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Paradise Towers Format Reviewed: VHS Review The story that gave this site its name is the Sylvester McCoy tale Paradise Towers. After the turbulent time of Colin Baker and the rushed opening to the McCoy era in Time and the Rani, Doctor Who is taken in a very camp direction, starting with this story.More comprehensive incidental music was introduced, and with this being the era of electric pop, the incidental music follows this trend. Paradise Towers sees the Doctor and Mel visit Paradise Towers, a luxury tower block created by the legendary architect Kroagnon only to find it run down and in disrepair. They meet the Kangs, gangs of girls who roam the streets playiong survival games before Mel finds two old ladies, some of the 'ressies' and is 'rescued' by Pex, a young man who escaped being called up to fight the war. The caretakers are worried, and there are people disappearing from all groups, being taken to the basement by the cleaners, droids under the control of things in the basement. Eventually, the Chief Caretakers mind is taken over by the presence in the basement and he sets about ridding the tower of all other life. They resist though and eventually defeat the Chief Caretaker. This story is a tale of hierachy in society and the problems of compartmentalised groups within an overall habitat. On the face of it this is an excellent way of going about telling such a stoy as it mirrors our own society in many ways, but what this story lacks is any kind of maturity. Everyone seems to have been reduced to stereotypes and childish speach and tendencies. This isn't a good thing for me as it seems to me that it makes the story somewhat superficial. The overall message that everyone should work together in order to survive rather than focus on petty differences is sound, but far too obvious in this context. In the cast we have one massive name in British television, Richard Briers who plays the Chief Caretaker. I actually think Briers does a pretty good job with the script he is given, but I can't help feeling that he largely doesn't understand what he is being asked to do or say. The regular cast of Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford put in typical performances. McCoy is dextrous with his words and deeds while Langford is annoying in the extreme.Of the rest of the cast, Howard Cooke delivers an unitentionally hilarious and ultra-camp performance as Pex, while Brenda Bruce and Elizabeth Spriggs probably give the most notable performances as Tilda and Tabby respectively. Really, I'm not sure what this story is trying to be. I fail to see why it has to be quite as camp as it was made to be, but either way it doesn't try to be a greta story, really it just plays for the odd laugh. From the way the bones are covered by the old ladies, the way the Kangs speak to the way Pex is and the Chief Caretaker talks to his 'little pet'. Personally, when there is a Doctor Who tale I like to either see the overall story advanced, or just simply a great stand up story told. Paradise Towers simply doesn't come close to fitting in either category, therefore it will always be seen by me as a fairly poor story. Overall, Paradise Towers will likely go down in history as a very forgettable and over-camp piece of television. Quite what the production staff though they were trying to achieve by creating this I don't know, but all they really succeed in doing is playing for the occasional laugh. Quite frankly, more laughs come where they are not intended though. Rating:  |