Saturday, 1 January 1977

The Face of Evil

Premise: The TARDIS lands in an alien jungle where the Doctor meets the Sevateem, a savage tribe that worships the ‘god’ Xoanon. A girl called Leela, identifies the Doctor as ‘the evil one’.

Notes: This story was the first to feature the new companion Leela, played by Louise Jameson. The character came about as the producer, Phillip Hinchcliffe, wanted to have a complete departure from the previous companion Sarah Jane Smith. Actors Pamela Salem and Rob Edwards provided two of the voices for Xoanon while they were rehearsing for the next story. Due to the unusual five week gap between this and the previous story, the Radio Times incorrectly promoted this as the start of a new season. The gap itself was bridged by compilation repeats of Pyramids of Mars and The Brain of Morbius.

Verdict: An underrated gem of a story featuring a good amount of mystery, scares and action. The sets are well made and the effects hold up nicely. However, there's a little too much technobabble for my taste 8/10

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