The race is on, in one of the best tales of the Davison era...

I love cartoons - the escapism, the fun, and most of all, the nostalgia factor from my childhood days. In particular, the Hanna Barbera cartoons were a staple part of pre-teen youth as much as Grifter bicycles, space hoppers, and of course, Doctor Who.

If you're a fan of Hanna Barbera cartoons, then try and spot the parallels with some classic Who adventures. Terror Of The Autons features a bearded fiend, a quaking wimp and dozens of failed inventions - just like Dastardly And Muttley In Their Flying Machines. The Web Of Fear, The Robots Of Death and The Monster Of Peladon are all examples of the Scooby Doo-esque whodunnits. And then Enlightenment comes along with its homage to Wacky Races in space.

OK, so the competitors are racing along in boat spaceships rather than cars, but they're an eclectic mix including blank-faced Edwardians, Greeks and bwa-ha-ha-ing pirates. And naturally the latter example, the tiresome Wrack and her smarmy gimp Mansell, are very much the Dastardly and Muttley (yes, they also featured in Wacky Races) of the story.

Enlightenment is a big return to form after the patchy Terminus. It has a lot in common with the other season 20 winner Snakedance. Both contain deep and meaningful moral messages about greed and knowledge. Both are superbly directed by Fiona Cumming. Both are cracking adventure tales with a dash of quirkiness and mysticism. The premise of Enlightenment is a simple one - the race is on among a series of intergalactic competitors to win the eponymous prize. Naturally, The Doctor becomes embroiled in this quest after being warned by The White Guardian of his dreaded nemesis The Black Guardian. The White Guardian's none too helpful - his powers are evidently ebbing away after flickering in and out of existence and leaving garbled, cryptic messages along the lines of "Winner takes all". So presumably, The Black Guardian's on his way to compete in the Jimmy Tarbuck gameshow - inevitably, there's going to be a difference in opinion with BG let loose.

"Although Turlough is, without a shadow of a doubt, the hammiest companion ever, it's a hugely enjoyable performance"

If only The Doctor knew that The Black Guardian was closer to home than he realised - yes, Turlough's shiftier than ever, and if possible, even more intense than ever. Turlough must rank as the most intense being in the whole of sentient creation, staring daggers at people with those eerie, manic eyes and speaking in a loud, strangulated croak at times of crisis. It's difficult to know Turlough's most OTT moment - god knows there's a lot to choose from, although the bit in which he's screaming his head off in a comedy airlock or during the cliffhanger to part two just about linger behind his declaration to Wrack about BG: "I! SERVE! HIM! AS! I! WISH! TO! SERVE! YOOOOO!!" At which point I generally feared that Turlough was somehow going to slither his way out of my TV and then attack me with a great big knife.

Still, Mark Strickson at least gives his all, and although Turlough is, without a shadow of a doubt, the hammiest companion ever, it's a hugely enjoyable performance. The only downside of this is that Turlough notably falls off the radar after these three introductory stories to either be locked up or scowl. Frontios and Planet Of Fire do redress the balance to an extent, but sadly, Mark Strickson's acting talents will largely be wasted after this adventure.

"Janet Fielding finally proves that she can do subtle after all - the result is one of her very best performances"

Amazingly Teabag actually comes off well in this story too. Interestingly, this is a much more subdued Teabag than of late - the customary screeching and moaning about chauvinist pigs are not in evidence here. Possibly, Teabag feels that she has to be on her guard more, given that she neither trusts nor likes Turlough much. She's also caught off-beam by her new creepy locale. Not only is she given a berth that contains her favourite clothes, teddy bears and a photo of her late Auntie Vanessa, but she's also trying desperately to ward off the attentions of Marriner, the rather creepy second banana to Captain Striker.

Marriner's nothing if not persistent. He's constantly following Teabag around like a lovestruck teenager, although in this case, he's just after existence rather than some hot lovin'. Marriner - as well as Striker and Wrack - are Eternals. Nope, the lame 90s pop group hasn't had a dramatic facelift - the Eternals are rather pitiful beings who have no existence of their own. Instead, they have to sponge off the thoughts and feelings of other human beings, like leeches. As a result, Marriner's hit the jackpot with Teabag, a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve, and giving off emotions in waves. No wonder the hapless air hostess wants out - given that she's stumbled across the stalker from hell, and worse still, a stalker that has zero empathy for other people. After she learns of the deaths of a human crew, Teabag is disgusted at Marriner's lack of compassion. Christopher Brown is perfect as the sinister Marriner, but Janet Fielding finally proves that she can do subtle after all - the result is one of her very best performances.

The other Eternals work to varying degrees. Keith Barron perfectly nails the part of Striker. It's a well-studied and carefully thought-out portrayal, and it sums up the contrast in the Eternals' personalities, for want of a better word. For one thing, they're a terrifying concept, because of their emptiness and inability to connect with humanity, but on the other side of the coin, they're to be pitied as well. Barron conveys the detached emptiness of Striker very well, and brings a lot of subtlety to what's actually a very tricky part to play.

Sadly, Lynda Baron and Leeeeeeee John don't get the concept of Eternals at all. Wrack and Mansell are the baddies of the piece, but their characters are crying out for something far more subtle than the performances that we're stuck with. Baron spends her time cackling - she's evidently related to that other famed she-cackler Vivien Fay. Put these two in a laughing competition and it's a close call. Wrack laughs at anything, anytime, anywhere. She could even sit through a Jimmy Carr stand-up routine and laugh like a drain, which is some accomplishment. Problem is that's not what we're after here, and Baron's OTT performance doesn't tally with the idea of an empty Eternal, and more crucially, it tries the patience very quickly.

"Every time Leeeeeeee John opens his mouth, it's unintentional comedy gold"

Leeeeeeee John is priceless though. Every time he opens his mouth, it's unintentional comedy gold. Put it this way, he still thinks he's in his naff 80s pop group Imagination, and so struts around with a look of smug vacancy on his face. Worse still, he can't say his lines convincingly at all, instead opting for a hilariously OTT pantomime drawl that amazingly sounds more wooden than the contents of Gepetto's workshop. Look at the way in which he's hovering behind Turlough at Wrack's swanky dinner party. "Your friends will be araaahhhvaang soon," he breathes huskily, before delivering the lines "And Misssssss Teeeguuhhhn! And Mr Maaaahhhrinaahhh!!" with staggering incompetence. He even hilariously makes a meal of the simple line: "But he's becalmed! The winds have dropped!" Could it be that Leeeeeeee's just an illusion in all this confusion? Given the ridiculously bad performance, I'd say aye.

Evidently Baron and John have been taking the same pantomime dame acting lessons as Valentine Dyall, who sadly goes off the boil with his last performance as the Black Guardian. Compare it with his superb turn in The Armageddon Factor, and you'll see what I mean. In Enlightenment, BG just seems to fade in and out of existence while going "Nyyeerrr-haaaarr-haaaarrggghhh". Apparently, Anthony Ainley once said that 80s baddies were encouraged to overplay rather than underplay, and if that's the case, then Dyall's been badly affected by this trend. Admittedly, his last confrontation with Turlough is well acted and regains some of the old brittle menace, but mostly, Dyall's performance is cutprice Abanazar ham.

Luckily, Peter Davison makes up for some of the lesser acting displays in the story. This is one of the few 5th Doctor stories that actually emphasises the old man in a young body persona. The 5th Doctor of Enlightenment is wiser, more intelligent and also more confrontational than before. In fact, it's great to see Doctor 5 actually taking Striker to task for the Eternals' callous behaviour. "Parasites!" he bellows in a rant that's worthy of Big Tom's angry outbursts. Davison gives one of his best performances in his three-year-run - it's about the only season 20 tale to get a grip on his Doctor's character.

"Davison's strong performance caps off a marvellous story."

Davison's strong performance caps off a marvellous story. It's magnificently realised by Fiona Cumming and her crew. She captures the ethereal aspects of the script well and directs the story with great flair. It's hard to realise Edwardian ships in space, but overall, the model effects and the Ealing sets don't disappoint (bar an iffy CSO shot of Turlough in a fishing net). There are many great set-pieces to be had here, including the ominous TARDIS scenes (great lighting here), the many faces of Captain Wrack in the Focus Room, and of course, the climatic finale in which Turlough debates whether he should sell his soul to the devil or not. The designs from Colin Green, the costumes and also the excellent, dreamlike score from Malcolm Clarke are the perfect finishes to a near-perfect story.

It's a shame that this is Barbara Clegg's lone contribution to Doctor Who, since Enlightenment is entertaining, imaginative and thought-provoking in equal measures. It has a similar sort of moral code to Snakedance in that doing the right thing is far more important than wealth and materialism. When it comes down to it, Enlightenment is very much a simple tale of good triumphing over evil. Enlightenment isn't the prize, but the choice, and it's the right choice that Turlough makes in deciding between The Doctor and The Black Guardian. In the end, Turlough chooses The Doctor and sets fire to his boss, who inexplicably starts impersonating Muttley while screaming in the flames - see, there's no getting away from Hanna Barbera cartoons.

But like those cartoons, Enlightenment's core message of good winning against evil and greed still rings true to this day. No wonder Doctor Who is enjoyed by so many kids, since not only does it entertain, but it also educates in its own quiet way. Enlightenment is one of the prize gems of the 20th season and of the Davison era. Unlike The Black Guardian, it's a winner.

John Bensalhia limbered up for this mammoth task with a full four-series review of Blake's 7, and writes professionally and recreationally all over the web. Check out his portfolio of work at Wordprofectors.

Check out John's previous Doctor Who review, Terminus

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