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The Macra Terror Format Reviewed: CD Review The Macra Terror is the third adventure of Troughtons era that has no surviving episodes on videotape. So many of the Troughton stories are lost and this is a real shame. This story however marks a change in the opening titles, which for the first time include the Doctors face as an image during the opening titles. This is a theme that was kept up throughout the original series. The Macra Terror sees the Tardis crew land on a planet where everyone appears to be happy, enjoying their work and leisure time completely. Only a few people seem to be unhappy, those who claim to have encountered monsters, the Macra. These people are taken away and 'reconditioned' not to accept that the Macra exist or are locked up for the good of the colony. Everything is not as it appears though, the Macra do exist and are actually controlling the colony. The Doctor and his companions eventually solve the mystery and vanquish the Macra, then slip away at the celebration party before they can be drawn into colony politics. As with all of the TV adventures that now only exist in audio format, the quality of the screen production is largely irrelevant as I cannot see it to review it. The reviews therefore have to be based on how well the story comes accross on audio, and in this respect, The Macra Terror wins in spades. Linking narration is provided here by Colin Baker bizarrely enough, and it is a mark of how well this seems ot translate that he doesn't have to keep interrupting the actors. This may be partly because of the budget, as there was only one Macra creature so less is more as far as the visual terror of an alien monster is concerned here. This adventure is not far off something that could actually be transmitted as a radio play, that's how well I think it comes accross. The story itself is pretty well thought out, and gives the listener several possible things to think about while telling the enjoyable story. The main cast here is Patrick Troughton, Fraser Hines as Jamie, Micheal Craze as Ben and Anneke Wills as Polly. My criticism with stories that have more than two companions still sits here, as Polly again, and to a certain degree Jamie, is largely put to the background as Ben comes to the fore amongst the Doctors companions. Having said that, given what each were asked to do, all of the regular cast put in good performances and nothing appears to let the side down. The guest cast here do solid jobs, and to be honest their performances seem more akin to a radio play as at some points their exuberance even edges towards hammy acting, as if they were in a recording booth. The stand out member of the guest cast though is Terrence Lodge as Medoc. His performance of the outsider trying to convince everyone else that all is not what it seems is very good. Elsewhere, Peter Jeffrey and Gertan Klauber are worthy of note for their portrayals of the Pilot and Ola respectively. Overall, I would probably contend that The Macra Terror might work better as an audio adventure than it did as a television production. As I cannot see the TV version I cannot know for sure, but this is certainly one that translates well into being an audio play, and is thus recommended as a good listen for anyone who appreciates Patrick Troughtons work. Rating:  |