The Tenth Planet (1966)

This story is quite a famous story for those Doctor Who fans. It would have to be to be ranked 55th in the Mighty 200. This is a surprising fact considering that he only appears in three of the four episodes and one of those no longer exists on video. The first thing is that it marks the final regular appearance of William Hartnell. He would later make a brief appearance in The Three Doctors (1973). It also marks the first appearance of the Cybermen.

The story is set in a base in the Antarctic. The Doctor, Ben and Polly arrive just as a new planet suddenly appears which is set twenty years in the future and also is linked to the 1985 adventure Attack of the Cybermen. As soon as the main cast moves into the control centre they meet General Cutler who is instantly one of those people who won’t listen to anyone else because he is a control freak. The Doctor makes a remark that as Mondas is absorbing the Earth’s energy it will absorb too much and destroy itself but Cutler doesn’t want to wait. The story does try and give a justification for General Cutler’s pursuit of destroying Mondas with the Z Bomb. His son has been sent up to try and rescue the two astronauts that we saw at the beginning of Episode one but are killed due to something to do with Mondas. I really like the isolated base idea because you know that the action will just take place in this one base and it creates a claustrophobic atmosphere. Tomb of the Cybermen, The Moonbase, Horror of Fang Rock and the Wheel in Space are stories that have just the one location and the plot can be a flimsy as you like there is a fair chance I will like it purely because of the isolation setting.

Now as I mentioned, the Cybermen make their debut and for those newer fans it might seem odd the way they are talking. Essentially the actor just opens his mouth why Roy ‘voice of Zippy from Rainbow’ Skelton does an up and down electronic voice. It’s not as effective as the Daleks but to be honest that’s redundant because the look of them is just brilliant. They look more human than they ever do in future Doctor Who stories and despite their probably being only a few Cybermen they still have a formidable presence about them. They are only defeated by something that neither they nor anyone else can do anything about. The cliffhanger to Episode one is one of those great Doctor Who cliffhangers. The simple sight of a Cyberman just looking at the camera with essentially a cloth over the actors face is just creepy. The few moments set in the snow are brilliantly created and well directed. It would have been nice to have a few more scenes there because they were atmospheric.

This story is also a sad one because it is obviously William Hartnell’s last story. He was getting ill at this point and his decision to quit was obviously a good one. He is absent from Episode 3 and he does look quite frail at this point. Every time I saw him on screen I just felt sad because when I think of his earlier stories like Inside the Spaceship and Dalek Invasion of Earth, he was so full of life and even though he did bumble the odd line it was what made his stories have a bit of enjoyment about them. As a final story it’s not perhaps the one it should have been and that’s the main problem with it. It’s fair to say that had the producers known how important the final story would be then it probably would have been more dramatic. But I still think that The Tenth Planet is a cracking adventure with a very dramatic and atmospheric setting and very good characters.

Timelash (1985)

According to the DWM Mighty 200, there is only one story worse than Timelash. That’s probably a harsh way of describing it but to be honest, Timelash is not a good story. Even with people including myself re-evaluating Colin Baker’s time as the Doctor, Timelash is one story that doesn’t deserve to go up in anyone’s opinion. Written by Glen McCoy, this story is the weakest story of Colin Baker’s first full season as the Doctor. The stories in this season were 45 minutes in length which resulted in more time been given to the build up. That’s why it’s such a long time before the Doctor and Peri arrive on Karfel. Karfel is a planet that is been run by the Borad who is a dictator. People are trying to rise against him but are thrown into the Timelash. As well as this there is a war with the Bandrils.

The story is worth watching just to see Paul Darrow as Tekker. The Blake’s 7 actor hams it up throughout the two episodes but is very entertaining to watch. With a studio full of bland and dull characters, Darrow brings just enough to make this story watchable. Robert Ashby was very good as the Borad. I thought the prosthetics was well done in this and Ashby’s voice was perfect for the character. I did find Vena (Jeananne Crowley) to be an irritating character. I didn’t really care about her. That’s the problem with the rest of the supporting cast, they are either dull or irritating and in a drama that’s a huge problem.

The person that people think of the Borad is a fake. The real Borad is actually a sinister figure that sits in a chair and the identity is held back until the half way point of Episode 2. It’s revealed that the Borad is actually Megelen. The Doctor reported Megelen for his experiments presumably during his visit as the third Doctor. Megelen started of looking human but during a scientist experiment there was an accident and Megelen became deformed. The Timelash is rubbish. Its meant to be this fearful thing that people are banished to but in reality its just a big box with a bit of tinsel at the background. When they go inside the Timelash it looks ok. It’s not brilliant and clearly the budget went into other stories.

The one big confusion is the revelation that the Doctor has been to Karfel in his third incarnation. This was a convolution and unnecessary plot point. It didn’t really offer much to the story and would have worked just as well without it. Another problem was the introduction of H.G.Wells. Not only does he look nothing like the real H.G.Wells but he is incredibly annoying. It made the Doctor’s sarcasm aimed at Herbert a big highlight.

Timelash deserves its poor appreciation. Compared to other stories from Season 22, this story suffers from poor characters, a very sterile set and some dodgy special effects show that this story wasn’t as good as perhaps it should have been. Pennant Roberts was a very good director but this isn’t one of his finest.

Genesis of the Daleks (1975)

Genesis of the Daleks is the story that effectively rebooted the Daleks. In the 12 years since their creation, the Daleks have been pretty much done it all. There were even some complaints that they were rehashing old stories. With a new Doctor in the form of Tom Baker it seemed like the production team (still at this time led by Barry Letts) wanted a new direction for the Daleks. Little did Letts or anyone else know just what an impact this story would have on the future of all Dalek stories. It’s quite easy to see why it was made the third most popular story in the DWM Mighty 200 behind Blink (2007) and Caves of Androzani (1984).

The Doctor is set with the task of wiping out the Daleks or changing their destructive ways. The opening moments show Skaro to be an even grimmer place than what we were shown in ‘The Daleks’ (1963/64). The Skaro we have in this story is a ravaged place with soldiers fighting with primitive weapons despite the modern clothing. The story really steps up a gear when they meet Davros, the creator. Listeners of the Big Finish series I,Davros (2006) will know how he got into that chair and into the position of power.

There are two iconic moments for me in this story. The first being when the Doctor comes out of the incubation chamber with the creatures around his neck, very cheap to create but very effective. The second was when the Doctor arrives at the moment of blowing up the chamber but wonders whether he has the right. As he points out, despite the horror they hand out to millions of people there are those who form alliances with other worlds because of their fear and hatred of the Daleks. I think it would have been a huge mistake for the Doctor to destroy the chamber because it would have been totally against what the Doctor is.

As was always going to happen (because we know the Daleks), they turn on Davros and the end sees just Davors’ hand fade into white. It would be nearly five years before we would know that he wasn’t dead but merley put into sleep. Michael Wisher is brilliant as Davros. He gives the role a more composed yet heavily deluded slant than what other actors would give. He is brilliant against Tom Baker who even in only his third story is showing what has made him such a popular Doctor. Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter put in sterling performances as they battle with the Doctor. Peter Miles also deserves a mention as the loyal Nyder. When he pretends to be against Davros is a master class in bluffing.

I think that it was the perfect time to do this story. Few years later and we might have had a more comical performance from Tom Baker which would have ruined what this story was to achieve. Genesis of the Daleks deserves it place as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time. It has great characters and at no point during the six episodes does it drag.

The Doctor Dances (2005)

Whenever someone sticks the word Doctor into the title, you have to be careful what follows that word. When I read that the word was 'Dances'. I didnt quite know what to expect. Was it going to continue to dark and grim feel of the first episode or was it going to go off into some weird musical. Thankfully it was the former as the action continued and increased. The resolution of the cliffhanger was the something that I would never have thought of. As they all have the mindset of a child, a simple "Go to your room" is quite effective. The chasing round the hospital was very enjoyable it was the perfect oppertunity to induce some humour. The Doctor's shyness about revealing that whilst Jack has a fancy weapon to fend off the army of gasmask wearing zombie, all the Doctor has is a sonic screwdriver that is 'sonicy'. The banter between Christopher Eccleston and John Barrowman is one of many good things about this particular episode. There is another great line (which these two episodes have many) when the Doctor says to Rose "I'm trying to resinate concrete"

As the title suggests, there is a little bit of dancing. Not too much but enough to lighten up the tension. In fact what this story does quite well is lightening up the drama with a bit of comedy. Its a Moffat master trick. I was quite surprised (though I shouldnt have been) that the capsule that the Doctor and Rose was chasing and that Jack had set as a trap was infact what caused everything. The fact that everything has been caused by Jack's actions help deflate the arrogant ego that Jack has been thrusting onto the screen. The revelation that the capsule contained Nano-genes which repaired the boy but didnt know when to stop. As a result, anyone who came into contact with him would receive teh same treatment and as the nano-genes didnt know what was right and wrong they just copied the treatment.

The moment when its revealed that the boy is infact Nancy's son was something that actually surprised me. It might seem perfectly normal in this day and age for a youngster to be pregnant and have a son but in 1941 it doesnt seem normal. Their reunion was very heartfelt and that is partly due to Florence Hoath as Nancy. Combined with everyone being returned to normal it was a lovely scene and a feel good one as well. This story I think is one of the rare occasions where no one dies (well no one on screen). As the Doctor says in a joyful voice was "Everybody lives, just this once everybody lives". With that resolved it was just the deal of Captain Jack to contend with. Last seen he has to wait for the bomb to go off, except that the Doctor lends a helping hand and saves Jack before the bomb and his ship blow up. Thus leading to Captain Jack being a member of the TARDIS crew.

This two part has been a success and is the best of the Christopher Eccleston era. The setting helped as did the fact that the entire story happened at night where the darkness along with the creepyness of a child with a gasmask walking around asking if your his mommy created a wonderful atmosphere. Moffat wrote a wonderful script and it adds to a long line of Moffat episodes that get the thumb up.

Power of the Daleks (1966)

Power of the Daleks is the first post-regeneration story in Doctor Who. The format for a post-regeneration story is pretty much set with the new Doctor being a bit out of it and an alien threat almost being successful. That is what makes this story very unique. David Whittaker is the writer of this story and as well as having to write a good Dalek story he has to introduce a new Doctor which cant have been an easy job. In the Mighty 200 DWM survey of 2009, this story was put in 21st place which is the highest first story for a Doctor as well as the second highest second Doctor story only being beaten by ‘The Evil of the Daleks’ (1967).

Moments after William Hartnell regenerated into Patrick Troughton (though its not called Regeneration its called Renewel). Ben and Polly are cautious about the person who is infront of them but it does lead to silly point number one. If someone changes infront of you and its clear there is no way that they could have done the swap, why act like you don’t believe it’s the same person. The story sees a group of (presumably) earth colonists on a planet called Vulcan (which predates Star Trek) and the Doctor pretends to be an examiner from Earth and soon finds himself trying to stop Lesterson from resurrecting the Daleks. Silly point number two – I don’t believe for a second that no one knows of the Daleks. Even if it’s just a myth, why even someone who is clearly a smart man like Lesterson would want to bring back the Daleks is beyond me.

The Daleks in this are wonderful. They have a level of deceit that had never been seen before in this way before. They hold back their real intentions for an unbelievably long time and it’s amazing that David Whittaker kept his nerve and didn’t blow it before the two-third mark. There are some lovely moments such as the moment when the Dalek asks “Why do humans beings kill human beings?” The Daleks that we are getting in this story were what inspired Mark Gatiss in his 2010 story Victory of the Daleks. Every time they said “I am your servant!” I always find it very un-nerving.

Patrick Troughton’s opening story is a largely enjoyable adventure. It must have been tough to take over from William Hartnell and try and make his Doctor seem different. To his credit he does a great job, his Doctor does things that you could never have seen Hartnell do. There is no way that Hartnell would have pretended to be a dead person. Anneke Wills & Michael Craze are both very good supporting a new Doctor. Admittedly to begin with it’s just odd as Ben doesn’t believe that the Doctor is the Doctor. Anneke Wills was absent in Episode Four and Michael Craze was absent from Episode Five because they were on holiday for those episodes. I think the disadvantage for filming for most of the year during this time was that they would be absent and when they are involved in it their absence becomes noticeable.

Power of the Daleks is a very good story with perhaps the best use of the Daleks before Genesis. David Whittaker is a nice six parter and it boded well for the rest of the second Doctor even though most of it doesn’t exist of videotape. Christopher Barry directs another very good story and shows why he would become one of the most prolific Doctor Who directors. Power of the Daleks is well worth a listen on either CD or downloading via iTunes. Anneke Wills reads this story very well and makes the gaps seamless.

Echoes of Grey (2010)

Zoe Herriot returns to the Companion Chronicle series after her appearance in Legend of the Cybermen. Wendy Padbury appeared in the second ever Companion Chronicle back in 2007 in which was a weak offering. Now on the 34th release, its time for another Zoe story. This one starts off with a woman call Ali walking up to Zoe. Apparently it’s an older Zoe from the one Ali knew. She tries to get Zoe to remember an adventure that they had together. Ali produces a box that pulls the bits of memory that the Timelords have hidden from her. This story is written by John Dorney who wrote Solitaire which I thought was one of the top 3 Companion Chronicles of 2010.

This main part of the story is set at the Whitaker Institute in Central Australia. The Doctor, Jamie & Zoe discover that the scientists have created a creature called the Achromatics which basically suck all the disease and old age out of people. However it goes wrong and it starts to take more than the unwanted stuff and the people are dead. The story does have an isolated base kind of feel to the story as it seems that the Institute is in the middle of nowhere and there are just a handful of characters. Except this time there is no alien invasion but just some sinister creations.

The main problem with this story is that takes too long for the payoff to come. The first episode is unbearably slow. I was listening to this episode and I was wondering what exactly was going on. Then it picked up in the second half. All of it got explained. The Achromatics were explained and the terrible secret of the Institute was revealed. To be honest despite the fact that it was portrayed as a terrible thing I just ended up thinking to myself ‘Why don’t I care about them killing humans?’ To me the Achromatics aren’t the menace that they should be. The cliffhanger wasn’t scary enough, there was no threat from them. We got to hear someone be consumed by them but it didn’t work for me. The thing I was more interested in why Ali was going through all the trouble of getting Zoe to remember. Then the revelation that she worked for the institute and she was trying to get the story out of Zoe was clever.

Echoes of Grey isn’t quite the story it should be. Wendy Padbury is good as Zoe and its always interesting to hear her play the role and Emily Pithon was also good as Ali. She played the mysterious side to the story well and the both of them should be pleased with what they did. However it doesn’t change the fact that it takes way too long to get the story going and by that point I had all but lost interest in what was going on. My advice for people who are going to listen to this is to skip to the second part.

Frontier in Space (1973)

Frontier in Space is a story that is one half of a mammoth twelve parter. Not only do we have the surprise return of the Daleks towards the end of Episode Six but it marks the final appearance of Roger Delgado as the Master. A war is breaking out between the humans and the Draconians. The very same that feature in Paper Cuts (2009).

The story looks like it’s a simple case of two races at war and the Doctor is going to try and stop it but then it soon becomes obvious that someone or something is trying to get these two forces to battle it out. The Ogrons (who last appeared the year before in Day of the Daleks) are being used and soon the humans are seeing them as Draconians and vice versa. Just when things look simple then the Master is thrown into the mix. He hadn’t been seen since The Time Monster (1972) and the end of the ninth season. It’s always good to have the Master but used a bit more sparingly than during the 1971 series. The story moves along at a very steady pace. It’s a habit and more of a rule that six parters start to sag between episodes three and four but surprisingly this doesn’t apply to Frontier.

The Draconians are a good creation. Their nobility mixed with their stubboness was well done. Along with the look of them it’s surprising that it took someone 37 years to bring them back. They had lots of potential and it’s a shocking waste that this was their only appearance. I remember watching a thing where Jon Pertwee say’s that the Draconians were his favourite monster because you could see their mouths move and their eyes.

Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning are on their usual good form. Their relationship has really become solid and it’s a shame that in a few stories time it would be broken up. Jo’s fashion is always a source of discussion and there was more to discuss with her Japanese inspired outfit. The same cant be said for Pertwee’s pyjama costume when he on the moon prison. Roger Delgado is brilliant in this, his appearance was a surprise and even though his involvement was pretty standard compared to his other stories it’s a testimant to the actor of how little I really care about the unoriginality of his involemtn and so glad to see him occupy the screen. It’s a shame that Roger Delgado didn’t get the send off he deserved. Admittadley no one knew he was going to die but even so it’s one of those things that as a fan you would wish that they could have done something. Apart from that I am quite a fan of Frontier, it has a nice tie into Planet of the Daleks. The surprise of appearance of the Daleks was well handled and tied up this half of the story well.

The Daleks (1963/64)

EPISODE 1 – THE DEAD PLANET
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 21 December 1963

So this is the story that sealed Doctor Who’s fate. After 4 weeks of fighting cavemen, the Doctor and company fight the most popular monsters in Doctor Who. It’s the first visit on an alien world and whilst we don’t know the name of the planet (well they didn’t at the time), its another congratulations that go to set designers who have done well in creating an impressive cave/jungle set and now create a very atmospheric dead jungle. It’s the first episode to be written by Terry Nation. A comedy writer writing for what was considered a children show much have seemed like a bizarre thing at the time.

The baron landscape is curious to the Doctor and his scientific mind is again on show here. The effect used to achieve the first alien world is quite good as it’s meant to represent night its noticeable when the effect is faded out and the studio lights act for the daytime.  Music does a lot of good in the early stages of the episode. It’s noticeably different from ‘An Unearthly Child’.  There is a bit of pottering around in the opening minutes with everyone making a comment about where they are but at 4 minutes and 31 seconds is when we witness our first alien in five weeks. Ok so it’s not a mobile one and it looks a bit silly but its an important milestone in Doctor Who history.

The friendship between Barbara and Ian is very moving in one their earlier scenes. They have been forced into their adventure and they take comfort in knowing that the other is just as scared as they are even if they don’t show as much as the other does. Things seem to be heading towards them going abck to the city before Ian discovers the city and the first shot is really good and that twined with the regulars makes for a great shot. The Doctor’s determination to investigate the city is what moves the story on and we see a sneaky side to the Doctor. The determination is made even stronger when they hear the tapping on the TARDIS door. I do find it odd that no one saw the Doctor duck out of sight just moments before the TARDIS becomes faulty. The fault is a lack of mercury and by a strange coincidence the only place that might have it is in the city.

I like all the scenes in the TARDIS as it makes it seem more than just a vehicle to go from time to time but actually somewhere that the Doctor and Susan call home. There is another great scene between Ian and the Doctor in the fault locator which starts off with Ian being friendly but soon descends into a less than friendly encounter. The food machine is one of those gems that sadly doesn’t get used much after this era of the show. Being the BBC they cant do product placement so instead go for what look like blocks of cheese in tin foil but it’s a fun to think this is how people eat food in the future by mixing food components like you mix two colours to make a third. Another fun thing that we discover in the TARDIS is the fault locator. Again like the food machine it doesn’t last very long but it helps make the ship seem more than just a ship.

The headache is something that seems quite trivial. It’s rested for a while and then when they start to investigate the city they all start to become tired. This isn’t given much time as it will be important in future episodes but these points are placed in the viewers mind to festered until they are mentioned again.

The central performances are all good on the whole. William Hartnell has mellowed some more but there are flashes of defiance at several points during this episode, they are usually aimed at Ian or Barbara and its good how its down to the Doctor’s meddling that affects what happens in the remaining six episodes. Barbara is exasperated at not being back on Earth. She is the one who should refusal to go down to the city and seems to pick up in the scene where she is talking to Susan. Jacqueline Hill really impresses me when she is walking around the corridors and the fear and other emotions are etched on her face and it’s a really good performance from her. Ian is a lot stronger and seems to be keeping it together. He gets to be a bit of an a hero when he taps a container with a stick. William Russell keeps it relatively calm throughout the episode and doesn’t really have a great deal to do in this story. Carole Ann Ford moves from good to bad in this episode the scene where Susan is on her own as they are making their way back to the TARDIS and she is looking at a flower was a lovely moment and was well acted by Carole Ann Ford. The mystery of who the hand belongs to on what was called a dead world is one of the first mysteries in the story and is made more dramatic by Ford’s performance but then some of Susan’s body language and the way that Carole Ann Ford’s delivery of some lines is quite child like and its frustrating because Carole Ann Ford is reduced to sitting at a desk drawing like a naughty child and being looked down at by Barbara.

Some of the directing is really well done and its helped especially by the sets of the city. There’s a shot with Barbara walking through the corridors where the camera appears to be at an angle and then when she’s investigating a room she puts her hand on the camera to convince the viewer that she’s not in a studio. Christopher Barry’s debut episode in Doctor Who . Something I haven’t noticed really until now is that like the first episode of ‘An Unearthly Child’ its really just the regulars that appear and no one else. The fact that its just the regulars is not noticeable really because their performances are so good and the writing and directing don’t allow you think that.

The cliffhanger is the one that is most iconic in the show’s history and whilst it might look very impressive on TV (and it does), it loses a certain amount of mystic when you realise that it was just a sink plunger being held by someone out of shot. That said it is an impressive cliffhanger that is matched only by the cliffhanger from ‘An Unearthly Child’. It’s an episode that doesn’t really get going until the 15 minute mark in which case it builds up nicely and reaches a fitting end to the episode.

EPISODE 2 – THE SURVIVORS
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 28 December 1963

After the last episode, people up and down the country must have been wondering what was on the end of that sink plunger. However they decided that we would have to wait a little longer to find out as we return to the Doctor, Ian and Susan who are still looking for Barbara. They are much weaker than they were in the previous episode and it’s not long before they discover the Geiger counter (or the Skaro equivalent) and figure out that they are suffering from radiation poisoning. It’s also at this point that the Doctor confesses that there is nothing wrong with the fluid link like a child confessing to their parents that they have broken the family vase.

It’s nearly 5 minutes before we get our first site of the Daleks. But when we do we’re not just treated to one, but to several and their monotonous voice must have struck fear into many people. We are also treated to what happens when people don’t follow their instructions and William Russell becomes the first person ever to feel the effects of the Daleks’ gun. It’s a shame they didn’t have the catchphrase ‘Exterminate’ yet. The effect was simple but effective.

After Ian has been struck down we are told that it’s not permanent so it’s nice to know that they can change the setting on their gun. Barbara is reunited with the Doctor, Ian and Susan and their cell is quite big but sparse. Nice bit of humour when Barbara notes that there isn’t much furniture and Ian responds by saying that it doesn’t help very much.

We find out that there are the metal creatures and they are fighting against Thals. We get a nice bit of history about the war and when the Daleks are talking about the Thals we learn just as much about the Daleks as we do about the Thals because the Daleks tell the Doctor that the Thals must be horribly mutated and this creates a nice bit of drama as one of the regulars are being told to go back into the forest. This is done during the first encounter between the Doctor and the Daleks. Quite a historical episode yet its wonderfully standard. The Doctor is weak and yet the Daleks don’t really care. 

The central performances are all very good. I love how William Hartnell’s hair seems to have a mind of its own. It’s all up in the air in an attempt to show the viewer that he’s affected by the radiation. Hartnell is good in this because the Doctor has to take some responsibility for them being sick and captured and he does this very well. The Doctor seems to be affected the most by the radiation. Apart from his scene with the Daleks, he doesn’t really do very much in the episode. William Russell puts in another good performance. Despite being sick, Ian is willing to go out to get the anti-radiation drugs. He feels like it should be his responsibility to get the drugs even though he can barely walk. Carole Ann Ford is very good in this episode and it might be more to do with how childish Susan has been in recent episodes. Apart from her reaction to the Daleks (which is a perfectly natural reaction), she is perfectly fine and Carole Ann Ford is given something decent to do. She’s given the cliffhanger all to herself which she does well with. Sadly Barbara isn’t given much to do in this episode. She spends all of it locked up and when they are reunited, she has got worse. Jacqueline Hill has to basically do capture and suffering from radiation sickness type acting which she does perfectly fine but it wasn’t her finest episode but it’s more to do with the writing than the actress herself.

Despite this being the sixth episode in the show we learn that there is a defence mechanism on the TARDIS lock. This plot point serves a purpose here but it’s never mentioned again. It means that Susan has to go and it forces the character to do something she probably wouldn’t have done normally.

This is another well directed episode. There are some shots in the Dalek Command Room where the camera is sitting on the floor means that we are looking up at the Daleks. There were a couple of shots like this. The shot where it starts on the regulars but pulls back to show them surrounded by many Daleks is one of my favourites.  There is a curious return of the static shot whilst the actor is running on the spot. This time its Carole Ann Ford and I still think it’s a rather curious way of filming.

The final couple of minutes are focused on Susan as she makes her return to the TARDIS. It’s perhaps the most screen time she’s had to herself since the show started and together with the directing it’s a scene.  As cliffhangers go, it’s the weakest one so far. Susan exiting the TARDIS and then it fades to black. It’s not the worse cliffhanger in Doctor Who history but after 5 cliffhangers which have all been strong it’s a shame that this one falls a bit short of what we have come to expect. As an episode it only really has one selling point and that was finding out what was on the end of the sink plunger and there was an awful lot of sitting around talking with not much in the way of activity. A good episode but not as much fun as the previous episode

EPISODE 3 – THE ESCAPE
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 4 January 1964

The next instalment is where the story really picks up as we get a full sense of the conflict that happens on Skaro. After the rather ordinary cliffhanger the story picks up quickly when Susan encounters her first Thal. We get our first look at the Thals and its at this point that learn that the Thals aren’t mutants but are human looking. Alydon is the name of the first Thal and the handing over of the cloak seems like a gentlemanly act but it becomes a subtle plot device. It’s not long before the TARDIS crew are getting better. It’s perhaps the best because we couldn’t really have had more time given to them suffering from radiation sickness.

Susan wants to help the Thals even when she’s locked up. I thought it was a nice selfless moment because even though she’s trapped she wants to help others which is a nice character trait.

I thought a good scene took place between two Daleks as there is a bit of team bonding going on. Nice bit of complimenting each other on letting the TARDIS crew live. The Daleks don’t seem to be particularly menacing as all they really do is talk and bring food in to the prisoners. They shoot themselves in the foot (if they had one) when they let slip that they know the TARDIS crew want to help the Thals.

The Thals are quite naïve, still believing that they can work with the Daleks. At time they are quite annoying with only Alydon being good on screen. John Lee is a good on screen presence and is the best one out of the speaking Thals that we encounter. It’s quite good writing by Terry Nation to make it seem like a totally one sided battle as the Daleks have technology and weapons that can kill without them getting a scratch whereas the Thals are the exact opposite.

The scene where they fake an argument and break the camera in their cell was comedic.  Hartnell’s attempt at acting up is quite amusing. The whole sequence where they finally get to put the Dalek out of action was a nice scene and after a lot of sitting down we got something to enjoy. We don’t get a proper look at the creature inside the casing but William Russell and William Hartnell both do a good job in conveying the horrible mess that must be in there. It’s probably best not to have seen something because it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as it would be in our imagination.

At the half way point they stumble across the fact that the floor is metal and it’s the way that the Daleks move about. It’s a good moment as it shows that there is a way of defeating the Daleks or Dalek in this case and its not long before they become unstuck.  It’s the first time since ‘The Cave of Skulls’ that they have had to work together to solve the problem. Ian comes up with a plan to get their way out of the cell.  Barbara is quite resourceful here by making mud with the dirt on Susan’s shoe.

No one really stood out as far as the regulars were concerned. William Hartnell’s hair doesn’t seem as mad as previous episodes but again he doesn’t do a great deal. He becomes more involved in the latter stages of the episode but he wasn’t the best one in the episode. This was Carole Ann Ford’s episode as she stopped being told to be child like and acted more mature. Jacqueline Hill suffered like the Doctor and only really came into her own once the plan to escape started. William Russell got to be a bit heroic when he had to help the Daleks’ sucker arm reach his neck but at least he got to do something apart from sit down. Nice moment with Ian and the Doctor working together. It makes a change from previous episodes and it shows that things are changing between these two.

It’s another disappointing cliffhanger I’m afraid. All that we have is the claw of whatever was inside and then it fades to black. Rather lacklustre after the dramatic attempt to escape the cell. As an episode it was quite a good one as we are introduced to some more characters and the circumstances of both sides became a lot more interesting.

 

EPISODE 4 – THE AMBUSH
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 11 January 1964

After a less than impressive cliffhanger the story starts with the regulars trying to get out of the city. The first bit of tension comes when the Doctor, Susan and Barbara are trying to get Ian out of the empty Dalek. They can’t get it open and this is whilst the daleks are trying to burn their way through the door. The first thing they try to do is to move Ian into the lift but we learn that they can magnetise the floor. The next few moments are quite good as there is the possibility that the Daleks will get through before he can get the latch open. There is some noticeable special effects in this episode. The effect of the regulars in the lift is rather well done.

I described the Thals as naïve but to be fair they are more desperate that naïve because they are desperate for food. They are reluctant to get involved in any fighting which is quite nice but when its against something as cruel and twisted as the Daleks then it effectively means that they have no hope. Ian summed it up best when he thought the reason why the Daleks were the way they were was because of dislike for the unlike.

It’s very much an ensemble piece this episode because no one really stands out in any way. Susan does go a bit like a child when she shrieks that they should go back down the lift to get Ian. She seems to take a step back after the previous episode. It was good when she tried to create a diversion for fearing that the Daleks would rumble their plan. William Russell gets to be a hero again as he decides to go and warn the Thals however it’s a bit unfortunate he leaves it for as long as he does before warning them. Jacqueline Hill puts in a perfectly fine performance but doesn’t really have much to do. It’s a shame really but

The scene where the Daleks are waiting for the Thals is actually my favourite part of the entire episode. It’s so well done as the directing makes it more dramatic along with the music. You are instantly aware of what’s about to happen and the impending inevitability of what will happen makes for a great scene. Christopher Barry returns to the directing chair for this episode and it shows as at one point the camera is behind a Dalek that seems to be looking out behind the wall which is seeing the Thals wonder into the room.

The security in the city isn’t very good as the regulars can run about without encountering a single Dalek. There have been four or five Daleks on screen yet no attempt has been made to make it seem like there are many more. As for the Daleks themselves they don’t feature as much as they have previously as the action takes place between the regulars and the Thals. After learning a bit about their history and talking the Thals into fighting the Daleks they decide to leave but they realise that Ian doesn’t have the fluid link and it’s still in the city.

The cliffhanger for this episode was much better than the previous two. There is a real sense of dredd knowing that they will have to go back into the city and the attempt to try and get the Thals fighting will have more importance in future episodes. The episode was another one where there is an awful lot of sitting down or walking from one place to another. The title was very apt and related very well to the episode. It’s only the section where Ian is in the Dalek and they are trying to get out of the city that really seemed any good but it wasn’t a terrible episode as we learnt a bit more about the history of Skaro.

 

EPISODE 5 – THE EXPEDITION
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 18 January 1964

As the title suggests, this story is about an expedition and its where the regulars attempt to retrieve the fluid link from the city.  The first half is basically the regulars arguing with each other about whether Ian should try to talk the Thals into helping them and then decide that the Thals can only help them if they want to help them.  Ian isn’t willing to push too hard in convincing the Thals to sacrifice their lives as he doesn’t want the deaths on his conscious. It’s quite funny when they are trekking through the jungle when its clear that Ian hasn’t exactly dressed for a journey of this. The plan to try and retrieve the fluid link is to split into two parties. This is the first time that the regulars have been split up. Ian and Barbara go through the caves and the Doctor and Susan have the seemingly easier job of going to the front of the city.

I was really impressed with William Russell. The scene where he’s trying to convince the Thals to fight and provoke Alydon into combat was a good scene.  The most surprising thing about Susan in this episode is that she climbed the tree and didn’t sprain her ankle. Apart from Carole Ann Ford didn’t really have much to do which is presumably why the best thing they could get her to do was to climb a tree. Jacqueline Hill starts off with not much to do but there is a romance that starts in this episode between Barbara and Ganatus. William Hartnell has a good scene where he acknowledges that his little attempt to see the city has backfired spectacularly. Thought it was a good moment from Hartnell and it was well supported by Russell.

It’s good that we get a bit more from the Daleks in this episode. The Daleks figure out that the anti-radiation drugs are lethal to them so they decide that the only way to survive is to drop another bomb. I think that its gives the journey of the regulars and thals a greater sense of urgency. I noted in the previous episode about the lack of Daleks in the story and they do seem to have addressed that issue to a certain degree but its not as successful as it was perhaps intended to be.

Alydon is a character of principal and despite striking one of the main characters, its not enough to dislike the character. He gives a great speech where he talks about not being ashamed to die but being ashamed to fight. The fact that the rest of the Thals are willing to support him without any sense of dissension shows that he is very strong character. My opinion of Dyoni has improved quite a lot as I thought that her reaction to Alydon hitting Ian was quite good. Virginia Wetherell has been given a pretty standard role and she has done well with it.

There is another unusual shot with the camera positioned right by the sucker arm. It’s another Christopher Barry episode and another episode where his distinct style is on show here. There is the moment where a Dalek is reacting badly to the drugs and the camera is zooming in and out. It’s quite a good effect though its slightly ruined by the shot of the cardboard cut out daleks.

The cliffhanger was a good one. Elyon is at the lake and the weird looking monster is about to grab him. We don’t see that as presumably the BBC budget wouldn’t have stretched to it. There is an awkward where Ian and Ganatus don’t seem to move until they do spring into action and thus the episode ends. I quite like this episode. It’s like the Daleks story is split into two sections and the section part is now starting with the long trek, I thought that the dialogue was very good and the directing something to behold. With the final two episodes coming, I think that my opinion of this story hasn’t really changed. I’ve appreciated the directing a lot more and whilst I have always thought that Christopher Barry is a good director but these couple of episodes have confirmed it. The writing has also been quite good if the action has been a little slow at times but I’ve been pleased with it so far.

EPISODE 6 – THE ORDEAL
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 25 January 1964

The penultimate episode is where the trek really gets interesting. The long pause before the they react has been cut down which I’m glad because it was a really odd moment. Now we get to see the other party but at the beginning all they don’t seem to achieve as much in this episode as Ian’s party. I prefer the Doctor’s party because no one is annoying. The party that Ian and Barbara are with is filled with slightly annoying people. I’m not a big fan of Antodus. I think he always been a bit wet and does nothing but bring everybody down. It just gets worse when part of the cave comes down. It’s not necessarily the fault of Marcus Hammond but the character doesn’t really serve a purpose. His falling off the cliff and having trouble to hold is the beginning of the end for the character and Antodus isn’t a Thal that will be missed. Ganatus and Barbara’s romance continues to grow. When he has fallen to the bottom of the cave he seems more concerned with Barbara’s wellbeing.

There are something’s in this episode which make me go mmmm. I always find the line “We wont use one of the customs on your planet…..ladies first!”. We never hear anyone use it so it’s a bit odd that someone from Skaro knows this. Either it was in a deleted scene or other people from earth have been on Skaro. Another thing that I find odd is the scene where the Doctor and Susan are shortening out the circuit and whilst the Doctor is praising himself at what he has done, they don’t seem the Daleks coming towards them.  The Daleks are tiny things that blend into the background so it’s a bit hard to believe that they didn’t see them coming.

The Daleks are menacing in this episode as their plan to nuke the planet for their own ends starts to gather pace with the only issue being time. There is a moment where they are doing the Nazi salute and it’s a powerful image and one that matches up with their opinions on the thals. This doesn’t come until near the end of the episode but at least we don’t get the cardboard cutout Daleks.

William Hartnell is great in this episode, his particular gem of a scene comes when the Doctor and Susan have are sitting on the floor and the Daleks tell them the plan and he says “That’s sheer murder”. After a couple of episodes where he’s not had much to do he finally gets given something good from the start of the episode to the end and he very good. Even his hair has calmed down since the early episodes. William Russell doesn’t have much heroic things to do but he is still a good presence in the episode. Leading the party through the caves he has become the leader of the ‘B Team’. Carole Ann Ford is good in what is becoming a wildly inconsistent character. Susan doesn’t come across like a child and instead acts perfectly normally. Granted she does spend a large portion of the episode attached to William Hartnell’s arm but as a performance it can’t be faulted. Jacqueline Hill has some more stuff to do in this episode and its not just to become love interest but there’s a nice moment where she says that Ian told them something and Ganatus says “Do you always do what Ian tells you to?” and it’s the reactions that she gives which seems to suggest that she has been blindly following his orders and Ganatus has made her realise.

Some clever directing shots where the shot of looking down at Ganatus is done by placing a mirror above the actor at the appropriate height and just moving the camera and filming up. Then there the shot of Ian’s party walking through the cave, the shot is simple but still impressive. The cave scenes are wonderfully dark and atmospheric. I thought that it was a Christopher Barry episode but it was actually a Richard Martin episode and he does very well.

The cliffhanger is literally a cliffhanger. The last shot is of Ian struggling to keep a grip of a tiny rock. It’s the best cliffhanger since ‘The Dead Planet’. As an episode it’s a lot more active than the previous episode. Whereas in ‘The Expedition’ there was a lot of sitting around talking, here they are always on the move and the plot seems to move on a lot more than in previous episodes. The writing and directing were all very good in this episode. Looking forward to the final episode.

EPISODE 6 – THE RESCUE
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 1 February 1964

The final episode and we left Ian literally on a cliff trying not to get pulled down with Antodus. Despite being thoroughly annoying, Antodus gives his own life, whether he knows that he has no hope or he’s trying to save Ian’s life is unclear but it’s a nice end to a character that I haven’t rated very highly. Ian’s party have suffered loss and despite being on the verge of heading back, they discover that they have been travelling near the pipes all the time. When they get back into the city, it’s not long before their presence is felt. This is also the first episode that a Dalek has been seen moving about the corridors.

The Daleks want to go out of the city and think that the bomb will be their best chance. That’s basically their goal in this episode and all is going well until Ian and company storm the room. After the bomb has been stopped their source of power has been also been knocked out and just a they are about to die they plea with the Doctor to help and the Doctor tells him that even if he wanted to he doesn’t know how.

The Doctor and Susan are now tied up in the Daleks control room. In a last final desperate attempt, the Doctor tells the Daleks about the TARDIS. This doesn’t work and what we get is a wonderful bit of tension as the countdown continues and Ian and the rest have to try and disrupt the countdown whilst not being killed by the Daleks. Neither William Hartnell or Carole Ann Ford do much for large chunks of the episode as they are tied up. What little they do is good but it’s Hartnell who has the better dialogue. Carole Ann Ford almost gets a child-free like performance in this episode. But there is a moment where she is wearing something from the Thals, does a spin and then childishly falls to the floor.

William Russell is very good in this episode being the driving force of the party to get through the last bit of the cave. The look on his face when he’s peering through the wall into the room with the pipes was fun too see. Jacqueline Hill was also very good in this episode as she throws herself into some of the more dramatic moments such as when the doors are about to slam down and manages to squeeze herself through the small gap. The romance between herself and Ganatus is short lived and sadly comes to an end and it’s a shame because even though it’s never really been looked at in any way it’s been a nice thing that they have both performed well with.

As a final episode it seems almost like the journey for the fluid link was almost forgotten as the rescue took centre stage. It’s only referred to at the very end of the battle in the control room. Even then it’s not a big thing that the last four episodes have been about getting this fluid link. The battle was rather well done, it was your typical fight with Thals coming down from the ceiling before being gunned down. There is a wonderful final shot of the dead Daleks in their control room it’s the first time there has been any real silence in the story and it’s a wonderful moment, it shows that even in a mini war like what we got there is still losses on both sides even though the Thals came out on top.

The cliffhanger was a fantastic one. Everything is seemingly carrying on as normal but then the Doctor, Ian and Susan (Barbara walks off screen) are thrown to the floor with a white light blinding the screen. At the time it must have been as impressive ending as ‘The Dead Planet’. As an episode ‘The Rescue’ is a really good episode with some good scenes and good performances. Over the course of the last seven episodes the characters have developed nicely with some strong performances from all four regulars. Even the supporting cast have been good even though they aren’t quite given the best costumes in the world. The first encounter with the Daleks is what every Doctor Who story after it will be compared against.

The Android Invasion (1975)

The Android Invasion is a story that I like but not quite sure why. It was part of Season 13 and was sandwiched between Pyramids of Mars and The Brain of Morbius. Written by Dalek creator Terry Nation and directed by former producer Barry Letts. This story emphasises the idea that you should things aren’t exactly what they seem.

There is a lovely build up of mystery in the first episode. The Doctor and Sarah find things that don’t make sense. With the appearance of UNIT it seemed like it would see the return of all the old gang. The story sees the Doctor and Sarah arrive on what looks like Evesham. However not everything is what it seems. They are shot at, see a man fall to his death and when they arrive in the village its deserted until a load of people walk in and then suddenly start walking and talking. Soon we are introduced to Crayford who is an eye-patch wearing man who seems to be taking orders from someone else. Who turns out to be Styggron. The story does see the return of Sergeant Benton (John Levenne) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter). Its nice to see them play their roles in a different way.

The Kraals are a mixed creation. Look at any photo and you can’t fail to be impressed with them. They look grotesque and very impressive, however when they start talking it looks like the masks are too big for them and they are having to really fight to show that they are talking. The ending to Episode 2 is also something that I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand it’s a great revelation that the Doctor knows he’s been walking around with the android Sarah but the way she just falls down and her mask conveniently falls off. It just felt like they couldn’t think of a better way to reveal that she was a robot.

Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen are both superb in this. This is still quite early in Tom’s reign as the Doctor (9th) and its well before his silliness became so much of his act. Both Baker and Sladen have great chemistry and it shows very much throughout this story. Milton Jones is very good as Crayford. You can tell that he’s a nice guy. He’s just someone who has been captured by the Kraals and has been brainwashed by them. Jones puts a lot of energy into the character.

I can’t really fault the directing. The location work is brilliant in this story. There are some really beautiful shots of the village and surrounding countryside. They took advantage of that rare thing in Britain – sun. There was a slightly iffy shot where the explosion of the bomb but apart from that there a so many lovely shot. Terry Nation’s script is also hard to fault. Its not a Dalek story of which there are so many similarities but the benefit of having a non-Dalek story is that it allows Nation to be imaginative and not be restricted.

The Android Invasion is a good standalone story but suffers from being sandwiched between two superb stories. Its ranked 123rd in the Mighty 200 which I do think is a fair assessment. I ranked it one place higher in August 2010. Good location filming along with some good acting makes this adventure a nice enjoyable story.

Silver Nemesis (1988)

Silver Nemesis is the 150th Doctor Who story and is also the 25th Anniversary story. It was also the final appearance of the Cybermen before they would return in 2006. Silver Nemesis is a story that is very underrated and in fact was ranked 176th in the DWM Mighty 200 poll. This was a three part story which was the norm during McCoy’s era. It allows the story to move at a much better pace than a four parter and reduces the need to pad things out. This story is quite interesting in that there are actually three threats that the Doctor must face. The first being the Cybermen who’s appearance was much more regular than it had been in the 1970’s. Then we have the Nazi’s led by De Flores and then Lady Peinforte.

The whole idea that the Doctor sent the Nemesis into space to lure the Cybermen to Earth in 1988 was quite clever though it does lead to the question ‘Surely there was an easier way?’ A lot of time is made in the later part of this story was about the mystery of just who the Doctor is. Apparently (according to the DVD Information Text) its considered that the three people responsible for Timelords were Rassilon, Omega and someone called ‘the other’ who is more of a god-like figure. That figure is apparently the Doctor. I’m not convinced about the Doctor being god but I very much like the mysterious element. In modern TV it’s a useful plot device to create a bit of mystery to try and keep the viewer coming back. In 1988 when the show had been going for 25 years and it must have been a breathe of fresh air to have this mystery about a character that most people knew a lot about.

Sylvester McCoy revels in his outing with the Cybermen. It would have been nice to just have the Cybermen on their own battling the Doctor but McCoy by this point has got his hands on the role and is making the role his own. The revelation that the Doctor is a big fan of Jazz (never mentioned again) was quite a surprise and I don’t know whether McCoy is a fan of Jazz but if he isn’t then it doesn’t show at all. Sophie Aldred was also very good as Ace. This was her first full season as the companion and by this point had gelled well with McCoy and his Doctor.

Despite the serious tones there are a lot of humorous bits. When I first saw this story (after paying £20 for this in late 2002/early 2003) I found the humour to be a bit out of place. However watching it several years later I think some of it works. The skinheads which were a 1980’s product and are infact the pre-cursor to today’s hooded youths added little bit of light relief. When hanging from a tree in just their boxer shorts and asked by the Doctor what happened, they replied “Social Workers”. Funny. Another funny line was when one of the Cybermen after hearing Lady Peinforte shouting “Is this human form of madness?” Its not a perfect story but its more to do with character development. The character of Mrs Remmington is an unnecessary distraction and also the character was very annoying. Also the character of Richard was a bit silly for my liking, true he had his moments and was believable in his terror but I just got the sense that his only purpose was to be Lady Peinforte’s kickbag.

Silver Nemesis is a far better story than its given credit for. Its one of Sylvester McCoy’s best stories on TV and the mystery to his past is one of the main reasons why it should be watched.

Revenge of the Cybermen (1975)

Revenge of the Cybermen was the final story of Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor. Following on the heals of Genesis of the Daleks which is arguably the best of Tom’s stories. It was the first time since 1968 that they had appeared in Doctor Who and would eight years before they would appear again. The most interesting fact is that Revenge of the Cybermen was the first story to be released on VHS (remember them?). It wasn’t until it was rereleased in 1999 that I first got to see it and watched it constantly. The first thing that should be pointed out is the title. Considering that Cybermen don’t have emotions, how can they have revenge?

The problem with this story is that had it featured an alien menace that wasn’t the Cybermen then it would be good four part adventure. However as it was the Cybermen’s first appearance in such a long time it’s a shame that nothing more is made of them. The story itself is slow and dull and the scenes in the caves whilst looking visually stunning at first become repetitive and ultimately stops me from becoming involved in the story. The Vogans whilst have some interesting characteristics are let down by how stupid their masks are. The Cybermen are also disappointing in appearance. They don’t sound right and also the fact they have guns at the top of their heads was something that was a bit silly. Also they walk a bit odd.

All the action on the Beacon was quite interesting. The plague is quite a good plot pushing device because once the regulars become infected (or one in this case) it adds to the drama. In fact all of the scenes on the Ark (sorry Beacon) are well directed and do move the story on a bit, it’s just a shame that the stuff on Voga was so dull. The different heights meant that there some scenes where the Cybermen would have to duck and that slightly ruins the menace of the Cybermen. I am reminded of the helmet that Colin Baker wore in Arc of Infinity and always carried it in his arm because it was thought he would look stupid if he bad to keep ducking every time he walked in or out of a room. It’s the same with the Cybermen. Credit to Michael Briant who did a good job trying to hide this fact.

Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter put in a usual performance. It seems like their relationship has pretty much gelled and for fans that have only seen later Tom performances it seems quite a held back outing. As it was when Baker was still trying to find his feet its not surprising that it’s quite subdue. This story has many instances where you could see that the Doctor doesn’t like Harry particularly. The “Harry Sullivan is an imbecile!” remains one of my favourite lines. It’s also a rare thing that the companion is appropriately dressed for the drama (Sarah). This story also saw Kevin Stoney return for this third and final outing. After playing the sinister Mavic Chen in the Daleks Master Plan (1965-66) and as the brilliant Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion (1968). He is hidden behind the mask but puts in a good performance although it’s not quite up their with his other two.

Something that didn’t strike me for sometime afterwards was how silly the plan of the Cybermen’s was. By crashing the Nova Beacon into Voga would contradict the events of The Ark in Space which is set sometime after the events of Revenge. Ultimately the critiscm that this story has received is one of those rare occasions where I agree with it. There is no tension and really you don’t fear the Cybermen. Its not surprising that it was ranked 130th in the Mighty 200 DWM poll of 2009 but it is surprising that Silver Nemesis is ranked lower (176th). Hopefully this release on DVD will help people see that Silver Nemesis will rank higher than Revenge.

CHEQUES, LIES & VIDEOTAPE
Cheques, Lies and Videotape is probably the highlight of the Revenge of the Cybermen/Silver Nemesis boxset.

Before the easy access of DVD’s and the internet and the notion of regular repeats it was very difficult for Doctor Who fans to watch old episodes of Doctor Who. It got to such levels that fans were paying what would be extortionate amounts of money to watch a story. The makers of this documentary thankfully highlighted this by showing how much it would amount to in today’s money. The one eye-watering fact was when it was revealed that one fan and his friends paid £250 for Doctor Who and the Silurians but in today’s money it amounted to nearly £1000. The lengths that people would go to included begging fans in Australia to send over copies. In many ways it’s a anti-piracy commercial. Showing that just because you’ve got something before anyone else it doesn’t mean that the quality is going to be good. The example was showing how ‘generation’ copies gets worse and worse. By the 11th generation it becomes unwatchable and the narrator says that they could do a worse version because the signal couldn’t be picked up.

The feature runs for about 30 minutes and every single second was enjoyable. It’s an interesting and often unknown part of Doctor Who fandom that shows what it really took to be a true die-hard Doctor Who fan. If this isn’t the best feature of the year then I will buy a hat and eat it.

COMMENTARY
The commentary is the usual interesting affair. It’s not as funny as the Davison commentaries with Philip Hinchcliffe (producer) and Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith). Hinchcliffe’s comments are always informative and never viscious or sugar coated with the passing of some 30 years. David Collings (Vorus) also contributes some interesting stuff along the four episodes.

THE TIN MAN AND THE WITCH CAST
The making of documentary is unfortunately over shadowed by the Cheques, Lies and Videotape feature. There is a lot of stuff about filming in the caves and a lot of time is spent going on about the Witch and how after someone had played around with it by putting a hat and broomstick on it there were mysterious accidents that occurred. All well and good but as this story isnt a particularly memorable story its left to Michael Briant (director) to justify stuff like why the Cybermen shoot things out of their heads.

The Chase (1965)

The Chase is a story that isn’t well regarded by a lot of fans. It was ranked 157th in the DWM Mighty 200 poll from 2009. A lot of people see it as a massive wacky race across time and space and yes it might look like that but to be honest it’s a damn good adventure. It was Terry Nation’s fourth script. It’s a curious story which sees the Daleks chase the Doctor and company across time and space. More for the fact that they can than for anything else. It’s a story that also marks the departure of Ian and Barbara.

It’s unusual to spend just over 10 minutes in the TARDIS with the business of the Tele-Visualiser. We get an Abraham Lincoln speech, a meeting between William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I and a clip of the Beatles on Top of the Pops. This story sees the Daleks using a time machine and this is how the Daleks are able to keep up with them. The story starts on the planet Aridian and whilst the planet itself is quite interesting the inhabitants are not. The outfits look cheap and they have those stupid things on their heads. I just didn’t care about them. It does look at the half way stage that it’s starting to run out of steam. When the TARDIS lands in the haunted house/fairground it’s clear that their just filling air time. There is also the blatant appearance of a Dalek well before it should be there. Had it been there intentionally then everyone in the room would be dead. Instead it just looks embarrassing to any new series fan who is trying to get into classic Who. Another thing that I found hard to watch was the fake Doctor. They don’t get William Hartnell to play both but someone else. The person they got to play the fake Doctor was particularly bad at it and also looked nothing like Hartnell. It doesn’t seem too much to expect for them to have recorded the fake Doctor’s stuff before they did the real Doctor lines and edit it together. Perhaps using the actor who plays the fake Doctor in long shots.

For the rest of the story I really liked. The ending to Episode 1 was very well created. The idea of the Dalek rising out of the sand was a wonderful image and was better realised than the Dalek coming out of the Thames river in Dalek Invasion of Earth. The stuff on the Mary Celeste was actually quite good. I was going through a history phase in my life when I first watched this story (mid or late 1993) and I had heard about the Mary Celeste and to think that the Daleks were responsible was something that made me chuckle. The Mechanoids are also another great creation. It’s a shame that it wasn’t until the 2005 Big Finish adventure ‘The Juggernauts’ that they returned in a Doctor Who adventure. Ok so they are big and don’t really say much but I think that created a bit of mystery about them.

This was the story that saw Ian and Barbara leave Doctor Who. Two of the original three companions were about to leave after spending the last two years trying to get back to 1963. I always enjoyed watching these two because I felt I could connect with them more than Vicki or Susan. Their departure was very underplayed, it was sad but not gushing. Every time I watch this story I hope that something changes and they don’t leave the show, its sad but I don’t care. William Russell and Jacqueline Hill played these two characters brilliantly but in many ways was the beginning of the end for the First Doctor. Apart from the Daleks Master Plan when he had Sara and Steven, the First Doctor would not have any strong companion combinations. The Chase in many ways is a series defining story.

The Chase isn’t as bad as people make out. Instead at worst it could be described as average.

The Guardian of the Solar System (2010)

Never has a release had so much expectation and anticipation placed upon it. When Home Truths was released in late 2008 it was hard to believe what would be to follow. Home Truths was the best Companion Chronicle that has ever been released. The Drowned World followed the following year and whilst it was still one of the best Companion Chronicle stories it wasn’t as strong. This story would have more to do with the events of the Daleks Master Plan story than the previous two. This story would involve Mavic Chen and be about Sara’s desire to change the events of what is about to happen so that the Daleks plan doesn’t get started and perhaps more personally, so she doesn’t kill her brother. The story is set inside a clock that is keeping Earth’s involvement in space moving. The clock is being kept operational by a hoard of prisoners. Then the Doctor, Steven and Sara discover that Mavic Chen is on board. However as this story is set before the events of the DMP it means that the Doctor and Steven cannot meet Chen. Sara has an excuse and gets on quite well with Chen and is so taken with Sara that she is offered a job. However as there is a danger that she might meet herself on Earth she doesn’t go through with it.

The second story strand occurs at the house. So that his daughter could live, Robert has to live in the house but know he wants to end his existence but like most things there is always time for one more story. At the end of the first episode, Robert is replaced in physical form by Sara and Robert becomes the voice of the house. This has to be one of the best cliffhanger endings that Big Finish have come up with. The resolution was also very good as Sara is forced to return because she cannot leave the Island. The scenes with Sara and Robert have always been one of the highlights of this trilogy. The Robert that became the house was surprisingly effective and just as chilling as Sara. The ending was brilliant in that it tied up the ending of the story but left the door open for more adventures. Would Sara go into the TARDIS? Is Robert playing a trick on Sara? Only time would tell. If there was a flaw with this story then it would be that the idea that Mavic Chen has aligned with the Daleks because of the clock’s destruction. I think that’s stretching the theory a bit thin.

Guardian of the Solar System is a fantastic story. It was everything that I wanted it to be. Simon Guerrier should be praised for writing three solid well structured adventures that have breathed new life into Sara Kingdom. If Jago and Litefoot got their own series after one Companion Chronicle then Sara Kingdom should get one as well. I’m not sure quite how it would work but it would be fun. Jean Marsh has been brilliant as Sara. With everything that Jean Marsh has done in her career, it’s an amazing feat for Big Finish to be able to persuade her to reprise a role she played for just three months over 40 years ago. Praise should also go to Niall McGregor who has played Robert with the same brilliance in all three adventures. Hopefully he will return in any future Sara stories.

The War Machines (1966)

The War Machines was one of the first William Hartnell adventures that I ever saw as a Doctor Who fan. It was a story that was set in the ‘modern day’. It saw the sudden departure of Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane) and the introduction of Ben (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills). The story is how computers are connecting with each other which is something that might have sounded far fetched in 1966 but in 2010 it seems like the people involved in Doctor Who were very clever. In fact it was at this time that Dr Kit Pedler (co-creator of the Cybermen) was involved in the show and its stories like this that show how the science was actually making its presence felt in Doctor Who.

The character of Dodo was one that I never warmed to. Even when I first watched this story I found her to be slightly annoying (just watch her in the few episodes of The Celestial Toymaker). She's meant to be a woman who is suppose to embody the 1960's yet when she is in the scenes set in the club she seems like she isn’t use to that sort of environment. To be fair to the character and the actress, she did deserve a much better exit. Being whipped off to a country retreat to recuperate from the hypnotism is all well and good but a simple “Oh Dodo is staying in the country” line is hardly befitting any companion whether you like them or not. It a weird exit on par with the departure of Ben and Polly twelve months later. I thought that Ben and Polly were very good creations. They don’t really suit Hartnell’s Doctor as I think that the last thing he needed was a young and hip companion. The characters don’t seem to be the sort that would meet each other in any other circumstance that being in the same club. Anneke Wills and Michael Craze are very good and even when she was being hypnotised she was very enjoyable. Not believable but enjoyable.

All in all, The War Machines isnt a great Doctor Who story but its ok. The idea of computers linking up and taking over the world is a good one but unfortunatley the WOTAN creations are just rubbish. They too big and too slow. They have ridiculous arms and the smoke that shoots out of just looks silly. I think had they just left the WOTAN ‘robots’ out of the story it would have been a much better adventure. The story bumbles along at a nice pace and its always nice to have a story set in the modern day but it’s one of those stories that doesn’t quite hit the mark.