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The Sontaran Experiment Format Reviewed: DVD Review The Sontaran Experiment is unusual as it is a two-part story that, to a certain degree, can be seen as a filler before the seminal Genesis of the Daleks. What is presented though is anything but a filler as an old enemy in the Sontarans returns and we have a romp through a post-apocalypse London. The story sees the TARDIS crew use the transmat on the space station Nerva to travel to Earth, where the Doctor starts to realign the transmat receptors. Harry and Sarah go off exploring the area they believe hasn't seen any life for thousands of years. After Harry falls down a subsidence, Sarah is captured by a lone Sontaran who is performing experiments on a group of Humans who were assessing whether or not the Earth had become inhabitable again or not. After being freed and recaptured, the battle eventually comes down to single combat between the Doctor and Styre, the Sontaran while Harry sabotages the Sontaran ship, which kills Styre and frees the TARDIS crew and Humans. The Sontaran Experiment doesn't suffer from some of the issues that can be levelled at longer stories in that there is very little padding, and all the available time is better used in telling the actual story. When re-watching stories from this era back, it is a very good thing that this is the case. The other element that helps this story somewhat is the small cast, as again there are not many distractions from the actual story. The regular cast comprises Tom Baker, Elizabeth Sladen and Ian Marter playing the Doctor, Sarah and Harry respectively. Except for falling down the subsidence and affecting the fatal modifications to the Sontaran ship, Marter has very little to do but what he does he does very well. Sladen is a bit more of a screamer here, but does well with the script given. Baker is slightly subdued in places, but considering he broke his collar bone on location, that may explain it. Of the guest cast, Kevin Lindsay is suitably sinister as Styre, and the pick of the Humans is Peter Rutherford as Roth. Nobody really puts in a bad performance though. To some degree, I was thinking that The Sontaran Experiment could have become a great four part story. Then I looked back on it and realised that two parts keeps it tight and focussed, so nothing else would really have fit the story. Taken as a stand alone story, The Sontaran Experiment doesn't really work as there is far too much reliance on knowing what comes before. If you havn't seen The Ark in Space, quite why they are in the situation they are would be a mystery. Seen in context though with the surrounding stories however, it fits well. Overall, The Sontaran Experiment is a story that really fits being a two-parter, and doesn't suffer from the padding that is present in other stories of this era. The main issue with the story is that really, it has to be viewed alongside the surrounding stories as there is continuity galore. When viewed in this context though, it is a good story in its own right despite often being often overlooked in favour of Genesis of the Daleks. Rating:  |