TV Review: Doctor Who: The Robots of Death (1977)

Doctor Who: The Robots of Death (1977) written by Chris Boucher and directed by Michael E. Briant

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) has a new companion, Leela (Louise Jameson). The TARDIS lands in a gigantic sand miner that's run mostly by robots. The handful of humans on board get massages and snacks from the robots. When the vehicle hits a rich vein of minerals, the crew gets to work. But mostly they relax. Until they start dying! Since the Doctor and Leela are newly arrived strangers, suspicion naturally falls on them. But, as is clear from the title and from the viewers getting to witness the first murder, the killers are the robots. No one wants to believe that since robots are programmed not to harm humans. A mystery with an ever-increasing body count ensues.

The story is fun but fairly familiar, with the Doctor and the companion getting captured and freed many times, usually for the cliffhanger ending of an episode (this was a four-parter). The writing is entertaining and the robots look pretty good for 1970s Doctor Who. The show does a good job hiding the human baddie till late. The story is not great but also not bad.

Slightly recommended.