THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTIONCan psychological drama work on Doctor Who fourty-five years before there's even been a mention of the planet Midnight? With The Edge Of Destruction, the show's daring third full story, that's essentially the question we as fans are posed in a rewatch during the 50th Anniversary year. Let's find out the truth, then...
Certainly, again this adventure isn't for want of ambition. Setting the entirety of a Who tale inside a TARDIS is a tricky task for any writer, especially in the early stages of the programme when we knew so little of what the time machine could do. There are some intriguing hints that even the Time Lords did not know their contraptions had hearts and souls of sorts, something which of course becomes of paramount significance in modern-era episodes such as The Parting Of The Ways and The Doctor's Wife, so to hear them for the first time here is a strange one. Perhaps in this sense, the story might have benefited from coming a little later in the run, closer to the season's finale The Reign Of Terror.
Nevertheless, the main cast- who are left to lead the entire piece, another rarity beyond the likes of Blink and Midnight- are stunning throughout. It's William Russell and Jacqueline Hill who are the true highlights as Ian and Barbara, both mentally tormented by the events of The Daleks and thus clinging onto any fragments of reality as the TARDIS nears a point of disintegration. There's definitely a sense that although this was clearly a budget-saving adventure, it was also meant to strengthen the core relationship of the TARDIS team too. In this manner, The Edge Of Destruction overcomes its bizarrely lengthy fifty-minute running time's pace issues and budgetary constraints, showcasing the pure acting talent of the leads of the First Doctor era, and indeed found throughout Doctor Who as a whole!
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