OK time for some blog revisiting as I have decided to extend another one of my older posts on this blog which will be on the classic Doctor who story from Tom Baker's era, The Talons of Weng Chiang, which was the swansong of the partnership of producer Philip Hinchcliffe and script editor/writer Robert Holmes. So let's down the deerstalker and have a like at this one....!
So the story begins with the TARDIS landing in London back in the Victorian times, as the Doctor and Leela (Louise Jameson) emerge wearing Victorian clothes. The Doctor and Leela while they look around the local area, they hear a scream and they find a group of Chinese coolies who are attacking a cab driver. The Doctor and Leela fight them off, as they hear the sound of a police whistle they flee, and the Doctor trips up one of them, just in time for a Sergeant (David McKail) to find them and he asks them to come to the station. Meanwhile at the Palace theatre, a famous Chinese magician, Li H'sen Chang (John Bennett) is performing an extended run at the theatre, much to the delight of the owner, Henry Gordon Jago (Christopher Benjamin). Chang however was accosted by the cab driver earlier on and he accused him of putting his wife into some weird trance and since then she has disappeared. After this Chang is called to the police station where he is asked to be an interpreter for the coolie, the Doctor and Leela caught. Chang unbeknowst to the Doctor and Leela discretely gives the coolie a scorpion venom pill, which kills the coolie instantly. Chang denies that he did anything and wishes them good night, but on examining the dead coolie's hand, the Doctor sees a tatoo of the Tong of the Black Scorpion, who were a dangerous political organisation who worshipped the ancient god, Weng Chiang.
The Doctor and Leela then head to the mortuary where they find where they speak to Professot Litefoot (Trevor Litefoot) who is examining the bodies and tells the Doctor that the cab driver, was a man named Joseph Buller, who's with Emma Buller went missing, and this was just one of several girls that have gone missing in mysterious circumstances. The Doctor finds rat hairs on Buller's body, which suggests to him that he was killed by a large rat, and that the god Weng Chaing, was the master of abundance who could make things grow. On this hunch, the Doctor checks the sewers with Leela and they find a large rat, which advances on them, but they manage to escape just in time.
In the meantime we find out that Chang is actually a servant of the so called God, Weng Chiang, who is in fact a war criminal from the 51st Century, Magnus Greel (Michael Spice) who is stranded in this time, and he is desparately looking for the time cabinet he travelled in. However as a result of having used the time cabinet, which is based on an unstable form called Zygma energy, Greel is left hideously deformed and has to wear mask to hide his true features. It also is revealed that the girls who disappeared have in fact been captured by Chang and taken to Greel, who uses a distillation chamber to drain their life energies into his own body, in order to revitilise himself, as he dying from the effects of his time travel. Chang also in his task of trying to find the time cabinet is aided by a the small waxwork doll, Mr Sin (Roy Deep) which is in fact a homunculus (small robotic human) who came from the future with Greel. And as things progress the Doctor and Leela eventually cross paths with Greel, as well as meeting up with Jago and Litefoot, who all pull their resources together to try and defeat the evil villain from the future, who if he finds the time cabinet again, it could have disastrous consequences for them all.
The talons of Weng Chiang is without a doubt one of the real highlights of the Tom Baker era, the scripts, sets and performances are all excellent. Robert Holmes, who was the script editor during the Philip Hinchcliffe tenure, and also wrote the story, has crafted a terrific adventure, which is creepy, menacing as well as very entertaining. The story also succeeds in bringing together another partnership, with Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot, who in the story make an unlikely duo, but they ultimatley help each other and the Doctor in their fight against Greel. In fact in a way it seems like there is a pecular trio here, a la Sherlock Homes style (which this story pays more than a close homage to) with the Doctor being Sherlock Holmes and Professor Litefoot being John Watson. As for the gothic themes that were seen to be running now and then through the Hinchcliffe era, they really come to the fore here, and in this story Holmes and Hinchcliffe find the perfect balance of drama and fun.
In terms of the performances there is much to enjoy here, especially Christopher Benjamin as Henry Gordon Jago, the pompous theatre owner, who has a large vocabulary and likes to act big, but at the same time he's a coward, who would flee at any sign of danger, but towards the end he plays his part in fighting the baddies. Benjamin naturally has some great lines in the story and good highlights such as the scene when he speaks to his stagehand, Casey, and says to him "I will look over those lugubrious leaniments at the crupuscular hour!" and Casey says "Eh???" to which Jago replies "See you in the morning!". Another good scene from Benjamin is when the Doctor meets with Jago at the theatre and pretends to audition for him and Jago is very unimpressed by the Doctor tricks "Auditions start on Saturday morning, ten o'clock sharp!" and the Doctor continues to show some more and Jago continues to be unimpressed and says "Is that all?" and the Doctor says "No, dramatic rescitations, tap dancing. I can play the trumpet in a bowl of live goldfish!" and Jago wearily says "Don't bother coming back on Saturday!". Another good scene is when Jago first pays a visit to Litefoot and he mistakes him to be Litefoot's butler (as Litefoot is wearing an apron at the time) and Jago arrogantly says to him "Kindly tell your master that Henry Gordon Jago wishes to see him!" and Litefoot protests and Jago says "Confound your insolence, sir, and announce yourself!" and Litefoot snaps back at him telling him he is Litefoot and Jago changes tack quickly saying "Why dash me optics! I should have realised. That brow, those hands. England's peerless premier professor of pathology!" then he doffs his hat at him "Henry Gordon Jago are your service!".
Trevor Baxter is also excellent Professor Litefoot, as he plays Litefoot as a plucky character, who will stand up for a fight, and his scenes with Christopher Benjamin are great, and some of the highlights of the story. Baxter also has some great lines such as in the scene where he first meets with Jago and he says to him when Jago is not aware of who he is and Jago says "confound your insolence, sir, and just announce me!" and Litefoot says "Consider yourself announced, sir! I'm Litefoot!". And in the scene Litefoot decides that he and Jago should try and locate Weng-Chiang themselves and he says to Jago "If you and I keep a discreet eye on the theatre we might nab this fellow, should he return. We might be lucky, Mr Jago. And if we are, I have a few lumps to repay!" (referencing the fact he had been knocked out twice already!). There is also the scene where Litefoot rides in a carriage (horse and cart) with the Doctor and Leela and Leela enquires as to his smoking a pipe and Litefoot says "Pon my soul, hasn't the girl ever seen a pipe before?" and the Doctor says "There's no tobacco where Leela comes from" and Litefoot says "Sounds healthy, but exceedingly dull!".
John Bennett is also very good as Li H'sen Chang, the enigmatic and mysterious magician, who obeys Greel blindly at first, but realises altogether a bit too late that Greel later deserts him. Bennett also has some excellent make-up to make look like a gent from the Orient, which looks very convincing (despite the fact he wouldn't be able to move his eyebrows!). Bennet also has some good scenes which include the scene where he arrives at the police station to help the inspector with their enquiries and the Doctor asks him "Don't I know you? Aren't you Chinese?" and Chang says "I understand we all look the same!". Bennett also has some good dramatic scenes that involve Chang being a loyal servant to Greel and in the end he is essentially betrayed by him. Another good scene for Bennett also comes when Chang performs his live act infront of a full house in the theatre and he asks for an assistant to help him with a trick as the Doctor comes on stage, he asks him to step into a cabinet, but the Doctor is seen going out the back door as the audience laughs, Chang says "The bird has flown, one of us is yellow!". The story has some adult themes of course in it and one of them appears in the scene where Chang after having being attacked by the giant rat, is found by the Doctor and Leela as Chang smokes opium to kill the pain he feels as he says to the Doctor "I singular sight I fear. It is too late, Doctor, and I feel no pain. The opium". Then there is the scene where Chang uses his skill as a hypnotist (along with his heightened powers learned from Greel) to hypnotise to a couple of female workers to come with him, and one of them is substituted by Leela. And as Chang returns for them he grabs them both and says "Come! I said come! You painted drabs! My master must feed!".
Roy Deep also makes a noteworthy appearnce as the creepy Mr Sin, the dimunitive waxwork doll, that does Greel's evil bidding, who later goes on a kill crazy rampage at the house of the dragon and at the end the Doctor pulls out his "fuse" just Mr Sin attacks the Doctor and the others near the very end. And finally we have Michael Spice as the villanous Greel, who we never see his face until the climax at the end of epsiode five where Leela unmasks him, and we see his twisted features. Spice plays a great villain, especially with his impressive booming voice and no doubt it would have scared many a kid back then. Spice naturally has some good scenes in the story such as the scene where Jago and Litefoot stumble on his lair at the house of the dragon. And he says to them when they arrive "So you choose to pry on the house of the dragon. Unwise, very unwise!" and later he nearly chokes Jago to death in forcing him to try and tell him where the bag is with the time key for his time cabinet and then says "You will die later slowly! It will give pleasure to my wolves!". And there is the scene when Leela attacks Greel in his underground lair and she escapes only to have Greel bang his gong to summon his large rat in the sewers and he yells "When my beauties find her, she will wish she died HERE!!". Another good scene from Spice comes when he finally has retrieved the time key and places it in his time cabinet, which runs on Zigma energy (which was said to be highly unstable and the result of Greel's deformity) and Greel laughs maniacally saying "He was wrong! Wrong! The zigma experiment was a success!". And last of all there is the classic line where Greel places Leela in his distilation chamber and says "Whatever it was there will be no escape for you. Let the talons of Weng-Chiang shred your fliiieeeessshhhhh!!".
The regular cast are also in top form here too, with Tom Baker having grown effortlessly into his role now as the Doctor, and he provides his usual commanding, engimatic and humorous qualities. Tom Baker also get's his fare share of great lines, one of which is the title of this post, where he taunts Greel, who demands for the Doctor to hand over the time key for the cabinet, and the Doctor says "Oh the time key! Heavens to Betsy! I'm always putting things down and wondering where I put them!" followed by "Never trust a man with dirty finger nails!". I also like the scene where the Doctor participates in a magic trick for Chang at the theatre, where he gets inside a cabinet which Chang will slot swords into, but before he does we see the Doctor exit out the back door of the cabinet! Tom is also really good again at showing his serious side as well as comedic and as the Doctor he incorporates some strong moments of authority such as in the scene where he says to the police sergeant after one of the coolies dies from having taken a pill of poison (given to him by Chang) "If the tong of the Black scorpion is here in London you're going to need all the help you can get, now cut along and do what I say now!". And there is also the scene where the Doctor traverses the Thames in a small boat as he holds an old rifle in his hands and he says to Litefoot, who is with him "My dear Litefoot, I've got a lantern, a pair of waders, and possibly the most feared piece of hand artillery in all of England! What could possibly go wrong??". And as Litefoot says "Well that for a start, it hasn't been used for 50 years, if you try and use it, it might explode in your face!" and the Doctor replies "Explode?? Unthinkable! It was made in Birmingham!". There is also another amusing scene when the Doctor looks at Leela's transformation when she puts on a beautiful Victorian era dress and he says to her "I have an appointment at the Palace Theatre tonight, and if you are very good, I'll buy you an orange". And there is the moment where the Doctor chases Greel around the Palace Theatre late at night and he finds Jago later on the floor unconscious and brings him round and as Greel escpaes, Jago says "shouldn't we go to the police?" and the Doctor says "Oh, Henry Gordon Jago, then our reclusive phantom would simply vanish. Poof!" and as Jago asks him what he will do the Doctor replies "Think. Then have some supper!".
Louise Jameson is also fine as Leela, and yep she does look pretty fine in that Victorian dress (although I miss her sexy leather skins!). Jameson also has quite a few impressive dramatic moments such as the one where Leela is tied and placed in Greel's distillation chamber and she says "I will not plead, but know this: when we are both in the great hereafter I will hunt you down, BENT FACE and put you through my agony a THOUSAND TIMES!". She also has an amusing scene where she eats with Litefoot at his house, but rather than use a plate, she sticks a carving knife into a cut of meat and starts eating it with her hands, and Litefoot feels obliged to join in. There is also the scene where Leela is interested in Litefoot's pathology examination of the cabbie who was killed and she says "You say you can tell the height of the attacker by the way the blade was thrust? But when aiming for the heart, we were always told to strike under the breastbone!". And clearly Leela struggles with the customs and social etiquette of the Victorian era more than Eliza Doolittle ever did! And this brings to mind the story's last scene where Litefoot tries to train up Leela on the social etiquette during tea and Litefoot says "I would say "one lump or two, Miss Leela". To which you will reply "one will suffice, thank you". And Leela asks "suppose I want two" and Litefoot firmly says "Oh no, no, no, no. One lump for ladies" and Leela says "Then why do you ask me?!".
The story also has a notable score from Dudley Simpson, which is once again great, as Simpson, who by this time had been a real veteran score writer for the show virtually since it began (his first music score for the show was back in 1964 in the Hartnell era, Planet of Giants) and Simpson himself makes a cameo in the story as a conductor at the theatre. Simpson's score has plenty of dramatic passages throughout and I really like the use of some of the organ music, especially when Chang is negotiating the bowels of the theatre to reach the sewer to meet with Greel. Production wise, the giant rat aside, its pretty much top notch as the sets are all great, and the costumes, as always in BBC period drama as spot on. And one amusing fact about the making of the show was that for one of the scenes show on the streets, there was one shot where a modern car was in shot. However the production team where unable to contact the owner to have it moved, so they ended up covering it over with hay! You can spot it easily, as you see the shape of the car beneath!
As for Talons flaws??? Well its a great story but there are still the odd niggle however the biggest niggle that can be levelled at it is of course the inclusion of the giant rat, which is basically pretty silly, and is not menacing at all, as it just looks like a man in a mouse costume (which is pretty much what it is!). I also felt that perhaps the story threatens choke itself on its own cleverness at times and the intellectual dialogue between Jago and Litefoot at times becomes a bit drawn out as they appear to try and outdo each other on who has larger vocabulary! But that doesn't take away from the great chemistry they share as an unlikely duo involved in fighting crime. Another niggle probably comes from Greel's make-up when his face is revealed after Leela pulls off his mask as it might appear scary to young children (well maybe not today!) but it actually appears pretty silly for the most part, especially given that how can Greel speak so clearly given his twisted features! And as villain whilst Greel is quite effective, his ranting and raving does become a bit tiresome after a while especially as he keeps berating his coolies who are trying to do their best to find the bag holding the time key and he instead yells "You incompetent lice! You mindless crawling dogs!". But again these are fairly minor niggles and I'm maybe just nitpicking here (with the exception of giant rat of course!).
So The Talons of Weng Chiang remains one of the great classics of the original show, and one of Tom Baker's finest stories. It was a shame that Philip Hinchcliffe decided to part company with the show at that point as his tenure on the series proved to be what quite a few fans called the Golden Age of the show. And some might even say that Doctor Who was never the same again after that.
And after that exhaustive and extended post I shall bid yee goodnight and I will be back soon with more posts.
Ciao!
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