Following our look back at the classic Doctor Who serial The Robots of Death, we take a closer examination at Uvanov, a surprisingly complex character from that story with hidden depths.
In my review for Kerblam!, I made particular mention of Mr. Slade, and how much of a refreshing character he was for Doctor Who. While initially he came across as the kind of manager that cared more about his profits than his employees, the twist that he cared enough about them to look into their disappearances was refreshing. Particularly in a series of Doctor Who that gave us such an obvious Donald Trump parody in Arachnids of the UK.
However, I also compared him to Uvanov. Which is a bit of an unfair comparison to make, as Uvanov is genuinely one of my favorite one-off characters in Doctor Who history. (Which is kind of funny, considering that two of my other favorites, Jago & Litefoot, appear in just the very next story!)
I’ve gone into detail why The Robots of Death is so brilliant in general, but Uvanov is such a special character that he deserves to be looked at specifically. He’s a key element of that story that makes it feel rewarding, especially for the final episode.
A complicated character
For most of Robots, Uvanov comes across as a bit of a jerk. He’s mainly obsessed with money, and initially, the death of a fellow crew member seems like a mere inconvenience to him.
He’s not exactly any nicer when he meets the Doctor and Leela, either. In fact, he’s instantly convinced that they’re the murderers that are killing everyone on his sandminer. He’s almost instantly ready to kill them from the start, never mind worry about proving their innocence or not.
But over the course of the story, we get hints of other sides to him. Not exactly nice sides, not at first. But we find out little things about him, such as why he’s so desperate to make money.
It’s not just about greed. He has some very strong feelings on the higher class, and plans on being richer than any of them by the time the job is over. So it’s clear that it’s not just about the money itself, but the status it brings. More than that, he also wants to show off what it means to actually earn a great deal of money, and not just be born into it.
Revealing the hidden depths
However, it’s only in the final episode that we really get to see his true nature. As shown in the above clip, moments before he really is ready to kill the Doctor, he finally sees for himself that his own robots have been killing the humans on board. The moment one of them attacks the Doctor, Uvanov rescues him, without even thinking about it.
So we know instantly that he’s not just a coward or focused on himself. While he refused to believe that anyone else other than the Doctor killed his crew, the moment he sees the evidence right before his own eyes, he’s an instant ally to him.
One of Uvanov’s best moments is describing his own experience of “robophobia”. An irrational and paranoid belief that robots are in fact the walking dead, Uvanov had watched a young man die directly because of it. It was clearly a moment that deeply affected him, especially when the boy’s family tried to keep quiet about it.
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For the rest of the story, we see Uvanov being a strong ally to the Doctor. He even becomes eager to take on robots with explosives! By the end, he’s a really awesome character.
Along with the strong writing and development, we’re also given a great performance by Russell Hunter. He really helps to make the character feel real and three-dimensional, and has no problem with showing every aspect of the character, both the good and the bad.
For all of these reasons, Uvanov remains as one of my favorite one-off characters of the series. A complex individual with many interesting layers to him, and another clear example of why that period in Doctor Who history is so incredibly strong.
Have you watched The Robots of Death? Do you have fond memories of Uvanov? Is he one of your favorite one-off characters in Doctor Who, or do you have your own personal favorite? Let us know in the comments below.