Comic Relief: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death (1999) (TV)

Director:

John Henderson

Writer:

Steven Moffat (writer)

Release Date:

12 March 1999 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Before the Doctor can settle down to married life, he must face one last confrontation with his deadly enemy of certain death - the Master. |

Plot Keywords:

Time Machine | Time Travel | Doctor Who | Charity | Parody

Cast

Rowan Atkinson	...	The Doctor
Richard E. Grant	...	The Doctor
Jim Broadbent	...	The Doctor
Hugh Grant	...	The Doctor
Joanna Lumley	...	The Doctor
Julia Sawalha	...	Emma
Jonathan Pryce	...	The Master
Roy Skelton	...	Daleks (voice)
Dave Chapman	...	Daleks (voice)

Also Known As:

Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death (UK) (video box title)

Runtime:

23 min (4 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

UK:PG

Trivia:

Under the Master's cloak, Jonathan Pryce wore his costume from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

Quotes:

[the Master has emerged from the sewers accompanied by Daleks]
The 17th Master: Observe, Doctor. I am no longer merely a Time Lord. My body has been augmented by superior Dalek technology!
[he pulls of his right hand and reveals that it has been replaced by a Dalek suction cup]
Emma, The Assistant: So what can you do with that, then?
The 17th Master: [realises he doesn't know] What?
Emma, The Assistant: You don't know, do you?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Comic Relief: The Record Breaker (1999) (TV)

Moo-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaaaaaa!

Although not to be taken seriously, "Curse of the Fatal Death" is a labor of love. The script features a lot of fan-pleasing moments and references. Rowan Atkinson proves how good a Doctor he could've been by playing the character straight, and not primarily for laughs. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Jonathan Pryce, who is just as excellent as the Master, going waaaaaaaaay over the top. The best part of the sketch is the quick-change regenerations near the end where Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, and Joanna Lumley all play the Doctor in less than five minutes. Richard Grant is hilarious as the sex-fiend Doctor who has a good laugh over the Master's Dalek "bumps". Hugh Grant surprised me with his portrayal.

The video release also contains a "Making Of" special which may even be more funny than the sketch itself. Jonathan Pryce is the highlight of this section, proving how completely bonkers he really is. His interpretations of the Master's various laughs are hilarious.