Circus Season: Terror of the Autons (Doctor Who)

Continuing a series of posts about episodes of shows relating in some way to the circus.

The circus isn't really a huge part of Terror of the Autons, featuring only in the first couple of episodes and being the place where the Master hides his kidnapped scientist there with the idea of attracting the Doctor there to be killed. In fact I'm finding it difficult only to focus on the circus and not do a lengthy post on the whole show, because I love it. I've even watched the Plastic Fantastic documentary again and found there is nothing about the circus in it.

I have, however, been reminded that there is more than a passing resemblance between the Master's murderous plan involving plastic in Terror of the Autons and the evil mastermind's plan to dominate the whole country with one washing powder using plastic flowers in the Adam Adamant Lives episode The Sweet Smell of Disaster. I haven't found a source suggesting that it was an explicit influence, but the use of plastic flowers is an interesting connection. I gather there was also some anxiety in the Doomwatch team when they heard Doctor Who's plastic plot, in case it clashed with their episode The Plastic Eaters - much less similarity there, though, and it boils down to the prominence of plastic in the plot. From Plastic Fantastic I have also taken in the point that the show's use of plastic brought the fear referred to in the show into the home - regular readers will remember how I'm always banging on about the fear of the misuse of science in 1960s TV. Here the plastic is the science which could be misused, specifically by a renegade Time Lord using an alien consciousness, so perhaps there isn't really that much danger really. In the 1960s the fear also, naturally tended to be placed outside the home - in the Cold War it was on the other side of Europe and most viewers would be unlikely to have a megalomaniac murderer in the family. This show nonetheless brings the fear straight into the home.

This is interesting from the point of view of the circus. In previous shows I've blogged about in this series, we have seen the classic fear of the circus and circus people being clearly manifest. Terror of the Autons is unusual because the circus is merely the innocent location of the danger. It's also the odd one out of the shows I've blogged about so far because it shows an actual performance with animals inside (apparently) an actual tent. Five elephants are seen doing their performance to an appreciative audience, which rather dates this show. In fact it's older even than I am.

There are some interesting portrayals of the circus people, which still draw on the stereotype of circus people being odd, eccentric, or frauds. We only have to look at Rossini, whose natural accent owes far more to the Balls Pond Road than to Milan. Yet the circus people are also victims of the Master, rather than actual baddies. The circus is rather incidental and obviously couldn't be allowed to overshadow the incredible evil personified by the Master.

I will admit to being somewhat irritated by the politicking of the Time Lords in this one. Will they all stop acting like humans and be super-human.

If I have a criticism of Terror of the Autons it's that even though it is perfectly paced for four episodes to maintain interest and moves at a remarkably modern pace, it'a bit too busy and feels as if there's possibly too much going on. Now I feel bad because it's actually one of my favourites, but I realise watching it to write this post that I have tended to focus on particular aspects of the plot and not others.

My favourite bit is where the Doctor and Jo get taken away in the fake police car and discover that the police officers are actually Autons. We may consider this the first of many disastrous rides in a self-crashing Tesla. They're just lucky it's a black Jaguar and not a white one.