Imagine a Doctor Who story about the Doctor facing evil itself. Can you already hear the "boo ha ha's!" sounding pathetic? So it's quite impressive that the one story where the Doctor did face evil itself is definitely one of the series' finest. Some have said that this is the best Doctor Who story of all time and I tentatively agree. For starters the plot is so grown up that it is hard to imagine that this is even technically, or ever was, a kids show. The first time I saw Fenric I was only 11 and understood little of what was going on. However when I hired out the video a few years later I was impressed by Ian Briggs' script. The level of tension conveyed and the well thought out plot, along with a twist at the end made Fenric a challenging and enjoyable story.
The Curse of Fenric's other strength attributable to Ian Briggs is the characters. Millington is a believable human villain who you can almost feel sorry for and works well with the pitiable Dr.Judson, while Reverend Wainwright adds a mixture of hope and sadness to both lighten and dull the tone at once. All three characters are suberbly played by their respective actors. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred give great performances and Ace really comes of age while The Doctor at his darkest and most manipulative. Even Fenric, evil incarnete, comes across well and is totally believable.
Despite all the low budget limitations The Curse of Fenric is well produced. The musical score sets the scene perfectly, the special effects are quite effective and there's some great location work that sets the feel of the second world war. The climax is almost perfect, with the Doctor's last gamble saving the day. All of this combines to make The Curse of Fenric one of the most impressive and consistent Doctor Who stories that still holds up to repeat viewings today.
In retrospect I was quite generous to The Curse of Fenric. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very good story. It is well produced considering the budgetary and time constraints and it has a good plot and some well drawn characters. But over time I've realised that Dr. Who should be more accessible to the casual viewer and Fenric is tries to be just a bit too clever for its own good. It's also interesting how in 1999 I seemed to want Dr. Who to be recognised as a more adult programme. Since then that attitude to Dr. Who has completely reversed and I'm quick to point out that it should be written primarily for kids. Around the time I wrote this review I remember hiding my Dr. Who videos when a girl I was keen on came over, as I was worried my chanceswith her would immediately disappear if she saw I owned videos of some cheap kids sci-fi show!
Overall I stand by most of what's written in that 11 year-old review, but in retrospect the plot is a bit too clever for its own good and I've gone off the idea of the dark, manipulative Doctor portrayed in Series 26. I give Fenric a revised rating of...
4/5
