Comedy is a controversial aspect for Doctor Who.
While some people believe it should never be allowed to gain a foothold, most believe it has a place in any story, and if used well, can heighten the tension when tension arises, making the drama more dramatic and the horror more horrific. But just when the listener feels comfortable with this Pythonesque approach, things get much, much darker. Spoilers follow Torture takes up many of the introductory notes of this story, but the characters concerned are strangely non-plussed by such punishment. In fact, it seems they are all merely going through the motions, somehow. The first most convincing set-piece, ironically, doesn't occur until the 6th Doctor berates a talking penguin for hunting a Gumblejack fish in his bath.