Doctor Who (TV Series) The Claws of Axos: Episode Three (1971) User Reviews

UNIT teaming up with The Master, never.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 6 February 2019]

Part 3 is more the typical episode I associate with the Pertwee era, with UNIT troops fighting an Alien threat, and the Brigadier fighting against bureaucracy, this time in the form of the rather wonderful Mr Chin. I love that Mr Chin is using Skype ahead of its conception.

It's an episode that was penned some years back, and one I really can place Troughton in, it is good in terms of action and pace, but it's the whole concept that's the winner, having the Axons as one individual being is great, so clever, and it's the whole organic feeling that makes it unique, and successful.

I like that UNIT are having to work with The Master, and I loved his moaning about the state of The Doctor's TARDIS.

Very good once again. 7/10

Axos of Evil

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 7/10 · 25 September 2014]

Review of all 4 episodes:

The Claws of Axos is well produced in most aspects with some nice sets and nice, different aliens. They disguise themselves as attractive and friendly humanoid beings but are actually hideous non-humanoid monsters. The design of them is very good with the spaghetti like appearance and their organic ship. Some of the scenes with people in baggy creature costumes are less well done but there are other scenes which work well with their attacking tendrils etc.

It is another example of The Master getting in over his head trying to work with an alien race to bring death and destruction to The Doctor and humanity. There is very good stuff in each episode but also less impressive stuff. It starts really strongly with intelligent script, believable political game playing and very good acting by the whole cast. The tramp 'Pigbin Josh' is not a great addition but otherwise the first episode is really good. UNIT and the Brigadier are good, Pertwee is in great form and scientists and politicians are convincing. Roger Delgado is entertaining as usual as The Master and the golden humanoid version of the Axons is decent. It never really maintains excellence overall though as the story trails off a bit and gets muddled as it goes along becoming a decent but unexceptional (for Doctor Who) story.

Part 1 - 8.5/10, Part 2 - 7.5/10, Part 3 - 7/10, Part 4 - 7/10. Overall 7.5/10.

Didn't like it.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 7 November 2007]

Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos: Episode Three starts as the hideous Axons kidnap the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) & Jo (Katy Manning) although rather politely leave Filer (Paul Grist) alive who manages to tell the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) what happened. Meanwhile the Master (Roger Delgado) has sent a message to the UN informing them about Axonite & it's limitless capabilities who in turn contacts a British Minister (Kenneth Benda) who himself in turn tells Chinn (Peter Bathurst) to distribute Axonite to all the major capital cities & scientific institutes in the world ASAP. The Axon plan to drain the Earth of all energy & all living cells is working but they also spy a greater prize, that of time travel which the Doctor & his TARDIS can give to them...

Episode 13 from season 8 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during March 1971, directed by Michael Ferguson I have to say I'm really not enjoying The Claws of Axos so far at all. The script by Bob Baker & Dave Martin has had a distinct lack of humour, there hasn't been enough alien action, the plot is full of holes & isn't that great to begin with anyway. The character's in this story have been really annoying & unlikable, from the obnoxious Chinn to the clichéd American secret service agent Filer to Jo who is just such an annoying dopey companion with awful fashion sense. Also if the Axons know of Timelords & their ability to travel through time & space which they clearly did why torture the Doctor into revealing how the TARDIS & time travel works since they had already said they possess the Master's TARDIS so why not just torture the Master in the first place? They knew he was a Timelord too so why only become interested in time travel when the Doctor show's up? I wasn't happy about how quickly the Master suddenly decides to help UNIT & destroy the Axons either considering he brought them to Earth in the first place. I suspect it was just another way to stretch the thin plot out over four episodes. I suppose on a basic level it's watchable but there are better Doctor Who stories out there.

We see a few scenes with the monstrous Axons here & the suit looks pretty good with it's root like tendril's hanging from it's body. I still think the gold Axons look silly & in this episode you can clearly see that only the actor's face is painted gold, if you look at their lower necks you can see it's a very human flesh colour! There has been some good location filming for The Claws of Axos which took place in Kent & the real life Dungeness Nuclear Plant served as the Nuton power plant featured in the story. Apparently the weather was very changeable during filming which is why the story starts out with all the locations covered in snow in Episode One but by the time we reach Episode Three it's bright sunshine without a trace of snow to be seen anywhere. The acting hasn't been great & that damned awful American accent by Paul Grist trying to portray Filer is just terrible.

The Claws of Axos: Episode Three is not much of an improvement over Episode Two, apart from OK shots of the monstrous Axons in their true forms there wasn't anything here that I particularly enjoyed.