Doctor Who - The Underwater Menace (Volcanic

This is another in Demon Records’ series of lavish Doctor Who LP sets and this release of a sort-of classic (I’ll explain later) ‘60s Second Doctor (as played by Patrick Troughton) story displays the usual lush presentation.These two vinyl records contain the original audio soundtrack with linking narration from the always excellent Anneke Wills, who played the Second Doctor’s companion Polly in the story. The discs are coloured in “Volcanic Vinyl” and come in a gatefold sleeve with the inner bags featuring complete episode billings.The story revolves around scientist Professor Zaroff’s mad scheme to raise Atlantis from the bottom of the ocean by destroying everything else. And Fish People.To say that this story divides opinion would be something of an understatement. The kindest thing you can say about it is at least it isn’t boring, but it really isn’t much good. However, if you’re reading this, then you already knew that.This set is a thing of beauty, so it’s worth getting for that reason alone, and like all the releases it has a high level of collectability.

Straddling the programme’s early remit of offering both historical and science fiction stories, ‘The Underwater Menace’ appears to have a lot going for it. Combining two of my favourites, Doctor Who and the myths of Atlantis, the story has ancient civilisations, mad scientists, mystic cults, genetic engineering, slave revolts and an insane plan to rise Atlantis from the depths. Perhaps my anticipation was too high, but I find this one of the most disappointing Doctor Who serials. This is only exacerbated by it being one of the last serials released on DVD and because I found it one of the hardest Target novelisations to obtain.However, despite my disappointment, I’ve still purchased ‘The Underwater Menace’ in this format merely because the quality of these vinyl special editions is so high.Maybe this one is a tad more basic and less lavish than some that have gone before it, particularly ‘The Dalek Masterplan’ and ‘Evil of the Daleks’. There is less artwork in terms of the record sleeves and rather than being coloured vinyl the discs are merely transparent.The discs have a speckled ‘splatter’ effect. They seem less representative of the story than some previous releases (such as ‘Tomb of the Cybermen’ being on metal looking grey vinyl) but this is still in keeping with the artwork of the various sleeves and cover. And it does look more impressive whilst spinning.The audio quality is, of course, as high and clean as ever and the narration from Anneke Wills is much needed in those lengthy sequences with no dialogue that the story possesses.‘The Underwater Menace’ may not be as highly regarded or renowned as other stories that have been given this treatment, but this is still a beautifully presented product that is a worthwhile addition to any vinyl or Doctor Who collection.