Talons of Weng-Chiang, a truly classic Doctor Who story, mixing the fascination och Victorian England with the excotism of Chinese culture. This is Doctor Who at the peak of its dark and quite violent era - this is Doctor Who gone Victorian murder mystery à la Arthur Conan Doyle (quite literally; The Doctor abandons his usual outfit for a costume resembling the one famously worn by Sherlock Holmes). Talons of Weng-Chiang is penned by Doctor Who veteran Robert Holmes and features several nods to Conan Doyle's novels and short stories, including lines of dialogue ("Elementary, my dear Litefoot") and a character called Mrs Hudson.
Tom Baker is as great as ever and Louise Jameson is really starting to feel comfortable as actionpacked and curious companion Leela. Chang is the most memorable of the foes, and very well played, while pigman Sin is under-utilized. Weng Chiang is unfortunately quite a bore with a cheap Darth Vader-ripoff of a costume. It doesn't help that he is gravely overacted, too.
Jago and Litefoot are among the most memorable supporting characters on the show, up there with Bellal from Death to the Daleks, Tommy from Planet of the Spiders and Condo from The Brain of Morbius. They are talkative, witty and immensley likeable and it's a joy to see that writer Robert Holmes has chosen to give them a few funny and memorable scenes of their own. It's a shame that Talons of Weng-Chiang became their only TV appearance, but at least they got a Big Finish audio adventures range of their own.
Visually Weng-Chiang is one of the most stunning stories the show has presented. The great golden dragon in the temple is truly remarkable and the face under Weng-Chiang's mask is believably hideous. Otherwise it's a quite slow story, mostly focusing on building suspense for the magnificent final episode. It's depiction of Chinese people might not fully reach today's standards but in this particular case it can be forgiven.
Rating: 9,0 out of 10
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParent2020-06-30T05:38:11Z
The Talons of Weng-Chiang may not have aged well, but it remains one of the better-produced pseudo-historicals in the show's history and is still incredibly enjoyable.
Story: 11
The realistic Victorian setting and the well-crafted mystery at the heart of the story makes The Talons of Weng-Chiang one of the more beloved stories in Doctor Who's history - all of this despite the somewhat racially ambiguous depiction of the Chinese. But with such great characterization, a setting perfectly suited for a Gothic horror type of Doctor Who story and a gripping plot, these faults can easily be overlooked as a product of the time the serial was made in.
From an Agatha Christie-style whodunit in The Robots of Death (1977), we are thrown straight into an Arthur Conan Doyle-style crime mystery, where the Doctor becomes Sherlock Holmes, followed by three companions all more or less suited to be his Watson. There's even a Mrs Hudson mentioned throughout the story.
Robert Holmes' script isn't just a fascinating mystery revolving around missing women and ancient Chinese forces, but also a great exploration of Victorian life and culture. It's depicted so well that you forget you're watching a science-fiction TV show until the more bizarre closing episodes. That's just a testament on how well Robert Holmes writes his settings and characters.
Everything is tied up and finished neatly in the final together, bringing the different characters together for a memorable and bombastic showdown. It's one of the most action-packed finales in Doctor Who history.
Acting: 12
Tom Baker is perfectly suited to a story with a tone and setting like this one, dressed in Sherlock Holmes-style attire. He seems to have a great time playing the Great Detective of this story. This is also one of Louise Jameson's finest, if not the very best, performances on the show. And seeing Baker and Bennett act together is just amazing, they have that odd chemistry that the Doctor usually has with only the Master.
Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter are probably the finest actors to play supporting characters with companion potential. Without them, this serial wouldn't be half as good as it is. Baxter, in particular, captures the personality and manners of a Victorian-era doctor perfectly, while Benjamin makes for a wonderfully rash Jago. Lesser actors would not have made these characters stand out, but Benjamin and Baxter are so good that it's a shame they don't get scenes together until Part Five.
John Bennett (who was Finch in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, 1974) is often discredited for his portrayal of Li H'sen Chang. He's a white actor playing an Asian character with a comical accent. Spice is one of the more memorable villains of the classic series despite these problems and he fares better than Michael Gough in a similar part in The Celestial Toymaker (1966).
Michel Spice, who voiced Morbius in The Brain of Morbius (1976), returns here as the primary villain, Weng-Chiang/Magnus Greel. He sounds like Morbius but remains more of a mystery until his face is revealed. That being said, it's a performance perfectly suited as a counterpart to the more calm demeanour of Bennett's Chang.
The Doctor: 12
The Sherlock-Holmesian attire the Doctor wears in this serial is one of my favourite Doctor costumes ever. He's sharp, heroic and just the right amounts of moody here, so he fits the setting and the story perfectly.
The Companions: 12
This story marks one of Leela's better stories. She gets to feel bewildered about the Victorian era she's landed in, while also showing her fighting and acrobatic skills. She has a pretty rough time getting involved in Weng-Chiang's business and having to escape a giant, murderous rat. And then I love the way she joins the fight in the finale.
The Monster/Villain: 12
Weng-Chiang begins as just another stereotypical megalomaniac but quickly turns out to have more depth than most villains. He shows a vulnerable side, and once his true intentions are revealed they turn out to be pretty horrifying. His molten face is also very well-realized.
Li H'sen Chang is a wrongly understood magician, hired to work for Weng-Chiang on false premises and only dreaming of a glorious life within his arts. His final moments are finely captured by Bennett.
Like Bok in The Daemons (1971), Mr Sin is a memorably creepy henchman character. He's also more of a menace than Bok, who just leaps around looking creepy.
Production: 12
The cinematography, set design and costuming is the amount the very best of the show's original run. This is also arguably the fines-looking period piece Classic Who ever produced. Well, apart from the giant rat, which is one of the worst special effects ever, but since it's only a minor part of the serial, I can forgive that.
Pacing: 10
This story is admirably paced for a six-parter. There isn't noticeable drag anywhere or padding or repetition that would make the story less enjoyable to watch.
Atmosphere: 12
This story perfectly captures the dark and murky Victorian setting. The fight sequence with the ninjas in Part One is a good example of production, action and acting done right.
There's a lengthy scene in Part Four, during which we see Chang perform some very familiar magic tricks. It shouldn't be as entertaining as it is, but the performances, the dramatic stage direction and the music make it stand out.
Impact: 12
This story popularized Victorian England as a setting for historical adventures on Doctor Who - often revisited in the revived series in particular. It also introduced two beloved supporting characters to the lore, Jago & Litefoot, who would go on to have a successful string of audio dramas for Big Finish Productions.
Replay Value: 12
No doubt about it. This story is among the top five most rewatchable in Classic Who.
Score: 117/120