OK, OK, let's all agree that Doctor Who, particularly in the 1960s, did not have the most... robust budget for things that most science fiction series would consider an absolute necessity, such as special effects and costuming. Despite this knowledge, it is nearly impossible at times not to cringe at what that low budget hath wrought, particularly when it comes to the Fish People in The Underwater Menace. All but Episode Three of this story was missing until 2011, when Episode Two was found. Sadly, that just gives us more chance to see this sort of thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY0P9YLErYY Let's imagine what the casting call for this episode must've been like: 'Both male and female actors wanted for film work on DR. WHO. Must be able to swim. Must also be willing to have horrible felt eyes glued to one's ocular sockets, to have bits of crap attached to one's face, and to lose all sense of dignity on teatime TV.' Which wouldn't have been so bad, we imagine, if sequences like the one above didn't go on forever. Let's not even talk about the music, shall we? There's only so much of this sort of thing we can take.
Tony Whitt has previously written TV, DVD, and comic reviews for CINESCAPE, NOW PLAYING, and iF MAGAZINE. His weekly COMICSCAPE columns from the early 2000s can still be found archived on Mania.com. He has also written a book of gay-themed short stories titled CRESCENT CITY CONNECTIONS, available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle format. Whitt currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
