Outside of Season 7, this is my least fave story of the Pertwee Era. I don't really find the story that exciting and yet again, it's a Pertwee six parter that drags.

The Marshall I feel is almost The Master in disguise, using Jo against The Doctor at every opportunity, a plot device that is really beginning to tire by this point. Also feel Ky's constant ranting gets annoying as well.

Cotton and Stubbs are amusing, as is the Monty Python-esque opening scene, the cave scenes with the crystal look nice but I can't find anything else positive to say about it really.

strangely despite it's 6 episodes I don't think it drags that much it's a rethreashing change to not only have a non-Earth bound story but one that does not feature The Master. So while not the best in the Pertwee, era I still rather enjoy it every time I watch The Mutants.

What, that’s not the start of Monty Python. Next you will be telling me that the Parrot sketch wasn’t in Doctor Who

I agree it doesn't drag as much as other 6-Parters but it still is a chore watching it at times. I just don't like this story very much which probably doesn't help.


There would have been if Tom Baker had had his own way!

I like this one, don't know why. It will be interesting to see

___________________

'Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull out in time?'

Not a lot of comments on this one, I agree it’s not a stand out story even in the season it is in, never mind during Pertwee’s run of stories. I would give it a little more credit, as it held my attention when watching it. I think there are decent production values, and the plot is at least digestible and not a complete borefest (Colony in Space, The Time Monster) IMO. It’s not The Daemons or Inferno or anything like that mind you!
Had to look on Wikipedia for any quotes as it is not brimming full of them, but it does have this one which I do remember as it happens by the Doctor: "the most brutal and callous series of crimes against a defenseless people it's ever been my misfortunate to encounter." Surely Doctor morality at it’s best, involving him in a situation and lambasting those at fault.
The Mutt’s are not well realised, budget limitations here I suggest! Then again if I want cutting edge production values and special effects I‘ll bung Avatar into my DVD player!
Just thinking back to the plot here, of life-cycle’s of a race, isn’t that what Full Circle is about! He’s just recycled the idea hasn’t he! Then again some accuse Moffat of re-hashing!!!
Not the worst The Mutants, solid enough and I think there is enough threat and peril in the last couple of episodes to keep you into it if you actually make that point. Can I rehash my own coments I make about Pertwee six-parter’s - “It would be a tighter better written story as a four-parter”.

Not your most favourite story then, five lines. Unless you had writer's block

Well I've just finished watching it so can comment more!

I agree with your comment about The Doctor's line there about the callousness etc. This is where the moralising is more in keeping with the story itself and is Pertwee at his absolute best. It really is a very Doctor-Style moment that one.

I also agree that it would be better as a four parter. I know the above posters disagree and that's fine but I still think it sags mid-story.

The other thing I don't like about this story is that even though it's not set on Earth, it doesn't have the other worldy feel to it that some of the others spacey stories have and the location scenes look exactly what they are-so the outside scenes seem as if they are set on Earth. I think a little to do with that is that so many Pertwee stories are set on Earth it sort of conditions the brain to think that way!

I do like the storyline with the mutts themselves and it's good to have a story where the monsters are not the bad guys for once.

Still don't rate this story that highly but it's by no means the worst story ever made. I'd say it's average at best and the weakest of this particular Season. And i do prefer The Time Monster and Colony In Space to this story!

That's high censure indeed!

You know me, Mr Minority Opinion.......

I’m a newbie to this story and the Mutants feels quite unlike anything I’ve seen before on the Pertwees. Maybe it is because it is set on a proper alien planet and the third Doctor seems to feel less at home away from earth. The Doctor is rather serious here and a bit preachy and I suppose that is understandable given his mission.

I like the look of the story very much The direction is very good by Christopher Barry . He really does make the best of the visuals on location especially in the caves and the sets do feel futuristic on Sky base if a little minimalist I think it is quite a sophisticated story in a lot of ways with the Overlord oppressor s and the subjugated local population with some great ideas and the realisation of how the ‘Mutts’ are meant to evolve. I really like how the mutants look actually on location but in the studio on Skybase not so much as the lighting is a bit too bright and they move more awkwardly..

Saying all of that it should be a 10/10 story but it’s as if some the actors don’t know how to realise the material. Its played at a heightened level rather than straight. The actors who play Varan and Ky are just about passable but Paul Whitsun-Jones as the Marshall feels miscast. The brilliant watchable Geoffrey Palmer who is trying to sell the benefits of the Overlords colonisation in the conference is killed off far too early. I really think he should have been the Marshall as he could have been for more subtle and chilling going power mad. Instead we get an early interpretation of the mad captain from the Pirate Planet from PW Jones( I didn’t like that at all) .

Stubbs and Cotton are comic value together but they should have killed off Cotton not Stubbs as Rick James is a plank really despite his best acting efforts. The only actor that I liked was John Hollis as Sondergaard who came across as quite earnest & likeable. Perhaps that’s the issue that not a lot of the characters are that likeable but then that’s the point that oppression feels bleak I suppose.

I think I would watch this again as the visuals are great and I want to watch the Doctor/ Jo relationship but at 6 episodes it needs some slight pruning possibly 4/ 5 episodes would have been better to give it a bit more tension.

HELLO POLLY WRIGHT!!!

I've just rewatched this. I've only seen it twice before: on first VHS release and on first DVD release. The third encounter may be the last.

It's just bloody DULL.

I've not seen the Mutants for quite some time now, but as I remember Chuff is absolutely right - as with most Bob Baker / Dave Martin scripts there's about 100 ideas desperate to be heard, but they seem to have chosen the dullest. They could have had loads of fun with this story, the alien planet, the bizarre life cycle of the Solonians, but no - there's way too much run around, get captured, escape, run around again.

Pertwee seems a little bored with it all until about halfway through. John Hollis seems to have wandered in from another show altogether, which is a shame as otherwise he's terrific. The Marshall is scripted as conniving and creepy, but is miscast and played as all shouty and blustering, which lacks menace.

And then we have Stubbs and Cotton - written as a couple of cockney Likely Lads, so why weren't a couple of cockney Likely Lads cast? Christopher Coll isn't bad, but Rick James is so dreadful and they lack any sense of not only being a double act, but even of being friends at all.

These casting decisions are Chris Barry's fault, which is a shame as otherwise the actual direction of The Mutants is very good, especially the location work. Maybe it doesn't look quite alien enough, but the misty location is eerie (now the Bluewater shopping mall I believe) and the filming in Chislehurst caves is very effective.

Interesting that it's now the Bluewater. Thanks for that, Adams! The location reminded me of a couple of Blake's 7 episodes: grey sludgy puddles and "space buddleia" everywhere.

I have just spotted that the actor who plays the Investigator died last month, aged 95!

The whole story just doesn't hang together for dozens of different reasons. On the bright side, the set design is quite good and the monster costumes are impressive (under-used, though).

Some of the best monster costumes of the 1970s I reckon. They are very believable, aren't they? Brilliant work from James Acheson and John Friedlander. Shame they're rather wasted in this story...
Cheers,
Richard

I bought this a couple of years ago. Its still wrapped in its cellophane wrapping. I'll have to get around to watching it one day.

Don't feel you have to, Evil genius. Just leave it there in the clingfilm. There are several six-parters which don't have enough life in them to go the full length (The Armageddon Factor, Colony in Space, The Time Monster, the soundtrack CD of The Abominable Snowmen, I could go on ...), but this is really, really tiresome.

The irony of this is that Bob Baker considers The Mutants to be his and Dave Martin's best work for Doctor Who.

Okay they're a bit hit and miss but I can think of several that are more enjoyable. Claws of Axos, The Three Doctors and The Sontaran Experiment to name but three.

At least The Sontaran Experiment has brevity on its side ...

I think the idea of the Mutants is really good with the natives changing to suit the change in air - its sort of copied in Full Circle.

Its on my watch list as I have not seen it for a while - it is over long I would agree and I also agree Rick James is possibly the worst actor in Dr Who History but Its far better than the Time Monster (I also have a soft pot for Colony in Space).

The creatures themselves are fantastic - and I wish it was explained what it was in Brain of Morbius when they used the same prop. John Hollis is as good as ever.