Downtime

After the cancellation of Doctor Who back in 1989 a lot of fans were starved for characters and scenarios that they had found so comforting and spin-off videos like this were(and are)the next best thing. Fans of the show should be very pleased to see the return of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart(played by Nicholas Courtney) along with third and fourth Doctor companion Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), second Doctor companion Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) along with John Leeson, portraying a DJ (who was the voice of K9 in the series) and Professor Travers (Jack Watling) who appeared in the two Doctor Who's this video follows up on. Yeti again fill the streets of London, the top secret U.N.I.T. is called in, The Great Intelligence is seeking to spread its web across the planet--ingredients right out of a Doctor Who! Missing, of course, is the Doctor himself and the Earthlings are on their own to save the world. Also unlike the show is the somewhat serious theme of the troubled relationship between the Brig and his daughter. The fact that this video explores the repurcussions of the Brigadier's years of secrecy working as the head of U.N.I.T. is welcome and intriguing and is dealt with in a very mature and sensitive manner. Although this is a low budget independent affair, it pulls off its story well (even though you may need to watch it a few times to fully understand the complex plot, especially if you haven't seen or read its predecessors). All in all, this is a well produced and directed video that should satisfy, especially, fans of the older series. Reeltime Pictures should be applauded for creating such diverting Who related stories that do the old companions and monsters such justice! Watching this is like slipping into a well worn comfy chair. A bit downbeat but definitely worth watching.