'The Space Pirates'

THE SPACE PIRATES
6 episodes: 1 surviving

I have to say, slightly contrary to what I said at the end of the last entry, from what I hear this is perhaps the only story other than 'The Underwater Menace' where I'm quite glad there isn't more surviving! The model work of spaceships etc. is particularly good for the era, even if set against oddly blank backgrounds, but really nothing much happens and takes ages to not happen too. And that's only one-sixth of the serial! The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe don't even get a look in until thirteen minutes have elapsed, and proceed to spend the rest of the episode sitting in a small capsule (part of some fragmented space beacon) slowly running out of oxygen, while the rest of the cast talk boringly to each other in not-terribly-good American accents. I'm actually hoping that General Hermack wasn't supposed to sound American, because if he was then that was the worst accent in history... The one good thing is Gordon Gostelow as Milo Clancey, an iconoclastic spacefaring loner (sound familiar?) who has more personality than the rest of the support cast put together, gets an amusing introduction where he is interrupted relentlessly while trying to just eat a boiled egg, and shows an admirably total lack of respect for Hermack and his ilk. Nothing else to see here, move along please...

4/10

Episodes watched: 135
Episodes still to watch: 587