Day 495: The Androids of Tara Part 4

Towards the climax of this story we get a swordfight. We sort of expect this to happen, given that the story has been exactly the rip-roaring adventure that requires a swordfight to top it all off. What's interesting though is how the swordfight is directed. When it begins, the fight is entirely in studio, meaning a cramped area to fight in that somewhat increases tension. Tom Baker as the Doctor diffuses some of this tension by making a few jokes throughout the fight, but the tension still remains, in part due to the fact that there is no music, leaving us to purely focus on the action and become sucked in by it. It is only when it becomes clear that the Doctor has the upper hand that we can allow ourselves to relax, and to know that the Doctor will win in the end. The music is restored, we go onto location with film, meaning that the fighting gains a bit more space, and all is generally well. But the direction in the first half of the fight remains good and tense, standing out in the story as a highlight. Much kudos must then go to Michael Hayes, the director of this story, and I look forward greatly to his next story in Doctor Who. But that's for another day as we've still got 2 more segments of The Key to Time to find as the ongoing adventure continues...