Douglas Camfield, “Doctor Who: Inferno” (1970)
“Inferno” represents “Doctor Who” at its best as a science fiction / action thriller television series dealing with some very weighty themes – in the case of “Inferno”, political, psychological and environmental themes – set in an alternate universe. At the time “Inferno” was originally broadcast in the early 1970s, the idea of parallel universes, in which exist many Earths, all of them very much like our Earth except for various details relevant to the fictional outlets in which they all appeared, was rare. Viewers might have well been dumbfounded or intrigued at the notion of parallel Earths in a show even as wacky and eccentric as “Doctor Who” was then and still is, let alone the notion of a Britain under oppressive fascist rule. The concept of parallel Earths not only offered fertile ground for an original story but also gave actors in that story opportunities to portray alternate versions of their characters which they clearly relished and did their very best to fulfill. As a result, “Inferno” is driven by the quality of its writing and acting, and the themes and issues that arise about the nature of fascism and other forms of political repression, and the culture and personalities produced by such forms of government.
The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and UNIT are called to investigate a murder at Project Inferno (based on the real-life Project Mohole), an ambitious scientific mission led by Professor Stahlman (Olaf Pooley) to drill into the Earth’s crust to harness and use the incredible energies within the Earth’s mantle and core. The drilling uncovers a green goo that apparently dates back to the earliest aeons of Earth’s existence, and which changes all those who touch it into werewolf-like primitive beings. Among those infected are a technician, Slocum (Walter Randall), responsible for the murder, and Stahlman himself, though the contagion inexplicably works more slowly on him than on other unfortunates. The Doctor argues with Stahlman early on, telling him the project should be shut or slowed down so that the murder can be properly investigated, and other strange anomalies that might threaten Earth itself and all who live on it – along with the usual work health and safety issues affecting the technicians – also examined and accounted for; and the obstinate professor refusing to listen to any and all reason that would thwart his project. The Doctor stomps off to his hut on the project premises, to carry out an energy experiment on his detached TARDIS time machine console, but an odd freak accident during that experiment throws him and the console into a parallel universe, in which Britain has become a republic ruled by a fascist dictatorship.
In this strange world, Project Inferno has advanced much more in its mission and is on the verge of penetrating into the Earth’s mantle. The Doctor has even less time to try saving the Earth and the people he meets aren’t interested in giving him any time at all: the sadistic Brigade Leader Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), the counterpart of the Brigadier, suspects the Doctor of being a foreign spy out to steal valuable government secrets and tortures him in extended interrogation sessions; and Squadron Leader Elizabeth Shaw (Caroline John), is as cold and domineering as her scientist counterpart Liz Shaw is affable and warm. Stahlman in this universe is hardly any different from his counterpart – and he is also infected with the green goo – which is sure to have people pondering over how far apart are fascist and liberal or social democratic political systems and ideologies really are, when certain personality types seem to thrive in both systems. The main difference is that the fascist system fully supports Stahlman to the extent that he does not need to do much to force others to follow him – and so Project Inferno has progressed much further than it has on our Earth. The most interesting sub-plot revolves around the relationship between Greg Sutton (Derek Newark) and Petra Williams (Sheila Dunn): on our Earth, the two flirt, whereas on the alternate Earth, they are forced by politics and the organisation they work for to stifle their feelings for one another and carry on their relationship in secret.
The Doctor is unable to save the alternate Earth from destruction as Project Inferno achieves its goal, the Earth ends up being torn asunder, and Britain is steadily engulfed in lava. In spite of their training and brainwashing, Shaw, Sutton and Williams willingly and heroically assist the Doctor to return to his own universe. The Brigade Leader nearly sabotages the Doctor’s attempt to return home by trying to force him to take all of them with him, which the Doctor is unable to do; in his actions, the Brigade Leader reveals the lack of care for others, the self-serving nature and the cowardice underlying fascist systems of rule.
The fate of the alternate Earth vis-a-vis that of the Doctor’s Earth, and of those who sacrificed themselves to help the Doctor, is tragic, so much so that everything else in this story is little more than a sideshow; the monsters that Stahlman and various others become are so unnecessary that their comic appearances are even funnier than they would have been had the monsters been essential to the plot. The premise behind portraying two parallel Britains with completely different systems of governments that ultimately help determine which of the two Britains survives and which doesn’t, works and succeeds powerfully: a rigidly organised society, in which individual feelings and opinions are suppressed, and everyone must be devoted to serving a narrow set of values and goals that can never be questioned, will fail and moreover fail quite catastrophically; while a society that upholds individual rights and freedoms, and tolerates dissident opinion, can perhaps be more flexible and innovative in its responses to national disaster.
Not only is the plot intriguing and involving, so much so that three hours quickly pass, but the characters are fully fleshed out, with lessons they all must learn in order to survive (even if they don’t all survive). Even the Doctor has something to learn, not least the fact that, no matter what he does, he cannot save a system or a society if it is already too far gone in its corruption or decline. The actors acquit themselves well, and those actors in dual roles put in outstanding performances. What humour there is, can be very sarcastic, with the Brigade Leader and the Brigadier having some of the best lines.
Aside from the monsters, the production and design (especially the clothing worn, to highlight the differences between the parallel Earths) are good too, and very convincing in their detail. With the actors and the technical crew putting everything they have into this story, you can really believe in “Inferno” as an action thriller with science fiction elements. Borrowing much from the British science fiction TV classic “The Quatermass Experiment” in its often nihilist attitude to the humans who suffer from scientific / megalomaniac hubris, and adding other ideas and concepts, this serial ends up unique in its own heady way.