Doctor Who: The Macra Terror (TV Soundtrack)

By: Ian Stuart Black

Narrated by: Colin Baker, Full Cast, Patrick Troughton

When the Doctor, Polly and Ben visit a human colony that appears to be one big holiday camp, they think they have come across a truly happy place. But a shadowy presence soon makes them realise that the surface contentment is carefully controlled. The colony's inhabitants have been brainwashed by giant crab-like creatures - the Macra. Insidious propaganda, broadcast by the Controller, forces the humans to mine a gas that is essential for the Macra to survie - but fatal for them. The colony must be saved - but how? The Doctor and his team are up against it, particularly when Ben falls under the influence of the Macra. Can he be rescued from their evil clutches? Can the gas pumping be destroyed, getting rid of the Macra for good? The soundtrack to this popular adventure, which was first broadcast in 1967, has been digitally remastered to recreate a very popular story from the Troughton era.

Critic reviews

Since I first got the soundtrack when it was released on cassette during the early nineties, I’ve come to appreciate it more and more... it is... a work of genius and a truly marvellous Doctor Who story. (Paul Clarke)

Heh, maybe I just like stories with giant crabs

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The Doctor (along with Jamie, Ben, and Polly) come to a colony on an unnamed planet. It seems Utopian, with Refreshers and machines to tone your body and repair your clothes, until they get the gist that something is up. Not only do the guards seem particularly interested in the ramblings of a crazed prisoner, but certain strict rules are in place. And there is mention of pits and labor sites. The Doctor is quite active in this one (some of the earlier stories would have him as an almost passive observer, in my experience) and works harder than any of his companions to solve the issues. One does have to get used to the "linking narration" (at first, every little thing is described and by the end, several minutes will go by without a lot of clues) but once you do, it's not too hard to imagine the scenes and to enjoy the adventure. My favorite Second Doctor story to date (though, due to the BBC archive wipe, only about the third one I've seen).

Linking narration was lacking

Overall a decent story but the linking narration felt too sparse - often you would hear sound effects and be left wondering what was going on. Not sure why this one was different - hope future ones are not like that.