
T.P. McKenna	...	Captain Cook
Ricco Ross	...	The Ringmaster
Ian Reddington	...	Chief Clown
Deborah Manship	...	Morgana
Christopher Guard	...	Bellboy
Chris Jury	...	Deadbeat / Kingpin
Gian Sammarco	...	Whizzkid
David Ashford	...	Dad
Janet Hargreaves	...	Mum
Kathryn Ludlow	...	Little Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jessica Martin	...	Mags

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Trivia:

This episode was watched by 4.8 million viewers on its original transmission.

"I know it's not a good as it used to be but I'm still interested." Couldn't have put it better myself.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Doctor Who: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: Part 3 starts as the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) manages to escape the clutches the evil robotic clowns & sets about trying to discover why the Psychic Circus is luring unsuspecting visitor's from all over the galaxy & then sending them to die performing in the ring & to stop himself & his companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) becoming the next attraction's. It all has something to do with a sinister eye that keeps appearing as motif's on everything & seems to be the source of the evil that has infested & transformed the once family friendly circus into what it is now...

This Doctor Who adventure was the last story from season 25 & it aired here in the UK during late 1988, directed by Alan Wareing I think The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is average Doctor Who at best & I have to say my patience with it is running out. The script by Stephen Wyatt is taking an age to get to the point, don't get me wrong as I like a good mystery as the next guy but I've just finished watching Part 3 & I don't really know much more than when I began watching Part 1. I mean there's just no hook here to make you want to watch the next episode & there's not really that much going on, sure there's this circus which is apparently sending people to their death (it's all been off screen so far) in the ring for some reason that has to do with a floating eye but for what reason we know not, the Doctor has become involved & to honest that's about it. This story has also had three lame cliffhanger endings that don't exactly heighten the anticipation until the next episode or even make you want to watch the next one that much.

There's an OK scene in this episode inside a trailer full of robotic clowns in various states of repair & some robotic limbs & faces lying around but not much is made of it. There's nothing I'd call scary, particularly effective or exciting so far in the three episodes I've seen & I doubt that will change after Part 4 although there was a cool looking vampire thing at the end of this one which actually had a decent make-up job.

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is an OK watch, it's dragging it's heels a bit & I'm in no rush to see Part 4 but it's Doctor Who & I like pretty much all the Doctor Who's I've seen but this one could have been better.