There's no getting around the uncomfortable fact about The Invisible Enemy. The titular enemy looks like a prawn. It's one of those cases where you desperately wish that the title were more accurate, such that we never saw what was cooked up for us on screen and we can live in blissful ignorance of the shrimp-like creature that attempts to take over the universe. It's one of several things that don't quite hit the mark with this story, mainly based around special effects although the direction, design and writing could have certainly been improved.
And yet, there's still a part of me that kind of likes this story. As I mentioned yesterday, there's the fantastic idea of the Doctor going inside his own mind. And there are a vast array of fantastic ideas here, from robot dogs to viruses that want to take over the universe, this story feels like it really wants to push the boundaries of what can be achieved on screen. It's commendable that the production team at least gave it a shot then. And even if it may not have worked as well on screen, at least we got something that was memorable and had some elements that were enjoyable within it.
Finally, today we learnt of the passing of Barry Newbery, designer for Doctor Who and coincidentally this story. His work has generally been fantastic, bringing forth wonderful worlds such as Renaissance Italy, Aztec temples and my personal favourite, the mysterious planet Karn. He will be sorely missed as a man who brought brilliant worlds to our screens, captivating our imaginations to truly allow us to be wanderers in the fourth dimension.
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