The Doctor, Harry and Sarah accidentally land on a space wheel where survivors from Earth lie in cryogenic suspension waiting to begin a new life.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:by actors Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen and producer Philip Hinchcliffe
Biographies
Interviews:with designer Robert Murray-Leach. Archival interview with Tom Baker
Other:New CGI model footage and 3D Ark schematic
Production Notes:Optional caption stream
Tom Baker’s second outing as the renegade Time Lord is a solid entry in the venerable British science fiction series’ history, and its overall quality is well-matched by the wealth of supplemental material on the DVD. Fan favorite Robert Holmes penned “The Ark in Space,” which places the Doctor and his companions Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry (Ian Marter) on a seemingly deserted space station many years in the future. Station Nerva is not as empty as it appears, though; onboard are the cryogenically preserved survivors of Earth’s destruction, as well as an insectlike alien race, the Wirrin, which are determined to use the humans–and the Doctor–as hosts to grow their monstrous larvae. Holmes’s well-paced script (which, like Alien, bears a resemblance to the A.E. van Vogt story “Black Destroyer”) allows Baker to flesh out his well-loved take on the Doctor, as well as considerable suspense. –Paul Gaita
Buy “Doctor Who: The Ark In Space “ For Only $8.63
March 16, 2010
#1
I’ve been a Doctor Who fan for about thirty years, and it’s been nearly that long since I’ve seen this story. After reading the reviews, I ordered the tape and eagerly sat in front of the tube, ready for a great adventure. How disappointed I was! How painful to watch!
Come on, now — spray-painted bubble wrap taking over a hammy actor playing Adam, the “Prime Unit”? Doggie squeak toys for alien voices? Giant Mister Potatohead insects? Heck, even an actor’s head becomes visible when the “larvae”, obviously actors crawling around in green laundry bags, attack the control center. Even Elizabeth Sladen seemed uncomfortable trying to look afraid of the “slugs”. Seems like the series took a big step back for a while in TB’s early days.
The only reasons I give it two stars are (1) Tom Baker’s performance, and (2) a decent script and story idea.
I’m still a fan of the series, but I won’t keep this tape in my collection.
March 16, 2010
#2
I enjoy most any Dr. Who with Tom Baker. The quality of this tape is very poor however. Had to adjust every control on my TV just to watch it.
March 16, 2010
#3
Tom Baker is my favrite dr on this dvd picture and sound on this dvd is real good for 70, video tape . and is worth the money to
March 16, 2010
#4
The Ark in Space was a good idea but it started Genesis of the Daleks which is terrible. Many people think it is good but look at it this way Davros is a human being with half his body in half a pepper pot and a piece of leftover rubber around his face. END
March 16, 2010
#5
“Ark” is ironically titled, as it begins an unusual “story-arc” of four episodes surrounding the Nerva space station. As is typical of this era of the show, all the episodes have strong horror themes and “Ark in Space” is no exception.
In it, the Doc & Company land on a space station orbiting an uninhabited earth and filled with cryogenically frozen humans. Seems some pesky solar flares made the earth uninhabitable, and these people, representing a genetically perfect “elite” were chosen to wait out the storm, and then re-populate the now empty globe. They have two problems. One: they didn’t wake up when they were supposed to. Two, while they were sleeping, they picked up a hitchhiker. A large, bug-eyed, green, slimy space hitchiker, looking for a comfy spot to lay its eggs. And nothing makes a comfy place for your evil space larvae than a sleeping human body. It doesn’t take a genuis to see what will happen next:
1) The Doc will helpfully awaken the crew.
2) Instead of being grateful, the crew will suspect he is to blame for everything that is going wrong, and spend a great deal of time poking guns in his ribs and threatening him.
3) Sarah will scream “Doctor!” a lot and open doors that have horrible monsters on the other side.
4) Harry will nearly get everyone killed with his bumbling and fight with Sarah constantly, which on this G-rated show replaces the sexual tension you would normally expect with a two-man, one-woman cast.
5) In the meantime, the space bugs will hatch, feed on the stupid, and generally make a mess of things until they are stopped….or stop themselves.
“Ark” is a little slower-paced than other Who eps. from this era, which is why I gave it three rather than four stars (in fairness, it’s about a 3.5), and as is often the case in “Who” episodes, the people the Doc is fighting to save are not really worth saving: the “elite” of earth’s gene pool prove arrogant, cold-blooded, callous, and not too terribly skilled when it comes to staying alive. I wouldn’t have minded it if the bugs had won.
On the other hand, “Ark” has (by Who standards) some very impressive set designs to go along with the marvelously campy dialogue (“Take another step, Doctor, and I’ll atomize you!”) and the creepy, “Alein-esque” concept of self-important humans ending up as nothing more than incubators/Gerber’s baby food for a race of nomadic space bugs. As always, Tom Baker, Liz Sladen, and the underrated Ian Marter work well together, with Baker in the unwanted role of “Dad” to their squabbling sibilings.
An enjoyable outing, but by no means the best of this particular trio.