Nightmare of Eden

Did You Know?

• Terrance Dicks' novelisation was published by Target Books in August 1980.
• It was released on VHS in January 1999 and on DVD on 2 April 2012.
• It was released as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files in Issue 134 on 19 February 2014.

Plot

The TARDIS materializes near a volatile region of the Empress, a cruise ship that has collided in space with the freighter Hecate after both vessels exited hyperspace at the same spot. The Doctor volunteers to separate them. Captain Rigg of the Empress distrusts the Doctor but allows the attempt. On board is zoologist Tryst and his assistant Della, who operate a CET machine—a device that records entire planets onto crystals and projects them as holograms. Their last recording was from Eden, where a team member died; Tryst and Della avoid explaining further. The ship is under attack by Mandrels, clawed creatures from Eden linked to the narcotic Vraxoin. When the Doctor burns one to ash, it leaves behind pure Vraxoin, proving the monsters themselves produce the drug. With help from his companions, the Doctor finally pries the ships apart. He ends up trapped on the Hecate, where he uncovers evidence that its captain, Dymond, is involved in the drug operation. Tryst is his partner on the Empress, and together they intend to use a laser to shift the Eden projection between the two vessels. The Doctor herds the Mandrels back into the projection. He lets Tryst and Dymond move the Eden projection to the Hecate, then triggers the CET, trapping both men inside a new projection—just as customs officers arrive to arrest them. With the ships uncoupled and the smugglers caught, the Doctor and his friends quietly return to the TARDIS, taking the Eden projection with them.

Production

Bob Baker wrote the Doctor Who serial Nightmare of Eden without his usual partner Dave Martin; it was his last for the series. Alan Bromly is listed as director, but he abandoned the production mid-filming after a fierce argument with Tom Baker. Producer Graham Williams then finished the directing work without credit. This stressful experience convinced Williams to leave the show. Bromly never directed another Doctor Who story and retired shortly after.

Broadcast and reception

The Sun initially claimed the Mandrels were terrifying monsters because no publicity shots existed for them, though this was later proven false. Most critics disagreed sharply, finding the creatures unconvincing; the Doctor Who Appreciation Society called them "cute rejects from The Muppet Show." Writer Bob Baker, speaking on the recent DVD release, also voiced disappointment with the Mandrel design. Mark Braxton of Radio Times called the serial "something of a flawed diamond," praising the sets as "perfectly decent, for the most part" but deeming the Mandrels "the least frightening monster the show ever produced." He concluded that "this sobering, sideways take on Paradise Lost deserves respect, in conception and narrative if not always in the finished product." MM Gilroy-Sinclair of Starburst described it as "a story with some big ideas and some shoddy production values," criticizing the Mandrels and a "plodding" story while commending Tom Baker and Lalla Ward's performances. He ended by noting "it actually has some wonderful moments, it is surprisingly mature; it’s clever and has some fabulous acting." Cultbox's Malcolm Stewart called the serial "Serious-minded but facetiously performed," adding that "For all the deficiencies in presentation, Nightmare of Eden is still a story with real science and genuine imagination at its heart."