The Ice Warriors (1967)

The Ice Warriors is a curious story because for one it the debut story for the creatures that are mentioned in the title. This story is missing episodes two and three and as a result it has a slightly disjointed feel to it. The Ice Warriors is a story that shares something in common with things like The Moonbase or The Tenth Planet and that is an isolated place that is under threat from an alien threat. The slight difference is that the Ice Warriors have been there for a long time.

The design of the creatures is very good and surprisingly so for a 1960’s TV story. They lose something when they appear in colour in a few years time but in monochrome they have a certain look to them. The Ice Warriors plan is simple. They want to melt the ice so that they can release more Ice Warriors and take over the planet. As plans go, it’s pretty strong but the problem with this story is that it isn’t six episodes worthy. I think that there is an awful lot of padding needed and the story could have been four episodes long and still been better.

The main characters are very good and despite Victoria being in the group, there is a strong vibe to them. Troughton is on good form here and has quite a distinctive look with the thick coat on. Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling are also on good form though Watling does have to fall into screaming companion a few times and that is slightly disappointing. There is a sense that someone has been reminded about the time when Ian Chesterton was paralysed and couldn’t walk for a while, in this story Frazer Hines has to play Jamie who can’t walk and in one scene has to be dragged by Peter Sallis. It’s a slightly disappointing thing for the character and for Frazer to have to put up with.

Some of the supporting cast also put on a good show with Peter Barkworth as Clent being the highlight. He is the typical leader who won’t listen to anyone and expects people to follow and listen to him intently. He is a spineless character and I instantly disliked him which is what I suppose they were trying to achieve. Peter Sallis is also another actor who gives a strong performance. As Penley he is a former scientist who has ditched life in the glossy ice base and decided to rough it a bit. Not the place I would have done it but it’s a nice performance and whilst at first its easy to think of him in Last of the Summer Wine or the voice of Wallace in Wallace and Gromit but soon those thoughts are replaced with the story and his character.

The outfits that the crew at the base wear are slightly amusing because they look like a psychiatrist’s ink blot thing and it something that only could have come from the 1960’s. The idea also that the base is designed like a country mansion is like some from the 1960’s version of Changing Rooms has come in and told them how to design the place. The sets outside the base are something that deserves comment because it’s admirable of what they can achieve on a little budget and on this story they do a reasonably good job. The scenes set outside were a little boring but the rest of them were quite good and it felt like this story was taking place over a large space.

The Ice Warriors is a good story and its one of those that has changed in my opinion since the last time I watched/listen to this story. The Ice Warriors are a really good design and this is there second best story and it’s just a shame that its two episodes too long but Brian Hayles (writer) has done a good job and has created an impressive story and this fifth season is continuing to impress.

The Macra Terror (1967)

The Macra Terror is a story written by Ian Stuart Black who had previously written the slightly dull ‘The Savages’. At this point in the show’s history it’s still under a period of instability. At times I am still thinking about William Hartnell and pining for him to return and fluff the odd line. That said it must have been worst for people watching in 1967. It’s still a period of adjustment for Frazer Hines who is still finding his feet and has to play second fiddle to Ben and Polly. The Macra would of course make a cameo appearance in Gridlock some 41 years so for a lot of people this would be the most that we would ever see after the 1967 episodes were wiped. The setting is a curious one because it seems that it’s a restricted environment with a sort of Butlins. We have a slightly dodgy happy chirpy tune that plays a lot especially at the beginning.

The problem with this story apart from the uneasy feeling of the production and the personnel is that the story is fairly lacking in anything of dramatic interest. Ok there is a Macra that seems to be lurking in the background as you would expect but apart from that there is very little to speak of. I think had I a visual copy of the story then it would be a much better story. Though I think that the Macra isn’t particularly impressive. I think that it’s a major fault considering the story has Macra in the title. What I will say the audio has in its favour is that the cliffhangers are quite good. I did quite like them though that might have something to do with the narration which was constantly impressive.

The regulars are all not on fine form. Troughton is still not being given a script that benefits his acting talents but still manages to get something out of the story. Michael Craze and Anneke Wills are on quite good form and in their penultimate adventure it’s a shame that Anneke Wills reverts back to screaming way too much. Some of the supporting cast are interesting but with them being on audio they do all tend to blend into one. Peter Jeffrey is the best of the rest as the Pilot.

The Macra Terror isnt the worst story ever however neither is it the best and I think that there are things that do work in this story but ultimatley in the annals of Doctor Who history it doesn’t quite rate as highly as other Troughton stories.

The New World (2011)

Torchwood is back. After the impressive Children of Earth, Torchwood has returned to BBC1 primetime except this series is a little different because it has major American funding from the network Starz (nope, me neither). Apparently FOX were going to co-produce it but that fell through (someone must have reminded them of the 1996 movie). The basic premise was made clear by the trailers. There is a day when no one dies, nobody around the world. The scheduling has been commented on because Americans get to see it a whole week before everyone else. I don’t have a problem with this personally because if they are stumping up most of the money then they should at least have the right to show it first. Secondly there are scenes in the American version that won’t appear on the UK version. Again I don’t have a problem with this, as long as we don’t lose anything from the story then I can live with differences. Written by Russell T Davies (creator) and directed by Bharat Nalluri (conceived the BBC One show Hustle).

This means that the series will be split between the US and Wales. Before the episode started the continuity announcer said that there may be some scenes that we would find distressing. Normally this is nonsense but within the first two minutes there is an execution and its one of the most graphic and uncomfortable scenes that I have witnessed.

They spend the first part of this story emphasising that no one is dying and whilst in Wales, Gwen and Rhys are living the quite life. They are holed up in some idyllic country house by the coast. They are presumed dead after the 456 business in COE. However like most things the this show, that doesn’t last for long. Gwen’s father is unwell and she has to make the decision to come out of hiding. This was possibly the only way that this was going to happen and despite how weak it might be it is good enough for me. What I was quite amazed by is how it was 20 minutes before we saw John Barrowman. It’s the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 thing where it’s about half an hour before we see Johnny Depp. In this I was starting to wonder how he was going to appear. It wasn’t in a flash of blinding white light but the exact opposite.

In a clever but blatantly obviously (after it’s revealed) plot twist, when everyone can live forever we now find that Captain Jack can die. This is revealed in quite a low key manner. However it’s a significant moment because it’s ringing the bell that Jack isn’t immortal and the next time shoots him in the head of buries him in concrete he won’t be coming back for air. I wonder how long it will be before this happens, clocks ticking.

Oswald Danes is a paedophile who at the beginning of the episode is suppose to be executed. Bill Pullman is extremely good in this episode. He is instantly unlikeable and in his first scene where is he talking, he is clearly a smart (if mentally sick) individual. He doesn’t actually have much to do in this episode but to be honest, he will get to be centre stage in future episodes. Mekhi Phifer is a character that I know I’m going to take a while to get use to. Having being irritated by him in ER when it was on, he plays Rex Matheson who is when we are introduced to him is driving erratically in the torrential rain behind a truck which is carrying poles which after emergency breaking causes one of the poles to slam into Rex.

John Barrowman is a curious person. Whenever I see him on other shows he is over the top and quite annoying and I want to hate him and partly do because when is playing Captain Jack he is really good. He can act, he can make us care about the character and make us laugh when he’s been camp but I can’t find it in myself to fully hate the man. He does seem to be in his element in this series because he doesn’t stand out as an American in Wales. Eve Myles is really good and it’s hard to believe how far she has come since the very first episode in 2006. The double act between her and Tom Price is a nice little moment

The story does that thing that Russell T Davies loves to do and that is to bring up news reels like it’s trying to convince us that it’s meant to be real life. Normally this wouldn’t bother me but if it’s meant to be a worldwide issue, shouldn’t there be more foreign news channels. Or at the very least there should be a BBC news channel. The story doesn’t shy away from the goriness which is quite refreshing. Admittedly I was shocked by the execution at the beginning but that’s due how close to the beginning the story it started. There is another grim moment where a guy who has explosives strapped to him and as he cant die he ends up in a morgue on a slab looking like a slab of meat with a head. Then Jack comes up with an idea to decapitate the head. The way this was done was a bit stomach churning and mercifully this was over relatively quickly. This was the clearest sign that this series was going to be different and possibly in a good way. There are some scenes in this episode which we wouldn’t have seen in previous series of Torchwood but that what happens when the series is American-fied.

This episode is a groundwork episode. To many it’s been called a pilot in effect but that’s wrong because it’s not a pilot by any means if they just move country. The story does a good job in introducing to the many characters and to give us a feel of how the series will be structured. The teaser trailer at the end of the episode shows that this series could be really good. I was a bit mixed when I initially watched it on Thursday but on Saturday evening after watching it for a second time. I found it more impressive and I was able to enjoy it a lot more. The only question is ‘What is causing all of this?’ A good start.

Forever (2011)

Forever is the final story in what has been a truly impressive season. This story was written by David Wise who is a name that I never heard of before but according to Wikipedia, Wise has written for Buck Rogers, Transformers (animated) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This story sees the regulars arrive in a version of Gallifrey where they have been trying to work on time travel. This version suffers greatly from assassinations as their Romana is assisnated within minutes arriving. I was quite worried at first that ‘our’ Romana was just going to be pretending that she is the real Romana but thankfully this wasn’t the case. What this story deals with is Romana trying to change things for the better and there is a sense that she is trying to do what the Doctor would normally do.

The story picked up a great deal when Carole Ann Ford got involved. I didn’t realise for a few moments that it was her but as Unit 190. I do think it was a bit of an odd role to give her. I think that the other big names were given more substantial roles and she really was given the short hand in this one. That said when she is involved in the story she is good. The conclusion of the story sees the departure of K9. For someone who doesn’t really like that Tin Dog, I found the scene to be quite sad. I think that over the last couple of stories I have grown to like him. Lalla Ward was really superb in this and I think its her best story this is purely because she comes to the realisation that in every version she has been in she has pretty much destroyed the inhabitants. This is mirror to what happens to the Doctor when he tries to help but lifes end up being lost. Louise Jameson is also very (as she has been all series). Now that her sight has returned she is back to her very best and I liked it when after K9 had gone that she was angry and shouted at Romana. This was Leela at her best and was a brave way to end the series. With the characters unwillingly settling down on this version of Gallifrey it’s the most suitable way to end the series and brings to a close a good story.

Forever isn’t quite the finale that I think that it should have been but to be honest its still a good story and it was satisfying conclusion to the series. Hopefully now that I have caught up with the series it wont be five years before the next series. Overall this series has been the best. I get the impression that some might not be so keen on it as it doenst have the complexity of the previous series but to be honest they can go back and listen to the previous series because I thoroughly enjoyed this and was just disappointed that its taken me four months to get through this.

The Evil of the Daleks (1967)

The Evil of the Daleks bring the first season of Patrick Troughton’s tenure as the Doctor to a close. It’s quite fitting that the Daleks were chosen to introduce Troughton and they have been chosen to bring the curtain down on the fourth season. The story follows on immediately from The Faceless Ones so there is no room to pause for a moment about the departure of Ben and Polly but instead discover who has nicked the TARDIS. Written by David Whittaker who’s previous contribution was Power of the Daleks and the first issue that I have with the story is that at seven episodes long, it is about 3 or 4 episodes too long. It’s not until Episode Three that the story really gets going and sadly its only episode two that exists on video. It’s a nice teaser for what the story could have been like.

The story goes from 1966 to 1866 where Edward Waterfield has been instructed to bring the Doctor and Jamie to the 19th Century where his daughter has been held captive by the Daleks. I didn’t really like the character of Edward Waterfield because I never believed in the character. He was just a bit too spineless for my liking and had it not being that I think Debroah Watling is such a nice person then I wouldn’t have cared what happened to Edward or Victoria Waterfield. On the subject of Victoria Waterfield, I have always a liking for the character. Ok she wasn’t in the show for very long and she did say ‘Jamie’ in a slightly irritating tone but I think that Debroah Watling was very good in this story despite starting off in the Dalek’s custody.

Patrick Troughton is well and truly the Doctor. After a slightly dodgy start where the producers were still trying to get a story that would suit Troughton’s Doctor, we are getting a good run of stories and Troughton has settled into the role. Frazer Hines has also settled into the role and now that Anneke Wills and Michael Craze have departed from the show it means that Hines can shine and take his place alongside Troughton. I also like how he was defiant against the Doctor and showed us how tough the character can be. Well done to both.

This story sees the introduction of the Emperor Dalek, this is the most high profile Dalek that we had seen up until this point and to be honest it’s a slight disappointment. It’s got nothing to do with the version we see in Bad Wolf and Parting of the Ways but you think that it sounds better than it looks and it’s the first time in listening to the cds that its better than it would have been on video. The idea that Daleks at one point have resorted to wanting to play child games is something that must have seemed barmy in 1967 but nowadays its quite a nice twist on their character and works in the context of this story.

The most notable thing about this story is that it was intended to be the final story to feature the Daleks. After four years and several stories, Terry Nation was going to take his creations to America and give them their own series but that obviously never turned up. This is quite a definet ending for them but as we know that they would return in five years time, this ending can be appreciated in a different way and its one of the best endings to a Dalek story that we have ever had. The Evil of the Daleks is an ok story and despite some people on the web claiming that it was one of the best Dalek stories ever, I have to say that its in the middle as far as I am concerned. But in the context of the fourth series its one of the best because it’s a Dalek story and it’s a nice way to end the series.

Annihilation (2011)

The third part of this impressive series takes a slightly different tone. Written by Scott Handcock (writer of The Magician Oath) and Gary Russell, this story deals with Vampires and I will state now that I cant stand Vampires. Not that I have a phobia of them or something but they just bore me. I wasn’t overly over the moon with The Time Vampire from the Companion Chronicle series. There are two big names in the guest cast list. Katy Manning returns to Big Finish playing Magistrix Borusa whereas Geoffrey Beevers (formerly the Master in The Keeper of Traken) plays Lord Prydon.

This version of Gallifrey sees a civil war (what else) and its between two groups led by Prydon and Borusa. They have been fighting for quite sometime and there is a feeling in the performances that this is the case. In this version of Gallifrey they are not called Timelords but True Lords which is quite a strange title and doesn’t quite sit right in the story. I think it’s a good thing it will probably never be used again. I think that the writers have done a clever thing but referring to Leela’s blindness. I had forgotten about Leela’s age progression being held back whilst being on Gallifrey and despite it being Gallifrey, its not the original and she starts to age but in a clever scene, she is cured and most importantly her eye sight has returned which is a relief because it was restricting what the companion could do and now it wont be referred to ever five minutes. Louise Jameson is on good form again and this is the seventh story within a couple of weeks that I listened to and that she has been in and she is simply wonderful.

Katy Manning is brilliant as Borusa. Having not heard as Iris Wildthyme since Excelis Rising, I am more use to hearing Manning play Jo Grant. She plays the role brilliantly and like Colin Baker in the previous story is one of the best things in this story. That said this story isnt a patch on the previous one but I was still impressed with her performance and it was made even stronger when its compared to Geoffrey Beevers. He has a superb voice and I think that whilst he doesn’t sound that different from when he appeared in Dust Breeding (2001) and also the Target audios but to be honest I don’t really care. The two of them could read the phone book and it would still be interesting. I also have to say that Lalla Ward was very good in this and its her best performance of the series so far.

Annihalation is the inevitable weak link in the chain. It’s not a terrible story by any stretch of the imagination and I would quite happily listen to this story again but I think whereas the previous stories in the series have been so high in terms of quality that anything that was remotely off-target would result in the story being not as highly regarded as other stories. I still think that this series is the best so far and this story has a lot of strong points but one minor point (the vampires).

Disassembled (2011)

2011 TOMS TARDIS AWARD WINNER

• Best Gallifrey Story

The second instalment of this series is my favourite so far. I have to take issue with the new theme tune. Whilst it’s quite a nice one I much prefer the one that had been used in the previous three series. Written by Justin Richards who is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers, this story sees the regulars arrive in another portal except it’s far more brutal than normal Gallifrey. The Timelords in this version are far more involved than we had previous known them to be and there is a Temporal Intervention Agency. Timelords are basically eradicating people out of time to make things better for themselves. The process that this is done is quite a dark and grim one. We encounter a General Leela who is even more aggressive than normal Leela ever was. I had a slight concern that when the two Leela’s inevitably meet that I would have difficultly in telling the two apart but Louise Jameson does a great job in creating two different tones but keeping them appropriate to the character.

The story moves along and is interesting and then comes in Mr Colin Baker. Now I am a big fan of Colin’s and think that his Doctor is one of the best in the Big Finish range but in this story he plays a different version of his incarnation who is called The Lord Burner who as it turns out is the Presidential Assassin. It’s at this stage that the story really becomes a strong contender for Best Gallifrey story ever. The story is trying to rid of a paradox which as anyone who watched Last of the Timelords in 2007 knows that this is a bad thing. The portal plot point plays an important part in dramatic terms and I was worrying that this portal stuff was just a convenient plot tool that was going to become silly however due to the fact that its weakening then it seems like they (the writers/producers etc) knew what they were doing with it. Yet again Braxiatel is used to save the day and I think that he is one of my underrated characters because he is superbly played by Miles Richardson.

There is a nice little cameo from Lisa Bowerman as Bernice Summerfield. This is perhaps done to explain Braxiatel’s arrival in her reality. It was a nice little scene that came at the end of a story that I really had enjoyed and so I had nothing but good will towards it and whether they appear in future stories or not I think that it’s a nice scene that works very well.

The regulars are all on good form with Lalla Ward continuing to show why she’s the better Romana. I think that Louise Jameson wins out of these two because of her portrayal of the ‘bad’ Leela. I also thought that Sean Carlsen put in another great performance as Narvin. You can never quite trust him and his unstable friendship with Leela is a highlight. Colin Baker as I have mentioned is just fantastic in this and whereas it could have been a normal performance like he would in the main range, to appear in a series where he isn’t the star of the story and not try to steal the show is credit to him.

Before I finish, I thought the biggest and best thing about this story is something that literally had shocked me and I was driving on the M6 at the time which isn’t perhaps the best time to be listening to this story. It was the revelation that the Doctor was to be killed and this is why he fled Gallifrey with Susan. Though this isn’t specifically named it’s pretty hard to argue otherwise. When all is said and done this is a brilliant story and this series is shaping up to be the best out of the four so far. It’s clear that the complex stories that were regular in the previous series would be replaced with far more understandable adventures but of course with two more adventures in this series it could all change but at this moment in time (and space) all I have to say is – Marvellous.