Day 499: The Power of Kroll Part 4

So let's change tack and talk about one of the supporting characters in this story. Fenner is a relatively small role, existing as the person who at first goes along with the plans of the refinery workers but then when he realises that they are all in danger he quickly becomes one of the sole sane voices, but is constantly pushed into each situation by his less than nice boss, Thawn. Eventually, once Thawn is dealt with, Fenner is left to help the Doctor and Romana save the day, and thus all is well.

But not all is well with Fenner. As the Doctor leaves, proclaiming that Fenner can adopt a more natural lifestyle with the Swampies, the inhabitants of the moon on which the story is set, Fenner has a less than pleased look on his face. He has persecuted the Swampies for much of his time working for the refinery and now he is expected to live with them. He knows that this is not going to be a good ending for him, that he may end up dead because of his past actions. But the Doctor wanders away, thinking the best and not realising that the worst is about to happen.

A lot of this is due to Philip Madoc's performance as Fenner, giving the role a sustenance that, if present in the original script, would certainly be lost on a lesser actor who would be more inclined to go for the obvious route of making the character obviously likeable. But Madoc never does this, and he always seems to be on the darker shade of grey, making his final fate all the more interesting to see, and it makes this story all the more interesting as a whole.