The Power of Kroll
(DVD)

 

Starring Tom Baker
4 Episodes
1978
91 minutes (color)
Single Disc




 

 

Production Notes
Doctor Who
Tom Baker

Romana
Mary Tamm

Voice of K9
John Leeson

Written by
Robert Holmes

Directed by
Norman Stewart
Produced by
Graham Williams

Original Airdate
Dec 23, 1978 -Jan 13, 1979

US Video Release Date
October 2002

Warner Home Video
#E1337

Key To Time Box Set




 

 

Cover Blurb
The search for the fifth segment of the Key to Time brings the Doctor and Romana to the swampy terrain of the third moon of the planet Delta Magna. Almost immediately, they become separated. The Doctor draws fire when he is mistaken for Rohm-Dutt, a notorious gunrunner wanted for supplying firearms to the Swampies, an aboriginal people who were displaced to the marshy moon when human colonists took possession of Delta Magna. A small team from Delta Magna are now developing a refinery in the Swampies’ promised territory, but the Swampies are confident that, properly armed, they can drive the humans away. 

Meanwhile, Romana has been captured by the Swampies and prepared as a sacrificial offering to their god, the mighty Kroll. Thwarting the sacrifice (in which the god was nothing more than a Swampie priest in fancy dress), the Doctor and Romana have incurred the wrath of Ranquin, a fanatical high priest to Kroll.

 Legendary or not, something is stirring beneath the swamp floor and, if the refinery’s instrument readings are correct, it measures five miles across!




 

 

DVD Features
  • Information Text:
 Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided.  The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by Richard Molesworth of the Doctor Who Restoration Team
 

 
  • Commentary:
 Commentary is provided by Tom Baker (4th Doctor) and John Leeson (voice of K-9).  Perhaps a weaker commentary than the other Key To Time titles, but nonetheless good.
 

 
  • Photo Gallery:
 Color stills showing many publicity stills from the production of this story.  Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen.
 

 
  • Who's Who:
 A feature unique to the North American DVD releases.  It lists short biographical information on many of the actors involved in the story.
 

 
  • Easter Eggs:
 None.  For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE.

 


 

 

Additional Notes
  • Probably the least liked of the Key to Time stories, "The Power of Kroll" is the fifth adventure in the season long arc.
  • John Leeson (voice of K9) gets to stretch his legs and act on camera for a change.   He plays one of the plant technicians, Dugeen.
  • Watch for an amusing scene in episode 3 when the Doctor, Romana, and Rohm-Dutt are tied on a stretching plank.  The Doctor begins singing different high pitched notes trying to break the glass above them. 
  • Watch for the appearance of John Abineri (playing the part of Railton).  He is a regular to Doctor Who.  He appeared as General Carrington in "The Ambassadors of Death" and as the Swampy leader Ranquin in the Tom Baker story "The Power of Kroll."
  • In a twist of irony, during episode 1 of "The Power of Kroll" Romana drops the locator when she is abducted.  By the end of filming on this story, the prop itself was lost and a replacement had to be hastily created for the last story of the season, "The Armageddon Factor."
  • Philip Madoc puts in his final appearance in Doctor Who as Fenner.  Due to a misunderstanding, Madoc arrived to rehearsals with the impression that he would be playing the much larger role of Thawn.  Madoc's first role in Doctor Who was tht of Eelek in the Patrick Troughton story "The Krotons."  He returned later that season with his eerie performance as the War Lord in "The War Games."  He would later return and play the mad scientist Solon in "The Brain of Morbius."
  • In a break with tradition, this story (along with all of the stories from the Key To Time umbrella season) is being released on DVD here in North America BEFORE the U.K.  Apparently, the North American market is much more focused on Tom Baker's era of Doctor Who.  As a result, BBC Worldwide is making a concerted effort to release more Tom Baker DVD's over here.
  • The Doctor Who Restoration Team did some limited clean-up work on this story.  However, due to time constraints, this release is very light on extras.
  • This story can be purchased individually or together with the other stories from season 16 (i.e. The Key To Time Boxset).