Day 272: Inferno Episode 1

This serial begins a new series for We've Got Work to Do called First Experiences. It relates to the first episodes of Doctor Who that I ever saw, watching them on VHS as a 9 year old. There will be 5 entries in this series, and we'll get to them as we come to them. But first: Inferno!

Inferno was either the fourth or fifth serial that I saw. After strongly enjoying some episodes of Doctor Who, I quickly went to the VHS cupboard and went searching for more. Inferno was one of those found, and I want to say that I watched it all over the course of an afternoon or two. Like each of the five stories that I saw on VHS it made a very strong impression on me, for reasons that we'll cover later.

But as a young adult, rewatching this story for the fourth or fifth time, it would appear that the first episode doesn't make as strong an impression. It is remarkably well put together, and very enjoyable, but there doesn't appear to be much that sets it apart from other stories of its ilk. We have an obsessive scientist, the Doctor and UNIT setting up shop in a research base, it all seems intrinsically familiar. But there's hints of something greater. The Doctor travels to a weird limbo area in a nightmarish sequence that shows that this story is hiding something that will make this story unforgettable