Even as they face imminent destruction, the Seers sound about as interested by this as I feel. Transposing myths to sci-fi settings is going to be a recurring and unloved genre in the Graham Williams seasons in serials by Baker and Martin, and Anthony Read. Possibly the producer thought they could do better than this.

There’s not a lot of point giving Underworld another kicking. It was done out of obligation and necessity rather than any enthusiasm, and the biggest criticism is the fact that this shows on screen in pretty much every department (the model work, one of the Williams’ seasons’ big improvements, is impressive). The first episode works tolerably well. Some of the sets aren’t too shabby. The baddie is a ‘self-aggrandising artefact’ with none of the interest of Xoanon, but fits with the middling Star Trek style. I’m not sure it’s the worst Doctor Who story so far (it’s two episodes shorter than The Ice Warriors, which is in its favour) but it’s definitely a rare one that fails on every level.

Next episode: The Invasion of Time