A bizarre political satire and a colourful parody of modern society, The Sun Makers is the most political script Robert Holmes has written.
Story: 7
If Robert Holmes has ever written a story with obvious political undertones and social commentary, it is The Sun Makers. It's blatantly obvious, that he is making fun of and criticizing the taxing system. He crafts something of a goofy space satire to bring this point forward. He also writes some boring cliffhangers for this story.
The plot is built around the taxation idea and it's made fun of all the time to an extent where any other ideas and concepts within the narrative are overshadowed. Holmes writes outrageous dialogue (such as all the different varieties of "Your Highness" Hade uses for the Collector, each one more ridiculous than the previous one) and crafts a dystopian society so over-the-top that it loses all credibility.
This is pretty action-packed towards the end when Robert Holmes twists up the dial on the sci-fi twist and reveals that ace up his sleeve. It gives the political satire a final science fiction touch.
Acting: 7
A high point is Louise Jameson as Leela, who shines throughout this adventure. Jameson has called The Sun Makers one of her personal favourites among the stories she worked on, and that can easily be understood.
Richard Leech is over-the-top comedic with his silly outfit and stupid voice as Hade. I know he's probably meant to be a caricature of tax collectors, but he's just annoying and he's given too much screen time. I don't particularly like Woolf's performance. He's like a baby in a grown-up's body, which makes his ultimate demise all the more satisfying.
Henry Woolf appears as The Collector and puts in by far the weirdest and most comical performance I've ever seen on Doctor Who. He looks like a spoof of Dr Evil from the Austin Powers-movies, sounds like he's inhaled helium and acts like he's a three-year-old. It's a memorable, albeit incredibly annoying, performance. But I have to be honest and say that he performs his part very well.
Most of the guest cast from colourless, forgettable characters with little to no depth in terms of personality. Other than the aforementioned Hade and the Collector, all characters are boringly mundane.
The Doctor: 8
The Doctor becomes the leader of the rebellion here, essentially fighting the establishment and being funny in the process.
The Companions: 10
Leela is mostly separated from the Doctor in this story and she truly proves her worth by being tough, loyal and brave. Leela has never been better and The Sun Makers portrays the character at her peak.
K9 finally gets to join the action in a minor manner, having spent the past adventure within the TARDIS. He's already somewhat of a deus ex machina though and slows the Doctor down quite a bit.
The Monster/Villain: 8
Professor Zaroff in The Underwater Menace (1967) is over-the-top and terrible in all the best ways, but the Collector is an overly comical villain, memorable due to his horrible voice and strange appearance. The Collector is a mix between Blofeld from the James Bond-series and Dr Evil from Austin Powers (who wouldn't be introduced until some 20 years later) and a ridiculously annoying character, almost as memorable as Zaroff from The Underwater Menace. Robert Holmes manages to make him unlikable, annoying and memorable at the same time.
Production: 5
The Sun Makers takes the production outside the studio for a change, and the location work is surprisingly well made. The same cannot be said of Tony Snoaden's sets, as they look like playgrounds for small children (but at least they don't wobble for a change). The futuristic Pluto setting looks like something drawn from the original Star Trek.
Director Pennant Roberts does a solid job, similar to his previous work on The Face of Evil, but Holmes' script doesn't leave much room for him to play around with the story.
Pacing: 5
One of the biggest problems of this story is the lack of real story progression. Holmes's point comes across fairly quickly and after that, there is very little to the rest of the story. The pace is slow and there is too little interesting stuff to keep the viewer entertained until the end.
Atmosphere: 7
Seeing Doctor Who like this, a parody and satire, feels odd and plain wrong at times. It's ridiculous, it's stupid and it’s just not as serious you'd wish it to be. At times, it feels more like a piece of fan fiction written by a 7-year-old fan of the show, rather than an actual, official adventure issued by the BBC.
The Sun Makers contains some fine action scenes in episodes two and three and the scene in which the Doctor is interrogated is very funny. The best moments are found in the closing episode, however; the rooftop scene with the Gatherer is surprisingly powerful and the final moments between the Doctor and the Collector is a very exciting, almost James Bond-esque scene.
Impact: 6
No one would write political commentary like Robert Holmes (with a few possible exceptions, such as Malcolm Hulke), and there would never be a satire like this one on the show again. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to the viewer to decide.
Replay Value: 6
This story isn't interesting enough to warrant several rewatches. It has strong ideas and a unique story, but it's not one you'll watch over and over again.
Random Observations:
From the file marked "Back When Times Were Better": Just like The Tenth Planet (1966) before it, The Sun Makers refers to Pluto as the ninth planet of our solar system, which was correct at the time of course.
From the file marked "Haven't I Seen That Guy Somewhere Before?": William Simons, who plays Mandrill, appears greyer and older as PC Alf Ventress in the TV show Heartbeat!
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParent2018-07-24T15:13:24Z— updated 2020-06-30T05:58:54Z
A bizarre political satire and a colourful parody of modern society, The Sun Makers is the most political script Robert Holmes has written.
Story: 7
If Robert Holmes has ever written a story with obvious political undertones and social commentary, it is The Sun Makers. It's blatantly obvious, that he is making fun of and criticizing the taxing system. He crafts something of a goofy space satire to bring this point forward. He also writes some boring cliffhangers for this story.
The plot is built around the taxation idea and it's made fun of all the time to an extent where any other ideas and concepts within the narrative are overshadowed. Holmes writes outrageous dialogue (such as all the different varieties of "Your Highness" Hade uses for the Collector, each one more ridiculous than the previous one) and crafts a dystopian society so over-the-top that it loses all credibility.
This is pretty action-packed towards the end when Robert Holmes twists up the dial on the sci-fi twist and reveals that ace up his sleeve. It gives the political satire a final science fiction touch.
Acting: 7
A high point is Louise Jameson as Leela, who shines throughout this adventure. Jameson has called The Sun Makers one of her personal favourites among the stories she worked on, and that can easily be understood.
Richard Leech is over-the-top comedic with his silly outfit and stupid voice as Hade. I know he's probably meant to be a caricature of tax collectors, but he's just annoying and he's given too much screen time. I don't particularly like Woolf's performance. He's like a baby in a grown-up's body, which makes his ultimate demise all the more satisfying.
Henry Woolf appears as The Collector and puts in by far the weirdest and most comical performance I've ever seen on Doctor Who. He looks like a spoof of Dr Evil from the Austin Powers-movies, sounds like he's inhaled helium and acts like he's a three-year-old. It's a memorable, albeit incredibly annoying, performance. But I have to be honest and say that he performs his part very well.
Most of the guest cast from colourless, forgettable characters with little to no depth in terms of personality. Other than the aforementioned Hade and the Collector, all characters are boringly mundane.
The Doctor: 8
The Doctor becomes the leader of the rebellion here, essentially fighting the establishment and being funny in the process.
The Companions: 10
Leela is mostly separated from the Doctor in this story and she truly proves her worth by being tough, loyal and brave. Leela has never been better and The Sun Makers portrays the character at her peak.
K9 finally gets to join the action in a minor manner, having spent the past adventure within the TARDIS. He's already somewhat of a deus ex machina though and slows the Doctor down quite a bit.
The Monster/Villain: 8
Professor Zaroff in The Underwater Menace (1967) is over-the-top and terrible in all the best ways, but the Collector is an overly comical villain, memorable due to his horrible voice and strange appearance. The Collector is a mix between Blofeld from the James Bond-series and Dr Evil from Austin Powers (who wouldn't be introduced until some 20 years later) and a ridiculously annoying character, almost as memorable as Zaroff from The Underwater Menace. Robert Holmes manages to make him unlikable, annoying and memorable at the same time.
Production: 5
The Sun Makers takes the production outside the studio for a change, and the location work is surprisingly well made. The same cannot be said of Tony Snoaden's sets, as they look like playgrounds for small children (but at least they don't wobble for a change). The futuristic Pluto setting looks like something drawn from the original Star Trek.
Director Pennant Roberts does a solid job, similar to his previous work on The Face of Evil, but Holmes' script doesn't leave much room for him to play around with the story.
Pacing: 5
One of the biggest problems of this story is the lack of real story progression. Holmes's point comes across fairly quickly and after that, there is very little to the rest of the story. The pace is slow and there is too little interesting stuff to keep the viewer entertained until the end.
Atmosphere: 7
Seeing Doctor Who like this, a parody and satire, feels odd and plain wrong at times. It's ridiculous, it's stupid and it’s just not as serious you'd wish it to be. At times, it feels more like a piece of fan fiction written by a 7-year-old fan of the show, rather than an actual, official adventure issued by the BBC.
The Sun Makers contains some fine action scenes in episodes two and three and the scene in which the Doctor is interrogated is very funny. The best moments are found in the closing episode, however; the rooftop scene with the Gatherer is surprisingly powerful and the final moments between the Doctor and the Collector is a very exciting, almost James Bond-esque scene.
Impact: 6
No one would write political commentary like Robert Holmes (with a few possible exceptions, such as Malcolm Hulke), and there would never be a satire like this one on the show again. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to the viewer to decide.
Replay Value: 6
This story isn't interesting enough to warrant several rewatches. It has strong ideas and a unique story, but it's not one you'll watch over and over again.
Random Observations:
From the file marked "Back When Times Were Better": Just like The Tenth Planet (1966) before it, The Sun Makers refers to Pluto as the ninth planet of our solar system, which was correct at the time of course.
From the file marked "Haven't I Seen That Guy Somewhere Before?": William Simons, who plays Mandrill, appears greyer and older as PC Alf Ventress in the TV show Heartbeat!
Score: 69/120