Doctor Who Re-Watch: The Leisure Hive kicks off a brand new era
By James Aggas
With the release of Season Eighteen of Doctor Who on Blu-ray, we’re taking a look at each of the stories featured in Tom Baker’s final season, starting with The Leisure Hive.
Season Eighteen was quite significant for Doctor Who in many ways. For one thing, it’s the final season of one of the most iconic Doctors, Tom Baker. I suspect this was a key reason for making this such a relatively early release, as it’s only the third complete season of the Classic Series out on Blu-ray.
But this was more than just a season about endings. It was also something of a new beginning too, at least behind the scenes. John Nathan-Turner – who would become Doctor Who‘s longest running producer – was just starting out, while Christopher H. Bidmead replaced Douglas Adams as script editor.
So while the opening story of the season, The Leisure Hive, featured exactly the same regular cast as the previous season, stylistically, it’s immediately clear that it’s in many ways very different. Season Seventeen was a lot more focused on humor and a relatively light tone.
But The Leisure Hive establishes a different approach almost immediately. There are still moments of humor, particularly from Tom Baker’s eternally witty Doctor.
But The Leisure Hive is a story that explores a society experiencing the aftermath of a devastating war, includes themes of mortality and aging, and at one point, literally shows a man being ripped apart! So the tone of the whole story feels a little more mature than what we had previously.
The Leisure Hive presents a new look and a new tone for Doctor Who’s eighteenth season.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
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A wealth of ideas
As for how strong The Leisure Hive is, it’s not a terrible story. David Fisher’s story features a lot of interesting ideas. Perhaps too many, in fact. In addition to the setting itself – a place designed for people to enjoy a holiday while also working as a symbol of peace – you also have time experiments; solid holograms; alien criminals and mad aspiring dictators! Honestly, that’s a lot to include in four episodes! And they’re all interesting, but some of them need more room in the story to be properly explored. So perhaps taking out one of these ideas and fleshing out one of the others more would have worked better in the story’s favor.
Still, The Leisure Hive clearly sets out the new era’s strong sense of style, at least. It also looks really good, at least for 1980. The Leisure Hive itself looks convincing, both the sets and the exterior model shots, and the special effects work well in the story without overdoing it. (Well, maybe with the exception of zero gravity badminton, anyway.)
Overall, The Leisure Hive gives Tom Baker’s final season a strong fresh start. It’s not my favorite of David Fisher’s scripts, but it does a decent job of establishing a new tone and a new era for Doctor Who, and it’s an enjoyable enough season opener.
Next. How a crossover perfectly depicts the Time War’s epic scale. dark
What are your thoughts on The Leisure Hive? Do you think it’s a strong serial for the Fourth Doctor? What was your favorite aspect of the story? Let us know in the comments below.