Finally got round to watching this over the last few days so thought I'd give my views on it.

As some have said, it is a different experience to watching it than listening and welcome as the telesnaps are, they don't do this story justice, neither does the original surviving episode, Episode 3. That episode doesn't feature The Doctor that much, which is understandable considering Troughton's dual role but it's emphasised more in some of the other episodes where each of his characters are given equal screentime.

However, all six episodes show what an outstanding actor Troughton was and how he seemlessly was able to switch from one role to the other, especially when impersonating Salamander and then back to The Doctor again.

As for the story itself, anyone who still thinks The Second Doctor was grumpy should watch the opening moments of the story where he strips down to his vest and goes for a dip in the sea! That just shows the more comical side of his Doctor which I love so much.

I love the opening sequences on the beach, think that's the one part of the story you really fail to comprehend from the audio/telesnaps more than any other. After that it then slips back into the studio bound stuff for the rest of the story and I can't fault it really. Clearly there is a different feel to this than the rest of the Season and it's monsters but it's still good in it's own right. Both Benik and Bruce are strong characters and the former comes across as even more creepy in person than he does in audio.

The only criticism if I had one was the end sequence which felt a bit rushed but there again considering the complexities of having to film both characters together it's understandable but it still works even if a bit fast. Though how Salamander knew where to find the TARDIS is more of a mystery.....


For me this was a welcome experience of watching a New Doctor Classic story for the first time in years, just wish more stories would turn up, would love to experience it again though there is still The Web Of Fear to watch yet.....

Troughton was indeed excellent as the baddie in this story.

So glad he's got his own series on BBC4.

Did anyone watch this today at the Prince Charles Cinema?

I did! The first troughton episodes that I have actually watched rather than listened to. I really liked enemy of the world, a very big plot twist halfway through the threw me completely.

Web of Fear was also quite good, though a little pedestrian and what you would expect from doctor who. My gf who really doesn't like doctor who said she quite enjoyed the first one as it wasn't like doctor who is anymore. A very original story that could be written now as well as 45 years ago

I love it.

Patrick T is great as Salamander (and the Doctor of course)

Benik is great. He's one of the most sinister and shamelessly camp characters Doctor Who has ever had.

Griffin the Chef is fantastic- he should have been used more he was.

Do some people actually think that? I never knew anyone found him grumpy. He most certainly wasn't.

A lot of people think the First Doctor was grumpy, to which I send them this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnUhVBbM80s

When you have seen so much Doctor Who I think those are the kinds of scenes you start to enjoy most of all. I know the story already so for me the joy of watching newly discovered episodes is purely in seeing Patrick Troughton or William Hartnell playing the Doctor, and, to a lesser extent, the companions playing their roles too.

There was one poster who thought that based on The Five Doctors and not from watching any Second Doctor story properly. It was suggested they watch a Second Doctor story and hopefully they will have had a change of heart by now. The same poster thought the same of Hartnell, which is true to a limited degree but as your link shows and in many other stories like The Romans, it's clear to see that wasn't always the case.


I agree. I think with me I've rewatched Classic Who so much over the years it is nice to have a New Story to watch. Forgot what that feeling was like!

Saying that though, during this run through I'm doing, I've been watching telesnaps for the first time instead of audio for some stories. That's been mostly for the Season Three stories. The Myth Makers, The Massacre and The Dalek Masterplan certainly improved further as a result.

Then I've had the animated episodes in stories like The Reign Of Terror, The Tenth Planet, The Moonbase, The Ice Warriors which I hadn't seen before. Now, just to put the icing on the cake, I've now had the rediscovered episodes to watch with The Web Of Fear to come.

For me, it's been like watching the Hartnell and Troughton Era's anew. It's been all visual instead of listening to the audio's and I've loved every single minute of it.

The Enemy of the World DVD is a good watch, but for me, Web of Fear is better, as there is more action. I prefer the DW stories that have more action in them, and are classed as fast paced.

I thought the Master fencing with the Third Doctor in the Sea Devils is a good bit of action.

❤ Recons! ❤

Complete with a brief break for a sandwich

I watched The Gunfighters last year, when I was going through every surviving story, as a 50th Anniversary tribute. I was ok at first with Lynda Baron singing, but as the story went on, the more she sang, I was getting bored with it. I was thinking, "Oh, why do we have to have her singing the song, in nearly every scene?"

It did pretty much ruin my enjoyment of the story. Sad really, as it's only one of three stories that survive in full to feature Jackie Lane as Dodo. The other two being The Ark and The War Machines.

The song is definitely overused. But I try to excuse that as a failed experiment which nevertheless shows that they were still trying (in this case a bit too hard) to push the boundaries of genre in the show. They wouldn't take such a risk in experimental narrative form again until Love and Monsters.

Aww, I thought the song was good fun. A bit hokey, but fun

I thought it was going to be the 'sheer poetry' bit

I rather like the song in the Gunfighters. The lyrics get more sinister and violent as the story progresses, and I love that it is used to underline the cliffhangers. It's one of the many joys of the story, for me.

The Doctor's glee and giddiness charging around the beach is something unexpected even for the Second Doctor, I laughed very much when he bounds into the sea and dives in sideways.
Of course from here the plot begins as they are chased on the beach from the guys in the hovercraft. The thriller type episode we get here is a change from the norm in the Second Doctor era, for a six parter it remains entertaining and I had no problem with the pace of the story.
The main interest is the Doctor/Salamander or should I say the Patrick Troughton acting masterclass . I do like the portrayal of the Salamander character with the accent, he reminds me of a Mafia Boss. In the first instance Salamander makes the main adversary not a monster for a change. But is a worthy foe, manipulative and utterly ruthless with a disregard for anyone else. Remember the scene of him sitting at his desk feet up and smoking a cigar while in the next room he has all the people in the underground shelter working away, satisfied he has duped them easily again.

Some of the other characters are decent the more memorable being, the gruff stickler Bruce, the sadistic oddball Benik. The even odder Chef with his self-deprecating wistful humour proves an entertaining cameo, stealing the scenes he is in each time.

With the Salamander character being present in a lot of the story we as a result get a bit less of the Doctor, but still has a few decent lines: "I'm not a specimen in a glass bowl you know" from episode one, I like it also in that scene when he turns to Jamie after watching the Salamander footage and says he's "remarkably handsome, don't you think so Jamie".

I liked the episodes set in and around the house the most, with Jamie and Victoria infiltrating Salamander's staff. Also with the Chef character and the likable Fariah, another with grievances against Salamander.

Not much to complain about, maybe Victoria is slightly annoying with some of her lines she gets, but in general she is okay. Jamie gets a bit more to do, playing a meatier role in the second and third episodes in particular.
As for the people duped into believing the world is at war and are harnessing the volcanos is well slightly preposterous. At least a plausible explanation is given that he and Kent fooled them into keeping them there. Salamander has played a bit of a blinder in keeping these so called intelligent people down there!. Something very similar happens in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, I enjoyed the plot thread there and do here nevertheless, and again I enjoyed the impact of Salamander's actions on these people. The disbelief when Astrid turns up and start attacking her and needing to be convinced that she is not radioactive.

I have a complaint that there is no Special Features on the DVD, when you see the perfectly good special feature 'Lunar Landing' documentary piece on The Moonbase release, it should have been made possible. Baffling and disappointing.

My favourite moment in the story however, is where the Doctor is pretending to be Salamander when talking to Jamie and Victoria to convince Bruce he is what he says he is.

I think it is a good well written thriller type, as I mentioned earlier well paced and I didn't see the twist in the last episode with Kent also, so I found it entertaining from start to finish. When watching it the end of the episodes seemed to come around quicker than I expected, which is a good sign that I was suitably engrossed in it. Overall, another good Troughton entry.

Finally got round to the Dvd for this story. Must be honest the idea of Patrick Troughton playing a dual role seems on paper such a self conscious idea that it can't work but he does pull it off just.
I think where he tries to trick Victoria & Jamie into believing they are with Salamander but it's the Doctor and the scenes when Swanne discovers Salamander's deception are particularly good. The supporting cast are filled in nicely. The chef. Fariah, Bruce,Kent, Denes,Astrid all stand out. Oh love Benik too 'oh what a nasty little boy you must have been' says Jamie. 'Oh I had a very enjoyable childhood ' and the way he says 'Fariah ' at one point. Lovely. It feels very adult with the doctor not willing to just take Kents word for it that Salamander is not what he seems.

The regulars get a chance to shine with Jamie having a great role rating Salamander and convincing him to give him a job. Well done
Frazier. You forgot he is playing against Patrick which is good sign.
So happy to actually SEE this story

There were a couple of things I noticed which jarred as Jamie has a watch on his wrist and at one point I did wonder how he knew what a first aid box looked like for Astrid s injury. Not very 17th century

Very enjoyable. It's stories like this that make me wish they could find more missing episodes.

The song is featured in full on the 50th Anniversary, 4 CD album. I have got that. It is enjoyable to listen to.

I listen to that album all the time. Some really wonderful music to be heard.

its not been that long since I first saw this story but coming back to it I feel as if I have to really pinch myself how lucky we are to get it all back to SEE as a complete story.

I didn't know until I looked it up but probably should have guessed with all the action sequences in Episode 1 with the helicopter and hovercraft that it is Barry Letts directing and he does a sterling job especially with the outside filming. Feels very cinematic and I get the James Bond comparisons people have mentioned.

I was very happy to watch the strong absorbing script from one of my favourite writers for the era David Whittaker, full of lovely little moments, the Doctor flattered by Astrid, Jamie more than able to hold his own when saving Salmander from the bomb, Benik confronting Kent ,Fariah's dying moments, And just when you think you understand Salmander is just a tin pot madman you get the sharp left turn in Episode 4 to the story of underground dwellers and it just adds another layer to his duplicity. Can you tell I really enjoyed it ?

Of course Patrick Troughton is the star playing Salmander, playing the Doctor, playing the Doctor pretending to be Salamander. I think the first time I watched the story I thought he just pulled it off but I was watching more carefully this time and he really works hard to make both characters quite distinct in their mannerisms.

As an aside I noticed there were a couple of lingering shots of Mary Peach's bottom in those tight jodhpurs, presumably for the older viewers!

All in all a great story..... onwards to Web

And 3 years later still no rerelease. They obviously clearly weren't going to make more money out of the fans then.

Never expected special editions of enemy or web. If the discovery had happened a few years earlier then yes. Some people also said they were not getting the animated moonbase sure all episodes had been found.

All we need now is a Fury DVD.

BIB: Only excerpts, I'm afraid, which means that if you want to enjoy the full glory of the ballad, you still have to watch the whole story (which is no bad thing). I suspect that those who found the song a bit too much for them may have been watching all four episodes in one sitting, rather than at weekly intervals as originally intended.

Something I don't think anyone else has mentioned about the recovered episodes of The Enemy of the World is the visual presence of Colin Douglas as Bruce. When we only had the soundtrack CDs he was a voice amongst voices; now, as a large man dressed entirely in black, he dominates most of the scenes in which he appears.