The
series: 'P.R.O.B.E.' is one of the Doctor Who spin-offs
produced by BBV Productions during the long absence
of our favourite show from
television. Four direct-to-video films were produced from 1994 to 1996,
featuring the work of
the Preternatural Research
Bureau. Caroline John reprises her role as Dr Liz Shaw, who heads a team
that looks into
unusual and paranormal
phenomena on behalf of P.R.O.B.E., which bears some similarities to UNIT.
Louise Jameson
features in all four stories
as Liz's friend and colleague, Patricia Haggard, while many other Doctor
Who actors were
also in the series (but
not as Who characters, due to licensing restrictions), including Jon Pertwee,
Colin Baker, Peter
Davison and Sylvester McCoy.
The four stories were written by new-Who writer and actor Mark Gatiss,
who also had
minor roles in all but one
episode.
The
episode: 'The Devil of Winterborne' is the second story
in the series, and was made in 1995. Liz Shaw is called
in to investigate a series
of deaths near a public school, Winterborne. The body of the school's former
headmaster has
been found with his skull
smashed in. The remains of his dog are found nearby, along with mysterious
symbols drawn
on the ground. Liz suspects
some kind of satanic ritual has taken place, and she is aided in her investigation
by a local
police officer, DI Burke
(Terry Molloy, of Davros fame). A student, Luke, briefly goes missing,
and then claims to have
seen the lengendary ghost
of Winterborne. More strange goings-on occur near the school: a dog belonging
to the head
of history, Mrs Taploe,
is slain, while Luke is subsequently found dead with his blood drained.
The current headmaster,
Gavin Purcell (Peter Davison)
is found standing over the body, and confesses to the crimes, saying they
were part of a
satanic ritual. He is a
member of a group that has revived a cult established by the school's founder,
Isaac Greatorex,
who had been tried and executed
for practicing witchcraft two centuries earlier. However, Mrs Taploe is
murdered while
Purcell is in police custody.
The police believe he is protecting the real killer, who turns out to be
his nephew, Christian.
Purcell had introduced him
to the cult, but Christian has become convinced that he is the reincarnation
of Greatorex.
Liz and Burke are just in
time to prevent him from sacrificing a fellow student, Andrew Powell. A
deranged Luke jumps
off a bridge onto a motorway,
presumably falling to his death, but there is no sign of his body.
The
verdict: 'The Devil of Winterborne'
is quite entertaining, and features some excellent performances, particularly
by
Peter Davison and Caroline
John. The production values are quite high considering the low budget,
and the script keeps
the viewer interested until
the end. The conclusion leaves it open to a sequel, and Mark Gatiss follows
this story up with
'Ghosts
of Winterborne', the final episode in the 'P.R.O.B.E.' series.
A commendable effort to keep the spirit of Doctor
Who alive, and fans
of the original series will find much to like in this show.
Video clips:
The ghost of Winterborne
3.5mb
A missing schoolboy
5.0mb
A murder at Winterborne
3.5mb
The Winterborne cult
4.4mb
Purcell confesses
2.4mb |
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