There are some impressive things about The Android Invasion. Barry Letts directs with great energy and the individual scenes work very well. The sequence where the android Sarah is unmasked and then sits up and shoots as the Doctor is very memorable. The design work is excellent, with the Kraals being successfully realised as a cross between a Sontaran and a Triceratops. There are also good guest performances, especially from Milton Johns as Crayford and the regulars put in good work- the chemistry between Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen is so successful that it manages to save some scenes that would otherwise be execrable.
However, the story suffers from having one of the stupidest, most poorly thought out scripts the programme has ever seen. This is Terry Nation at his worst, a script formed of set pieces that are clumsily stitched together. This is exemplified in the scene where Sarah twists her ankle for no good reason apart from adding ten minutes to the story time. There are ludicrous elements such as the robot detector and although enough has been written about the plot holes by others, it’s important to take note of how blatant they are- Guy Crayford’s eye, the fact that there is no real need to build the village in the first place, the fact that there is still an invasion fleet heading for earth at the end of the story etc. For this story to work, one would have to have the short-term memory of a cabbage. As soon as one thinks of the story as a whole, the whole thing falls apart. Instead of killing the Doctor Styggron ties him to a war memorial and blows up the fake village for no reason. This looks good and is exciting, but makes no sense in story terms. The opening is memorable- unfortunately it is exactly the same opening used in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. This story is an insult to the intelligence, with all the inherent narrative value of a screensaver.
NEXT: The Brain of Morbius
Showing posts with label Barry Letts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barry Letts. Show all posts
Monday, 16 March 2009
Monday, 23 February 2009
Robot
Terrence Dicks’s Wobot is a story where the Doctor helps UNIT in combating a threat, but it’s all change for this story. There is a new Doctor whose presence colours every scene of the story, while following a format that would easily fit Jon Pertwee’s Doctor. Here, the threat is a giant robot that is being used by a group called the Scientific Reform Society. The plot has a slightly lighter touch than previous stories, with a cosier kind of catastrophe than is usual- in fact the story seems to be aimed more at kids than a general family audience. This is no bad thing and Dicks’s script is full of great lines and good, if sometimes inconsistent, characterisation.
This is helped by a good supporting cast. Professor Kettlewell is obviously meant to be an absent-minded professor from a kids’ TV show, with his cardigan, pebble glasses and wild hair, but Edward Burnham gives him some depth. Then there is Michael Kilgarriff as the titular automaton. His rich voice is a welcome asset, but the real triumph is the wonderful design of the robot. The whole story is generally excellently realised. Just as Jon Pertwee’s debut was shot entirely on film, this story was shot entirely on video, even the location work, which gives the story a very unified look. Problems arise when the robot is required to grow to gigantic proportions- although background and object are better matched, due to the all-video shooting, it is far from perfect and the robot carries a doll to represent Sarah. This part of the story is obviously influenced by King Kong. Perhaps it is thankful that there are no dinosaur fights, considering what happened in the previous season. Then there’s the use of the toy tank, but it’s not egregiously bad.
However, the main reason the story is remembered is the new Doctor. Even today, 28 years after he relinquished the role, to many, Tom Baker is the Doctor. It is his likeness that appeared in episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy, for example and only David Tennant has shaken that stranglehold since then. This is probably due to his unequalled tenure in the role, combined with the fact that it was his stories that reached the widest audience in the United States in the 20th Century. Whatever hindsight reveals, he is phenomenally good in his début- manic, incapable of even sitting normally and full of energy- I love his look of glee when he first sees the TARDIS. It is shocking how young he looks in this story, even though he was over 40. Although it was Jon Pertwee’s Doctor who said that he was serious about ‘what I do. Not necessarily about the way I do it!’ it is Tom Baker who embodies that. This interpretation of the character would be similar to Troughton’s but Baker makes the Doctor seem more alien than he has been since William Hartnell- when he speaks to Kettlewell, initially asking him to explain his solar battery, but then abruptly asking him about the robot- we get the sense that his thought patterns are really non-human. This is reflected in his dealings with the regulars- he is immediately friendly with the Brig and Sarah, but barely registers Benton- until he gives the solution to the crisis. He even drives Bessie in a way that is far from the loving manner that his predecessor had. The regulars react to this new presence very effectively and Ian Marter is instantly effective as Harry Sullivan, a man who, when asked to be James Bond, dresses as John Steed.
This would be a fun little tale ordinarily. Baker’s début makes it unmissable.
NEXT: The Ark in Space
This is helped by a good supporting cast. Professor Kettlewell is obviously meant to be an absent-minded professor from a kids’ TV show, with his cardigan, pebble glasses and wild hair, but Edward Burnham gives him some depth. Then there is Michael Kilgarriff as the titular automaton. His rich voice is a welcome asset, but the real triumph is the wonderful design of the robot. The whole story is generally excellently realised. Just as Jon Pertwee’s debut was shot entirely on film, this story was shot entirely on video, even the location work, which gives the story a very unified look. Problems arise when the robot is required to grow to gigantic proportions- although background and object are better matched, due to the all-video shooting, it is far from perfect and the robot carries a doll to represent Sarah. This part of the story is obviously influenced by King Kong. Perhaps it is thankful that there are no dinosaur fights, considering what happened in the previous season. Then there’s the use of the toy tank, but it’s not egregiously bad.
However, the main reason the story is remembered is the new Doctor. Even today, 28 years after he relinquished the role, to many, Tom Baker is the Doctor. It is his likeness that appeared in episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy, for example and only David Tennant has shaken that stranglehold since then. This is probably due to his unequalled tenure in the role, combined with the fact that it was his stories that reached the widest audience in the United States in the 20th Century. Whatever hindsight reveals, he is phenomenally good in his début- manic, incapable of even sitting normally and full of energy- I love his look of glee when he first sees the TARDIS. It is shocking how young he looks in this story, even though he was over 40. Although it was Jon Pertwee’s Doctor who said that he was serious about ‘what I do. Not necessarily about the way I do it!’ it is Tom Baker who embodies that. This interpretation of the character would be similar to Troughton’s but Baker makes the Doctor seem more alien than he has been since William Hartnell- when he speaks to Kettlewell, initially asking him to explain his solar battery, but then abruptly asking him about the robot- we get the sense that his thought patterns are really non-human. This is reflected in his dealings with the regulars- he is immediately friendly with the Brig and Sarah, but barely registers Benton- until he gives the solution to the crisis. He even drives Bessie in a way that is far from the loving manner that his predecessor had. The regulars react to this new presence very effectively and Ian Marter is instantly effective as Harry Sullivan, a man who, when asked to be James Bond, dresses as John Steed.
This would be a fun little tale ordinarily. Baker’s début makes it unmissable.
NEXT: The Ark in Space
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Planet of the Spiders
One thing that colours all reviews is personal preference- no matter how objective you try to be, it will always colour one’s impression. Therefore, I should warn you that I really enjoy this story, despite its many problems. However, I will try to be fair.
The plot itself is intriguing. The summoning of the Spiders at the meditation centre turns out to be a link between 20th century Earth and Metebelis III of the future, with the Spiders attempting to recover the crystal that the Doctor took from the planet in The Green Death. This brings aspects of the Pertwee era together for its finale- Metebelis III is probably the closest thing to ‘Bad Wolf’ that the original series produced. Jo sends the crystal back to the Doctor with an affectionate letter to the UNIT family. This is all integrated well into the plot, and doesn’t seem gratuitous. More importantly, this is no mere celebration of the past. The Doctor’s past, in fact, haunts and catches up with him. The seemingly meaningless death of Professor Clegg is a timely reminder that the Doctor leaves a trail of destruction in his wake and the Doctor’s taking of the crystal is, in fact, a theft. The Doctor is on trial in this story, and he is, indeed found guilty and must pay the ultimate price. The story is a bit flabby and could have done with some pruning, but Robert Sloman and Barry Letts produce their best script (not saying much, obviously) for the programme, telling an intriguing story with a great deal of thematic depth. Even the basic Buddhism taught only enriches the story, when it could easily have been mere proselytism (Letts is a Buddhist).
In production terms, the strengths of the story can be seen in the first episode. The scenes set at the meditation centre are excellent, with great set design and atmospheric lighting and shows Barry Letts at his very best as a director. The extended chase sequence in episode 2 is the only example of really gratuitous padding, but it at least manages to be visually interesting, with Bessie, the Whomobile, a mini helicopter, a speedboat and a hovercraft being utilised. It’s a real pity that no explanation is given for Lupton disappearing at the end of the chase, rather than immediately, as this amplifies the gratuity of the sequence. The look of Metabelis III is a bit of a let down after this. Some of the sets look cheap and there is too much use of CSO as a background. The Spiders themselves could have been far better realised. However, the Cave of Crystal and the Great One are very effectively realised.
The quality of the performances seem to vary with the location. The scenes set on Earth are strongly acted. The very talented Cyril Shaps makes the most of the brief role of Professor Clegg. John Dearth is suitably slimy and villainous as Lupton and Kevin Lindsay and George Cormack are very impressive as Cho-Je and K'Anpo. John Kane is touching as the innocent Tommy, a role that could easily have been insulting. However, amongst the natives of Metebilis III, only Geoffrey Morris as Sabor is worthy of any praise. Gareth Hunt is adequate as Arak, Ralph Arliss, less so as Tuar. Then there is Jenny Laird. Laird was actually a very experienced actress- she had a large role in Black Narcissus-however, her...presence... in the story doesn’t even deserve being called a performance.
Mike Yates’s involvement is well handled- it is clear that he has been forgiven, though his actions not forgotten, as he never meets the Brigadier in the story. Elisabeth Sladen gives a very strong performance, especially towards the end, ably assisted by Nicholas Courtney. It is interesting how the relationship between the Doctor and the Brig has developed since Season 7. It starts as mutual toleration, but the Brig describes the Doctor as a friend in The Green Death and we see them both at music hall evening where Clegg performs and, for the first time, the Doctor calls the Brig by his first name. In his final regular performance in the role, Jon Pertwee excellently portrays the well written role he is given. The Doctor must face up to the mistakes he has made and pay with his life. the chilling moment when the Great One makes the Doctor dance for her shows this very self-confident character lose control for the first time and, indeed, feel afraid. The regeneration scene (the first to be shown since the first one, and the first to be described as such) is beautifully written and performed. The transition to the next Doctor is rather simply done, but the writing and performances make up for this.
The problems I have outlined are major ones, yet I have always enjoyed this story and the good parts are too good for this story to be overlooked.
NEXT: Robot
The plot itself is intriguing. The summoning of the Spiders at the meditation centre turns out to be a link between 20th century Earth and Metebelis III of the future, with the Spiders attempting to recover the crystal that the Doctor took from the planet in The Green Death. This brings aspects of the Pertwee era together for its finale- Metebelis III is probably the closest thing to ‘Bad Wolf’ that the original series produced. Jo sends the crystal back to the Doctor with an affectionate letter to the UNIT family. This is all integrated well into the plot, and doesn’t seem gratuitous. More importantly, this is no mere celebration of the past. The Doctor’s past, in fact, haunts and catches up with him. The seemingly meaningless death of Professor Clegg is a timely reminder that the Doctor leaves a trail of destruction in his wake and the Doctor’s taking of the crystal is, in fact, a theft. The Doctor is on trial in this story, and he is, indeed found guilty and must pay the ultimate price. The story is a bit flabby and could have done with some pruning, but Robert Sloman and Barry Letts produce their best script (not saying much, obviously) for the programme, telling an intriguing story with a great deal of thematic depth. Even the basic Buddhism taught only enriches the story, when it could easily have been mere proselytism (Letts is a Buddhist).
In production terms, the strengths of the story can be seen in the first episode. The scenes set at the meditation centre are excellent, with great set design and atmospheric lighting and shows Barry Letts at his very best as a director. The extended chase sequence in episode 2 is the only example of really gratuitous padding, but it at least manages to be visually interesting, with Bessie, the Whomobile, a mini helicopter, a speedboat and a hovercraft being utilised. It’s a real pity that no explanation is given for Lupton disappearing at the end of the chase, rather than immediately, as this amplifies the gratuity of the sequence. The look of Metabelis III is a bit of a let down after this. Some of the sets look cheap and there is too much use of CSO as a background. The Spiders themselves could have been far better realised. However, the Cave of Crystal and the Great One are very effectively realised.
The quality of the performances seem to vary with the location. The scenes set on Earth are strongly acted. The very talented Cyril Shaps makes the most of the brief role of Professor Clegg. John Dearth is suitably slimy and villainous as Lupton and Kevin Lindsay and George Cormack are very impressive as Cho-Je and K'Anpo. John Kane is touching as the innocent Tommy, a role that could easily have been insulting. However, amongst the natives of Metebilis III, only Geoffrey Morris as Sabor is worthy of any praise. Gareth Hunt is adequate as Arak, Ralph Arliss, less so as Tuar. Then there is Jenny Laird. Laird was actually a very experienced actress- she had a large role in Black Narcissus-however, her...presence... in the story doesn’t even deserve being called a performance.
Mike Yates’s involvement is well handled- it is clear that he has been forgiven, though his actions not forgotten, as he never meets the Brigadier in the story. Elisabeth Sladen gives a very strong performance, especially towards the end, ably assisted by Nicholas Courtney. It is interesting how the relationship between the Doctor and the Brig has developed since Season 7. It starts as mutual toleration, but the Brig describes the Doctor as a friend in The Green Death and we see them both at music hall evening where Clegg performs and, for the first time, the Doctor calls the Brig by his first name. In his final regular performance in the role, Jon Pertwee excellently portrays the well written role he is given. The Doctor must face up to the mistakes he has made and pay with his life. the chilling moment when the Great One makes the Doctor dance for her shows this very self-confident character lose control for the first time and, indeed, feel afraid. The regeneration scene (the first to be shown since the first one, and the first to be described as such) is beautifully written and performed. The transition to the next Doctor is rather simply done, but the writing and performances make up for this.
The problems I have outlined are major ones, yet I have always enjoyed this story and the good parts are too good for this story to be overlooked.
NEXT: Robot
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
The Monster of Peladon
The Curse of Peladon was an excellent story and was granted this sequel for Jon Pertwee's last season. Things seem to be on track for a successful sequel- rather than rehashing the same themes as the original, the sequel explored the consequences of them, the first time this had been done since The Ark. Unfortunately, things aren't that simple.
The Curse of Peladon had an economical narrative that was well paced over four episodes. The Monster of Peladon, despite having more plot, is still blatantly padded to six episodes. Time and time again, the narrative is broken to have a fight scene and the Doctor keeps escaping and getting captured, with Ortron finding a new reason every time to have the Doctor put to death. This is a pity, as the basic plot is quite sophisticated- joining the federation has meant prosperity for the Pel aristocracy, but no change for the masses. The advent of a war with Galaxy 5 has meant more work for the miners, causing discontent that may result in revolution. However, when hostile forces, in the shape of rebel Ice Warriors arrive, the Pels unite against them. This development doesn't quite work, although there is no reason why it shouldn't have.
The design work is variable. Elements used for The Curse of Peladon work well, but the new elements are less successful. The Vegan miner Nexos looks like a cross between Azal and a chicken and the Pel miners look like blaxploitation badgers. There are only a few sets, something which is unwise in a 150 minute story. Lennie Mayne is too good a director to be totally overcome and it is thanks to him that the story doesn't completely collapse.
Hayles's script lacks the efficiency and great dialogue of the original story.The characterisation is also far weaker, and the guest cast is variable. Frank Gatliff is good as Ortron and Alan Bennion again radiates menace as the Ice Lord. Rex Robinson is not a brilliant actor, but his gruff charisma makes Gebek very likeable. However, Nina Thomas comes short with her portrayal as Queen Thalira and Ralph Watson fails to rescue the rather poorly written part of Ettis. However, the main casting failure is Donald Gee as Eckersley, a thoroughly lazy performance by someone who is clearly at least a competent actor.
Despite the cringe inducing 'women's lib' scene, Elisabeth Sladen is fantastic as Sarah Jane- her grief over the apparent loss of the Doctor is perfectly conveyed and she does, for the first time, her 'about to be shot' performance, something Sladen can do like no-one else. Pertwee is clearly putting his all into it and is great throughout.
Other commentators have repeatedly stated how bad the story is. In my opinion, the story isn't actually bad. It just fails.
NEXT: Planet of the Spiders
The Curse of Peladon had an economical narrative that was well paced over four episodes. The Monster of Peladon, despite having more plot, is still blatantly padded to six episodes. Time and time again, the narrative is broken to have a fight scene and the Doctor keeps escaping and getting captured, with Ortron finding a new reason every time to have the Doctor put to death. This is a pity, as the basic plot is quite sophisticated- joining the federation has meant prosperity for the Pel aristocracy, but no change for the masses. The advent of a war with Galaxy 5 has meant more work for the miners, causing discontent that may result in revolution. However, when hostile forces, in the shape of rebel Ice Warriors arrive, the Pels unite against them. This development doesn't quite work, although there is no reason why it shouldn't have.
The design work is variable. Elements used for The Curse of Peladon work well, but the new elements are less successful. The Vegan miner Nexos looks like a cross between Azal and a chicken and the Pel miners look like blaxploitation badgers. There are only a few sets, something which is unwise in a 150 minute story. Lennie Mayne is too good a director to be totally overcome and it is thanks to him that the story doesn't completely collapse.
Hayles's script lacks the efficiency and great dialogue of the original story.The characterisation is also far weaker, and the guest cast is variable. Frank Gatliff is good as Ortron and Alan Bennion again radiates menace as the Ice Lord. Rex Robinson is not a brilliant actor, but his gruff charisma makes Gebek very likeable. However, Nina Thomas comes short with her portrayal as Queen Thalira and Ralph Watson fails to rescue the rather poorly written part of Ettis. However, the main casting failure is Donald Gee as Eckersley, a thoroughly lazy performance by someone who is clearly at least a competent actor.
Despite the cringe inducing 'women's lib' scene, Elisabeth Sladen is fantastic as Sarah Jane- her grief over the apparent loss of the Doctor is perfectly conveyed and she does, for the first time, her 'about to be shot' performance, something Sladen can do like no-one else. Pertwee is clearly putting his all into it and is great throughout.
Other commentators have repeatedly stated how bad the story is. In my opinion, the story isn't actually bad. It just fails.
NEXT: Planet of the Spiders
Monday, 16 February 2009
Death to the Daleks
Terry Nation’s last story, Planet of the Daleks is one of the very few Doctor Who stories that I have absolutely no desire to ever see again. Thankfully, for his second Pertwee story, Nation produced a script that didn’t merely consist of the reheated scraps of previous, better stories. In Exxilon, Nation creates an interesting alien planet and the underlying scenario of the galactic plague forms an intriguing backdrop to the planet, which contains the mineral parrinium (stop it!) which can cure it. Nation again starts the story with a threat to the TARDIS, but it is part of the plot as a whole and is far more effective than the threat in his previous story. With all this plot, it might sometimes seem that the Daleks are superfluous to the story. However, for the first time we see the Daleks having to survive without their weapons and we see the Daleks as scheming geniuses, rather than merely killers, although there are two rather silly scenes of them committing suicide for no reason. It is, however, a joy to see them replacing their ray guns with traditional percussion instruments- and then using a model TARDIS for target practice. The busy plot means that there is very little padding, which is always welcome.
The production values are very impressive, with good costumes for the Exxilons and the impressive realisation of the Exxilon city. The Daleks have been repainted, which is very welcome, considering their shabby appearance in Planet of the Daleks. The ‘root probes’ for the city are very well done, with one very impressive scene where one rears out of a lake that almost makes one forget that you can see the string holding it up at some points. Michael E. Briant does some sterling work behind the camera, with some slow dissolves and atmospheric day-for-night photography and moody scenes in the caves. However, the daylight scenes are somewhat overlit, which makes the sterile city sets not as striking as they should be and Carey Blyton’s music saps some of the atmosphere- the jaunty Dalek theme is unintentionally comedic and his decision to use saxophones is almost as unfortunate as his decision to use crumhorns for Doctor Who and the Silurians.
The guest cast ranges for competent to pretty good. Joy Harrison and Julian Fox are unspectacular, but effective enough, with Duncan Lamont making Galloway quite interesting. Characterisation was never Nation’s strong point, but the better actors, with Briant’s help, are able to expand on the characters as written. The regulars work their usual magic with what they are given.
This is a rather underrated story. Nation plays to his strengths as a scriptwriter and the visualisation bolsters these strengths. It’s well worth a look.
NEXT: The Monster of Peladon
The production values are very impressive, with good costumes for the Exxilons and the impressive realisation of the Exxilon city. The Daleks have been repainted, which is very welcome, considering their shabby appearance in Planet of the Daleks. The ‘root probes’ for the city are very well done, with one very impressive scene where one rears out of a lake that almost makes one forget that you can see the string holding it up at some points. Michael E. Briant does some sterling work behind the camera, with some slow dissolves and atmospheric day-for-night photography and moody scenes in the caves. However, the daylight scenes are somewhat overlit, which makes the sterile city sets not as striking as they should be and Carey Blyton’s music saps some of the atmosphere- the jaunty Dalek theme is unintentionally comedic and his decision to use saxophones is almost as unfortunate as his decision to use crumhorns for Doctor Who and the Silurians.
The guest cast ranges for competent to pretty good. Joy Harrison and Julian Fox are unspectacular, but effective enough, with Duncan Lamont making Galloway quite interesting. Characterisation was never Nation’s strong point, but the better actors, with Briant’s help, are able to expand on the characters as written. The regulars work their usual magic with what they are given.
This is a rather underrated story. Nation plays to his strengths as a scriptwriter and the visualisation bolsters these strengths. It’s well worth a look.
NEXT: The Monster of Peladon
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Invasion of the Dinosaurs
I like to think that I have good taste when it comes to TV and film (and, for that matter, art, music and literature. Not so much clothes). However, as anyone who knows me can testify, I will watch any old rubbish with dinosaurs in it. Here, everyone’s favourite extinct creatures are used in Malcolm Hulke’s last contribution to the programme. Hulke always tried to present conflict where there would be explanations given as to why each party would act in the way they did. If there were villains, their motives might not be as reprehensible as their actions. Here, we have Operation Golden Age; a group who have decided that human society is dooming itself and the planet and that therefore, the human race should start again- by rolling the planet back in time to before the dawn of man and starting anew there.
The script puts forward ideas related to the threats of pollution, overpopulation and how it can be sensibly dealt with. As the Doctor says, he admires the ideals of Operation Golden Age, but abhors the drastic means to justify that end, just as we should realise that there is no ‘quick fix’ for these problems in real life. There is also the fact that Operation Golden Age is led by well meaning establishment figures who are basically willing to annihilate every human life that has ever existed on the planet (bar a chosen few) to get their perfect society. Bearing in mind Hulke’s communist leanings, is Operation Golden Age a revolutionary force destroying the bourgeoisie or an aristocratic force destroying the proletariat? Of course, I could be reading too much into it, but the script is thought provoking and, whatever the political thought behind it, it is a case of a minority committing atrocities ‘for the greater good’. However, it is less well structured than his best scripts. Although there is good characterisation, it could be better- we never find out what General Finch’s motivations are to become a member of Operation Golden Age. Thankfully the guest performances are outstanding and go some way to compensate for this. The plot thread with the colonists who believe they are on a space ship heading to a new planet succeeds largely because of the performances of the Carmen Silvera and Terence Wilton- otherwise, it would just be a rather silly aside. It is a pity that the 6 episode length couldn’t have been used to develop character, rather than have interminable chase scenes.
The regulars do great work. Hulke had a very clear idea of the Doctor being a very moral person who knew that ends and means cannot be separated morally and Pertwee plays this interpretation of the character with his usual flair and humour. Sarah Jane actually gets to be a journalist in this story and (despite being trapped by both Grover and Finch) shows resourcefulness and intelligence. The most striking character development is, of course, that of Mike Yates. His membership of Operation Golden Age is the only one that is explored in any detail and his betrayal adds to the moral complexity of the story.
Paddy Russell directs with great flair, particularly in the deserted London of episode 1. However, there is a Stegosaurus in the room- the dinosaur sequences. These are among the worst attempts I have ever seen to realise dinosaurs on screen. The models lack any kind of mobility and are sloppily designed. It is also clear that the three Tyrannosaurus models that are used are different colours and shapes. The dinosaur in Doctor Who and the Silurians was hardly of Jurassic Park standards, but at least it could walk. The appalling model work is further exacerbated by the dreaded combination of video and film when combining them with people. All this comes to a ridiculous head with the risible ‘battle’ between the T. rex and the Apatosaurus (incidentally, I find it bizarre that they gave the Apatosaurus a correctly shaped head, but gave the T. rex too many fingers!).
There is much more to this story than having rubbish dinosaurs and, despite the special effects and some plot and pacing problems, it just about qualifies for the ‘worth watching’ category.
NEXT: Death to the Daleks
The script puts forward ideas related to the threats of pollution, overpopulation and how it can be sensibly dealt with. As the Doctor says, he admires the ideals of Operation Golden Age, but abhors the drastic means to justify that end, just as we should realise that there is no ‘quick fix’ for these problems in real life. There is also the fact that Operation Golden Age is led by well meaning establishment figures who are basically willing to annihilate every human life that has ever existed on the planet (bar a chosen few) to get their perfect society. Bearing in mind Hulke’s communist leanings, is Operation Golden Age a revolutionary force destroying the bourgeoisie or an aristocratic force destroying the proletariat? Of course, I could be reading too much into it, but the script is thought provoking and, whatever the political thought behind it, it is a case of a minority committing atrocities ‘for the greater good’. However, it is less well structured than his best scripts. Although there is good characterisation, it could be better- we never find out what General Finch’s motivations are to become a member of Operation Golden Age. Thankfully the guest performances are outstanding and go some way to compensate for this. The plot thread with the colonists who believe they are on a space ship heading to a new planet succeeds largely because of the performances of the Carmen Silvera and Terence Wilton- otherwise, it would just be a rather silly aside. It is a pity that the 6 episode length couldn’t have been used to develop character, rather than have interminable chase scenes.
The regulars do great work. Hulke had a very clear idea of the Doctor being a very moral person who knew that ends and means cannot be separated morally and Pertwee plays this interpretation of the character with his usual flair and humour. Sarah Jane actually gets to be a journalist in this story and (despite being trapped by both Grover and Finch) shows resourcefulness and intelligence. The most striking character development is, of course, that of Mike Yates. His membership of Operation Golden Age is the only one that is explored in any detail and his betrayal adds to the moral complexity of the story.
Paddy Russell directs with great flair, particularly in the deserted London of episode 1. However, there is a Stegosaurus in the room- the dinosaur sequences. These are among the worst attempts I have ever seen to realise dinosaurs on screen. The models lack any kind of mobility and are sloppily designed. It is also clear that the three Tyrannosaurus models that are used are different colours and shapes. The dinosaur in Doctor Who and the Silurians was hardly of Jurassic Park standards, but at least it could walk. The appalling model work is further exacerbated by the dreaded combination of video and film when combining them with people. All this comes to a ridiculous head with the risible ‘battle’ between the T. rex and the Apatosaurus (incidentally, I find it bizarre that they gave the Apatosaurus a correctly shaped head, but gave the T. rex too many fingers!).
There is much more to this story than having rubbish dinosaurs and, despite the special effects and some plot and pacing problems, it just about qualifies for the ‘worth watching’ category.
NEXT: Death to the Daleks
Monday, 9 February 2009
The Time Warrior
Scientists have been mysteriously vanishing from a top secret scientific research complex. It transpires that a Sontaran named Linx, trapped in the Middle Ages, is using crude time travel technology to kidnap scientists from the 20th Century to help repair his spacecraft.
Season 11 brings a new title sequence and a new companion in this great little opener from Robert Holmes. The story itself is simple, but it takes the Doctor into Earth’s past (Atlantis excluded) for the first time in the colour era, which is noteworthy in itself. Again, his script is laced with great dialogue and characterisation, bolstered by an excellent supporting cast. David Daker stops just short of going over the top as Irongron and is ably supported by John J Carney as Bloodaxe. Even the scientists are given a memorable character in the shape of Donald Pelmear’s dotty Rubeish.
Then, of course, there’s Kevin Lindsay’s portrayal of Linx the Sontaran , a brilliant combination of a nicely modulated performance and fantastic make up. Even when the Sontarans returned in 2008, the new makeup was not a radical departure from the original look. The rest of the production values are first rate, with great location work being deployed. Alan Bromly’s direction is sound, although not spectacular and there are some odd editing choices.
Jon Pertwee is wonderfully playful as the Doctor, saying a line that probably describes the programme better than any other- he is serious about ‘what I do. Not necessarily about the way I do it!’ Of course, this story is also notable for introducing the character of Sarah Jane Smith. Of all the companions the Doctor has had, it is Sarah Jane who has stuck in the public’s mind more than any other, a fact reflected in her return to Doctor Who and her being accorded her own spin-off series. Elisabeth Sladen makes an instant impact in the role. It is interesting that she was deliberately introduced to combat sexism- the ‘women’s lib’ aspect is slightly overdone, but not painfully so, and it is unfortunate that the Doctor seems to make fun of it at times (although this, in no way, suggests that the Doctor himself is against it). The empowerment of women is more subtly displayed in the character of Lady Eleanor, astutely described by Barry Letts as a ‘goody Lady Macbeth’ and is always shown as being a stronger character than her husband.
This story is tremendous fun throughout and is well worth a look.
NEXT: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Season 11 brings a new title sequence and a new companion in this great little opener from Robert Holmes. The story itself is simple, but it takes the Doctor into Earth’s past (Atlantis excluded) for the first time in the colour era, which is noteworthy in itself. Again, his script is laced with great dialogue and characterisation, bolstered by an excellent supporting cast. David Daker stops just short of going over the top as Irongron and is ably supported by John J Carney as Bloodaxe. Even the scientists are given a memorable character in the shape of Donald Pelmear’s dotty Rubeish.
Then, of course, there’s Kevin Lindsay’s portrayal of Linx the Sontaran , a brilliant combination of a nicely modulated performance and fantastic make up. Even when the Sontarans returned in 2008, the new makeup was not a radical departure from the original look. The rest of the production values are first rate, with great location work being deployed. Alan Bromly’s direction is sound, although not spectacular and there are some odd editing choices.
Jon Pertwee is wonderfully playful as the Doctor, saying a line that probably describes the programme better than any other- he is serious about ‘what I do. Not necessarily about the way I do it!’ Of course, this story is also notable for introducing the character of Sarah Jane Smith. Of all the companions the Doctor has had, it is Sarah Jane who has stuck in the public’s mind more than any other, a fact reflected in her return to Doctor Who and her being accorded her own spin-off series. Elisabeth Sladen makes an instant impact in the role. It is interesting that she was deliberately introduced to combat sexism- the ‘women’s lib’ aspect is slightly overdone, but not painfully so, and it is unfortunate that the Doctor seems to make fun of it at times (although this, in no way, suggests that the Doctor himself is against it). The empowerment of women is more subtly displayed in the character of Lady Eleanor, astutely described by Barry Letts as a ‘goody Lady Macbeth’ and is always shown as being a stronger character than her husband.
This story is tremendous fun throughout and is well worth a look.
NEXT: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Saturday, 7 February 2009
The Green Death
The Green Death has the Doctor, Jo and UNIT fighting Global Chemicals, who have been dumping toxic waste into the coal mine in the Welsh town of Llanfairfach. This is a green slime which kills on contact and causes the mutation of giant maggots. This is the threat faced by the Doctor in the story, but it is by no means the only thing driving the story. The Green Death uses its 6-episode length to fully explore each of the themes it brings up.
At first glance, the story seems to be stuffed with stereotypes. The Welsh characters drop ‘boyos’ and ‘isn’t its’ all over the place and Professor Jones and the Nut Hutchers make their first appearance looking like a bunch of hippies. This leads one to expect that the Professor will appear intermittently in the story, have the Doctor sympathise with him and get into trouble behind the Doctor’s back and have the Doctor come and rescue him, before assisting him in the final showdown. However, we are drawn into the Professor’s life and, indeed, the Nut Hutch becomes the base of operations for the Doctor, which presents the value of environmentalism in a simple way, without resorting to preaching. Then there are the maggots, for which this story is famous and justifiably so- they are convincingly brought to life by the production team and have to rank as one of the most nauseating Doctor Who monsters of all time. Robert Sloman’s script contains some beautiful dialogue and is excellent at weaving most of these points together. However, the main scheme- the computer BOSS taking over the world- is actually somewhat underdeveloped and could actually have been excised.
However, it is in the interaction and development of the characters that this story really excels. This is, of course, Jo’s last story, and the growing mutual attraction between her and the Professor is beautifully portrayed. She says, at one point, that the Professor reminds her of a younger version of the Doctor and, indeed, with them both looking down microscopes at the Nut Hutch, this is what we get. The Brigadier and UNIT are seen as efficient, but very human- the Brig’s interaction with the Nut Hutch is very different from the reactionary response the audience expects. The sight of the Brig dining at the Nut Hutch in black tie, whilst the others are in their usual clothes and neither being uncomfortable with the incongruity, speaks volumes. The performances are outstanding throughout. Stewart Bevan is instantly likeable as the Professor and it is due to the skills of Jerome Willis and John Dearth that the BOSS storyline works at all. However, the leads should not be forgotten. The Doctor’s mixture of pride and sorrow at the realisation that Jo is moving on is beautifully performed by Pertwee and Katy Manning portrays Jo’s growing independence and maturity excellently. During this retrospective, I was very pleasantly surprised by Jo Grant, expecting to find her annoying. However, Katy Manning always made her worth watching and it is fitting that her departure is so emotional for the characters as well as the viewer.
Michael E. Briant’s direction is astonishingly good throughout. There is an very well executed sequence in episode one, which has Global Chemicals company director, Stevens, explaining how his new oil refining process is more efficient and eco-friendly. This is intercut with the Professor explaining to Jo exactly why it isn’t. The sequences on Metebelis III are both frightening, because of the way they are shot and funny, because of their juxtaposition with events on Earth, without one affecting the other. The production is not perfect, though- there is far too much CSO used as sets and backgrounds. This is a pity, as it is atmospherically and subtly lit elsewhere.
The story ends with one of the saddest shots the programme has ever had- the Doctor driving in Bessie alone. It is a beautiful end to a genuinely great story
NEXT The Time Warrior
At first glance, the story seems to be stuffed with stereotypes. The Welsh characters drop ‘boyos’ and ‘isn’t its’ all over the place and Professor Jones and the Nut Hutchers make their first appearance looking like a bunch of hippies. This leads one to expect that the Professor will appear intermittently in the story, have the Doctor sympathise with him and get into trouble behind the Doctor’s back and have the Doctor come and rescue him, before assisting him in the final showdown. However, we are drawn into the Professor’s life and, indeed, the Nut Hutch becomes the base of operations for the Doctor, which presents the value of environmentalism in a simple way, without resorting to preaching. Then there are the maggots, for which this story is famous and justifiably so- they are convincingly brought to life by the production team and have to rank as one of the most nauseating Doctor Who monsters of all time. Robert Sloman’s script contains some beautiful dialogue and is excellent at weaving most of these points together. However, the main scheme- the computer BOSS taking over the world- is actually somewhat underdeveloped and could actually have been excised.
However, it is in the interaction and development of the characters that this story really excels. This is, of course, Jo’s last story, and the growing mutual attraction between her and the Professor is beautifully portrayed. She says, at one point, that the Professor reminds her of a younger version of the Doctor and, indeed, with them both looking down microscopes at the Nut Hutch, this is what we get. The Brigadier and UNIT are seen as efficient, but very human- the Brig’s interaction with the Nut Hutch is very different from the reactionary response the audience expects. The sight of the Brig dining at the Nut Hutch in black tie, whilst the others are in their usual clothes and neither being uncomfortable with the incongruity, speaks volumes. The performances are outstanding throughout. Stewart Bevan is instantly likeable as the Professor and it is due to the skills of Jerome Willis and John Dearth that the BOSS storyline works at all. However, the leads should not be forgotten. The Doctor’s mixture of pride and sorrow at the realisation that Jo is moving on is beautifully performed by Pertwee and Katy Manning portrays Jo’s growing independence and maturity excellently. During this retrospective, I was very pleasantly surprised by Jo Grant, expecting to find her annoying. However, Katy Manning always made her worth watching and it is fitting that her departure is so emotional for the characters as well as the viewer.
Michael E. Briant’s direction is astonishingly good throughout. There is an very well executed sequence in episode one, which has Global Chemicals company director, Stevens, explaining how his new oil refining process is more efficient and eco-friendly. This is intercut with the Professor explaining to Jo exactly why it isn’t. The sequences on Metebelis III are both frightening, because of the way they are shot and funny, because of their juxtaposition with events on Earth, without one affecting the other. The production is not perfect, though- there is far too much CSO used as sets and backgrounds. This is a pity, as it is atmospherically and subtly lit elsewhere.
The story ends with one of the saddest shots the programme has ever had- the Doctor driving in Bessie alone. It is a beautiful end to a genuinely great story
NEXT The Time Warrior
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Planet of the Daleks
…And we get this. The Doctor and Jo arrive on the planet Spiridon, where the invisible race of natives have been enslaved by the Daleks, who have hidden a huge army on the planet and seek to find the secret of invisibility. The Doctor and Jo join forces with a Thal expeditionary force to combat the Daleks.
In the 60s, Terry Nation was still a jobbing scriptwriter and had to prove to various production teams that he could be relied on to deliver the goods. Come the 70s, things were different and nowhere is this more obvious than in this phenomenally lazy script. Parts of previous Nation scripts are reused. Spiridon is a watered down version of Kembel, the Spiridonians obviously influenced by the Visians. The Jo/Latep attraction is a weak echo of the Barbara/Alydon attraction. The narrative is a weakly connected assortment of even weaker set pieces. The dialogue and characterisation never rises above the functional and the story could be described as padded if there was anything of substance to pad out.
The production values are competent at best. The squirting fungus pods and eye plants are quite imaginative, but the jungle set is otherwise unexceptional. However, cheap unimaginative design litters the rest of the production. Worst of all are the Daleks themselves, who wobble around continuously (explained, albeit inadequately. in the story) and seem in danger of literally flipping their lids (not explained in the story) The performances from the regulars are reliably good as usual, but only Bernard Horsfall stands out amongst the guest cast. It is a pity that this should appear on David Maloney’s CV, considering his outstanding record as a director in the programme.
I would like to know how contemporary viewers felt about this story. Frontier in Space promised an epic story with the Master joining forces with the Daleks. What we get is this. There is nothing really bad in the story, but there is nothing really good. It's just 150 minutes of- nothing. There are several Doctor Who stories worse than this one, but very few more boring- as far as I am concerned, boring is the worst thing a Doctor Who story can be. I was checking my watch half way through episode 2 and it says a lot when the greatest excitement was when episode 3 was in black and white, an effect that will be lost forever due to the very impressive re-colourisation used for the upcoming DVD. This is, quite simply, one of the most unappealing Doctor Who stories of all time.
NEXT: The Green Death
In the 60s, Terry Nation was still a jobbing scriptwriter and had to prove to various production teams that he could be relied on to deliver the goods. Come the 70s, things were different and nowhere is this more obvious than in this phenomenally lazy script. Parts of previous Nation scripts are reused. Spiridon is a watered down version of Kembel, the Spiridonians obviously influenced by the Visians. The Jo/Latep attraction is a weak echo of the Barbara/Alydon attraction. The narrative is a weakly connected assortment of even weaker set pieces. The dialogue and characterisation never rises above the functional and the story could be described as padded if there was anything of substance to pad out.
The production values are competent at best. The squirting fungus pods and eye plants are quite imaginative, but the jungle set is otherwise unexceptional. However, cheap unimaginative design litters the rest of the production. Worst of all are the Daleks themselves, who wobble around continuously (explained, albeit inadequately. in the story) and seem in danger of literally flipping their lids (not explained in the story) The performances from the regulars are reliably good as usual, but only Bernard Horsfall stands out amongst the guest cast. It is a pity that this should appear on David Maloney’s CV, considering his outstanding record as a director in the programme.
I would like to know how contemporary viewers felt about this story. Frontier in Space promised an epic story with the Master joining forces with the Daleks. What we get is this. There is nothing really bad in the story, but there is nothing really good. It's just 150 minutes of- nothing. There are several Doctor Who stories worse than this one, but very few more boring- as far as I am concerned, boring is the worst thing a Doctor Who story can be. I was checking my watch half way through episode 2 and it says a lot when the greatest excitement was when episode 3 was in black and white, an effect that will be lost forever due to the very impressive re-colourisation used for the upcoming DVD. This is, quite simply, one of the most unappealing Doctor Who stories of all time.
NEXT: The Green Death
Monday, 2 February 2009
Frontier in Space
The Doctor and Jo land in the 26th century, a time of great tension between the Earth Empire and the Draconian Empire. Despite the peace treaty between them, reports of piracy of Earth ships by Draconians and vice versa have been reported. The Doctor finds out that the culprits are actually Ogrons, but Ogrons never act alone…
Malcolm Hulke was always interested in telling more sophisticated stories than Earth invasion standards and, whatever the eventual quality of stories penned by him, they are always interesting thematically. The characters are well drawn with believable motivations (although General Williams's change of heart about the Draconians is a bit too sudden). Frontier in Space paints a vivid picture of Earth's future, a world where the government is benevolent, but not above suspending due process and imprisoning dissenters. Draconia too is presented as a culture, rather than as monsters and shock troops. This is bolstered by the outstanding design work. For once, the décor is subdued, rather than extrapolating from the worst excesses of 70's gaudiness. The make up for the Draconians is fantastic- if they were brought back now, there is very little the current production team would have to do to improve it. It is a bit disappointing that all the Draconians wear the same types of clothes, but this is a mere quibble. Fake newscasts add a real sense of a world existing outside the sets, and there is some great location work. Paul Bernard does excellent work as the director (perhaps attempting to atone for The Time Monster!) The script demands an expansive environment and, surprisingly, this is what we get.
The main problem with the story is that it is, yet again, a padded six-parter. The Doctor and Jo spend a lot of time in cells and are captured, interrogated and escape many times. However, although the padding is there, it is not boring so it is forgiveable.
The performances are very good across the board. Vera Fusek is regal and dignified as the President and Michael Hawkins makes General Williams very believable. The regulars are as good as ever, with the great chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning working its usual magic. This is also, sadly, Roger Delgado's last performance as the Master and one of his best. He is given some great lines, which Delgado performs with panache and a real master plan (sorry) to decimate the Earth and Draconian Empires and assisting a third party to claim what is left. The third party is, of course, the Daleks and it sends a real chill down the spine to see Delgado share scenes with the diabolical dustbins.
The last episode ends on a cliffhanger, of course, and this intelligent and highly enjoyable story whets the appetite for an epic concluding half…
NEXT: Planet of the Daleks
Malcolm Hulke was always interested in telling more sophisticated stories than Earth invasion standards and, whatever the eventual quality of stories penned by him, they are always interesting thematically. The characters are well drawn with believable motivations (although General Williams's change of heart about the Draconians is a bit too sudden). Frontier in Space paints a vivid picture of Earth's future, a world where the government is benevolent, but not above suspending due process and imprisoning dissenters. Draconia too is presented as a culture, rather than as monsters and shock troops. This is bolstered by the outstanding design work. For once, the décor is subdued, rather than extrapolating from the worst excesses of 70's gaudiness. The make up for the Draconians is fantastic- if they were brought back now, there is very little the current production team would have to do to improve it. It is a bit disappointing that all the Draconians wear the same types of clothes, but this is a mere quibble. Fake newscasts add a real sense of a world existing outside the sets, and there is some great location work. Paul Bernard does excellent work as the director (perhaps attempting to atone for The Time Monster!) The script demands an expansive environment and, surprisingly, this is what we get.
The main problem with the story is that it is, yet again, a padded six-parter. The Doctor and Jo spend a lot of time in cells and are captured, interrogated and escape many times. However, although the padding is there, it is not boring so it is forgiveable.
The performances are very good across the board. Vera Fusek is regal and dignified as the President and Michael Hawkins makes General Williams very believable. The regulars are as good as ever, with the great chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning working its usual magic. This is also, sadly, Roger Delgado's last performance as the Master and one of his best. He is given some great lines, which Delgado performs with panache and a real master plan (sorry) to decimate the Earth and Draconian Empires and assisting a third party to claim what is left. The third party is, of course, the Daleks and it sends a real chill down the spine to see Delgado share scenes with the diabolical dustbins.
The last episode ends on a cliffhanger, of course, and this intelligent and highly enjoyable story whets the appetite for an epic concluding half…
NEXT: Planet of the Daleks
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Carnival of Monsters
Before 1973, there were four stories written by a writer called Robert Holmes. It was in the tenth season, however, that 'Robert Holmes: Greatest Doctor Who Writer of Them All' made his debut. Carnival of Monsters is one of those stories that are just effortlessly good, succeeding in accomplishing everything it set out to do.
A major reason for its quality is its script. The plot is intriguing enough, but the structure of the narrative is very skilfully constructed for maximum effect. At the start of the story, it appears that we are watching two completely separate stories, but the links become more and more obvious in the first episode, until one of the most startling cliff-hangers of all time. The story is brimming with witty dialogue and every speaking role is a real character, with great interplay between them- the famous 'Robert Holmes double-acts'. Holmes succeeds in making Inter Minor a thoroughly convincing alien world, with the elite speaking in an excessively formal manner and the Functionaries being a very literal lumpenproletariat. Of course, the story also works as a satire of television itself, with the environments in the MiniScope being on separate 'channels' and an 'aggrometer' being used to make the inhabitants more violent (but only to a certain level of acceptability, of course!)
The quality of the characterisation and dialogue is heightened by the use of a uniformally excellent cast. Leslie Dwyer and Cheryl Hall are great fun as Vorg and Shirna and Michael Wisher and Peter Halliday great as Kalik and Orum. As far as the regulars are concerned, both Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning put in some of their best work yet. The characterisation of the Doctor in this story is, together with Inferno probably the best of the whole Pertwee era- the Doctor makes a stand for all that is right, yet takes time to communicate with chickens.
The production values are first rate, with great sets and simple, yet effective makeup for the Minorans. The Drashigs are excellently realised monsters, being well designed, mobile and having that amazing screaming roar. Barry Letts calls the shots with consummate skill throughout. The only real criticism I have is with some of the shots of the Drashigs where video and film are mixed, which is extremely jarring for the viewer.
In case you haven't realised, I love this story, a contender for the best Pertwee story and one of the best Doctor Who stories full stop.
NEXT: Frontier in Space
A major reason for its quality is its script. The plot is intriguing enough, but the structure of the narrative is very skilfully constructed for maximum effect. At the start of the story, it appears that we are watching two completely separate stories, but the links become more and more obvious in the first episode, until one of the most startling cliff-hangers of all time. The story is brimming with witty dialogue and every speaking role is a real character, with great interplay between them- the famous 'Robert Holmes double-acts'. Holmes succeeds in making Inter Minor a thoroughly convincing alien world, with the elite speaking in an excessively formal manner and the Functionaries being a very literal lumpenproletariat. Of course, the story also works as a satire of television itself, with the environments in the MiniScope being on separate 'channels' and an 'aggrometer' being used to make the inhabitants more violent (but only to a certain level of acceptability, of course!)
The quality of the characterisation and dialogue is heightened by the use of a uniformally excellent cast. Leslie Dwyer and Cheryl Hall are great fun as Vorg and Shirna and Michael Wisher and Peter Halliday great as Kalik and Orum. As far as the regulars are concerned, both Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning put in some of their best work yet. The characterisation of the Doctor in this story is, together with Inferno probably the best of the whole Pertwee era- the Doctor makes a stand for all that is right, yet takes time to communicate with chickens.
The production values are first rate, with great sets and simple, yet effective makeup for the Minorans. The Drashigs are excellently realised monsters, being well designed, mobile and having that amazing screaming roar. Barry Letts calls the shots with consummate skill throughout. The only real criticism I have is with some of the shots of the Drashigs where video and film are mixed, which is extremely jarring for the viewer.
In case you haven't realised, I love this story, a contender for the best Pertwee story and one of the best Doctor Who stories full stop.
NEXT: Frontier in Space
Monday, 26 January 2009
The Three Doctors
Doctor Who managed to overcome the problem of how to survive after the lead actor left with immense creativity. Yet there must have still been some who missed Patrick Troughton and some (many of whom were now adults) who still remembered William Hartnell fondly. Both groups wondered what ‘their’ Doctor would have made of their successors and the start of the tenth season gave these fans what they had been hoping for. It is this aspect of the story that must be looked at first. There is a plot, but the plot is not the point of this story. There is a guest cast, but only two of them really matter. This is about fondly looking at the past, about younger siblings bonding with their older ones, of parents watching a programme with their children for exactly the same reason.
From the second he materialises, Patrick Troughton plays the Doctor like he’d never been away. Whatever the quality of the story (and he was in quite a few stinkers) Troughton was never less than excellent as the Doctor. His interpretation of the Doctor as someone who acted the fool in order to get his enemies to underestimate him makes an interesting contrast with the more diplomatic, yet confrontational Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. The interaction between the two of them is utterly fantastic and is enough to make this story worth watching on its own. Then, of course, there is William Hartnell. One thing I have come to realise in this little project of mine is that the Hartnell era was the best, one of the many reasons for which being Hartnell’s consistently outstanding performance. Unfortunately, Hartnell’s declining health led to him having a very restricted role in the story. The fact that his performance is still thoroughly convincing despite the fact that he was reading from cue cards is testament to the great skill of the actor. Even in such a limited capacity, it is truly joyous seeing William Hartnell as Doctor Who for the last time.
The script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin is very interesting. The Time Lords are having their power drained into a universe of anti-matter. The culprit is discovered to be Omega, a stellar engineer who created the immense power source needed to fuel time travel, but trapping himself in a black hole in the process. The only option for the Time Lords is to pit the three Doctors against Omega, and the denizens of the anti-matter universe that he has created. Baker/Martin scripts usually demand a great deal on the production side and one can imagine what Cardiff today could do with anti-matter creatures, black holes and singularities and the like. It is, therefore, remarkable that the visualisation of Omega and his world is (although far from ideal) capable of suspending our disbelief. The Gel-Guards are, of course, utterly rubbish, with their ridiculous appearance and the ridiculous ‘blobby-blobby’ noises they make. However, although the sets are a bit garish, they are reasonably effective. The realisation of the singularity as a column of smoke works well- we are in Omega’s world and can accept such figurative realisations better. The success of the visual side is also helped by the fact that Lennie Mayne directs. Mayne never let the fact that he was working on a tiny budget in a television studio stop him from creating interesting shots and compositions. The one creative decision I find fault with is that we only see Hartnell on a TV screen by shooting the screen itself and we never see the actual footage shot of Hartnell on its own.
The regulars are on good form. Katy Manning seems to mesh well with Mayne’s directorial style and Benton is given much more to do than usual, which John Levene takes full advantage of. There has been much criticism of the treatment of the Brigadier’s character, but I found that to mainly refer to the scene where UNIT HQ is transported to Omega’s world. In the rest of the story, the Brig is resourceful and shows great humanity in the scene where they have to part with the Doctors. Stephen Thorne brings a great deal of energy into the role of Omega, together with some amount of pathos. His shouting is sometimes ineffective, though.
This story is hugely enjoyable throughout, well worth investing 100 minutes in!
NEXT: Carnival of Monsters
From the second he materialises, Patrick Troughton plays the Doctor like he’d never been away. Whatever the quality of the story (and he was in quite a few stinkers) Troughton was never less than excellent as the Doctor. His interpretation of the Doctor as someone who acted the fool in order to get his enemies to underestimate him makes an interesting contrast with the more diplomatic, yet confrontational Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. The interaction between the two of them is utterly fantastic and is enough to make this story worth watching on its own. Then, of course, there is William Hartnell. One thing I have come to realise in this little project of mine is that the Hartnell era was the best, one of the many reasons for which being Hartnell’s consistently outstanding performance. Unfortunately, Hartnell’s declining health led to him having a very restricted role in the story. The fact that his performance is still thoroughly convincing despite the fact that he was reading from cue cards is testament to the great skill of the actor. Even in such a limited capacity, it is truly joyous seeing William Hartnell as Doctor Who for the last time.
The script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin is very interesting. The Time Lords are having their power drained into a universe of anti-matter. The culprit is discovered to be Omega, a stellar engineer who created the immense power source needed to fuel time travel, but trapping himself in a black hole in the process. The only option for the Time Lords is to pit the three Doctors against Omega, and the denizens of the anti-matter universe that he has created. Baker/Martin scripts usually demand a great deal on the production side and one can imagine what Cardiff today could do with anti-matter creatures, black holes and singularities and the like. It is, therefore, remarkable that the visualisation of Omega and his world is (although far from ideal) capable of suspending our disbelief. The Gel-Guards are, of course, utterly rubbish, with their ridiculous appearance and the ridiculous ‘blobby-blobby’ noises they make. However, although the sets are a bit garish, they are reasonably effective. The realisation of the singularity as a column of smoke works well- we are in Omega’s world and can accept such figurative realisations better. The success of the visual side is also helped by the fact that Lennie Mayne directs. Mayne never let the fact that he was working on a tiny budget in a television studio stop him from creating interesting shots and compositions. The one creative decision I find fault with is that we only see Hartnell on a TV screen by shooting the screen itself and we never see the actual footage shot of Hartnell on its own.
The regulars are on good form. Katy Manning seems to mesh well with Mayne’s directorial style and Benton is given much more to do than usual, which John Levene takes full advantage of. There has been much criticism of the treatment of the Brigadier’s character, but I found that to mainly refer to the scene where UNIT HQ is transported to Omega’s world. In the rest of the story, the Brig is resourceful and shows great humanity in the scene where they have to part with the Doctors. Stephen Thorne brings a great deal of energy into the role of Omega, together with some amount of pathos. His shouting is sometimes ineffective, though.
This story is hugely enjoyable throughout, well worth investing 100 minutes in!
NEXT: Carnival of Monsters
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
The Time Monster
It is interesting to compare The Time Monster with The Mutants. In the earlier story, a conceptually ambitious and intelligent idea is let down by poor storytelling and variable acting. The Time Monster is the same, except for the conceptual ambition and intelligence bit.
The basic plot is this. The Master, disguised as Professor Thaskalos has set up a project called TOMTIT. The real purpose of the project is to summon and control a being called Kronos, from a race called the Kronovores. The key to true control of Kronos lies 3500 years in the past, in the lost realm of Atlantis, where Kronos created a golden age.
There is nothing really wrong with that as a plot. However, in turning that plot into a script, would you a) get to the Atlantis part as quickly as possible or (b) waste four episodes with increasingly ludicrous set pieces that all make the same point- time does funny things when there’s a Kronovore about. In these four episodes, we learn nothing new about the characters and not only is there no actual worsening crisis, there is no plot progression at all. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the dialogue varies in quality from forgettable to excruciating and we have some truly awful guest performances. Wanda Moore and Ian Collier aren’t actually bad actors, but their characters are irritating. Donald Eccles is clearly doing proper acting, but utterly failing in turning that into a performance. This is the worst example of directing an ensemble in Doctor Who since The Underwater Menace- in their scenes together Roger Delgado and Eccles seem to be saying their lines without realising there is another actor in the room. However, I sympathise with Paul Bernard- if I was presented with a script this awful, I would consider it dramatically unsalvageable and simply try to make the actual production as bearable as possible for myself, even if it stretches to zooming for no reason or getting the actors to pretend to run on the spot in slow motion.
Part four is much better, purely because it is a competently made piece of television. Then we get to the Atlantis part, which contains the one outstanding performance from a member of the guest cast. George Cormack is suitably dignified and sympathetic as King Dalios. Ingrid Pitt is less skilful as Queen Galleia, but she’s so damn sexy, I can forgive this. Aidan Murphy as Hippias gives a performance that is, what people who have never been to the theatre call theatrical, with unsubtle gesturing and vocalisation. Susan Penhaligon, however, is quietly effective as Lakis.
The design work is sound, particularly in Atlantis. However, the realisation of Kronos is absolutely awful- a monster that not only looks like, but is treated as a pigeon that has accidentally flown into a room. The final appearance of Kronos, as a vast disembodied head, is far more effective. Dudley Simpson seems to be as annoyed by the story as Bernard and seems to be improvising badly at some points.
The regulars are about as effective as they can be in this fiasco- bizarrely, this is one of Katy Manning’s best performances. Pertwee manages to be effective throughout, as does Courtney. Delgado is very good, considering what he had to work with, especially in the sexual tension he has with Galleia. However, the scene where he begs Kronos for mercy is pitched and performed in the wrong way.
This story is an overlong, brainless, lumbering mess, the worst story since The Underwater Menace. I had to watch it. You don’t.
NEXT: The Three Doctors
The basic plot is this. The Master, disguised as Professor Thaskalos has set up a project called TOMTIT. The real purpose of the project is to summon and control a being called Kronos, from a race called the Kronovores. The key to true control of Kronos lies 3500 years in the past, in the lost realm of Atlantis, where Kronos created a golden age.
There is nothing really wrong with that as a plot. However, in turning that plot into a script, would you a) get to the Atlantis part as quickly as possible or (b) waste four episodes with increasingly ludicrous set pieces that all make the same point- time does funny things when there’s a Kronovore about. In these four episodes, we learn nothing new about the characters and not only is there no actual worsening crisis, there is no plot progression at all. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the dialogue varies in quality from forgettable to excruciating and we have some truly awful guest performances. Wanda Moore and Ian Collier aren’t actually bad actors, but their characters are irritating. Donald Eccles is clearly doing proper acting, but utterly failing in turning that into a performance. This is the worst example of directing an ensemble in Doctor Who since The Underwater Menace- in their scenes together Roger Delgado and Eccles seem to be saying their lines without realising there is another actor in the room. However, I sympathise with Paul Bernard- if I was presented with a script this awful, I would consider it dramatically unsalvageable and simply try to make the actual production as bearable as possible for myself, even if it stretches to zooming for no reason or getting the actors to pretend to run on the spot in slow motion.
Part four is much better, purely because it is a competently made piece of television. Then we get to the Atlantis part, which contains the one outstanding performance from a member of the guest cast. George Cormack is suitably dignified and sympathetic as King Dalios. Ingrid Pitt is less skilful as Queen Galleia, but she’s so damn sexy, I can forgive this. Aidan Murphy as Hippias gives a performance that is, what people who have never been to the theatre call theatrical, with unsubtle gesturing and vocalisation. Susan Penhaligon, however, is quietly effective as Lakis.
The design work is sound, particularly in Atlantis. However, the realisation of Kronos is absolutely awful- a monster that not only looks like, but is treated as a pigeon that has accidentally flown into a room. The final appearance of Kronos, as a vast disembodied head, is far more effective. Dudley Simpson seems to be as annoyed by the story as Bernard and seems to be improvising badly at some points.
The regulars are about as effective as they can be in this fiasco- bizarrely, this is one of Katy Manning’s best performances. Pertwee manages to be effective throughout, as does Courtney. Delgado is very good, considering what he had to work with, especially in the sexual tension he has with Galleia. However, the scene where he begs Kronos for mercy is pitched and performed in the wrong way.
This story is an overlong, brainless, lumbering mess, the worst story since The Underwater Menace. I had to watch it. You don’t.
NEXT: The Three Doctors
Monday, 19 January 2009
The Mutants
The Mutants has the Doctor being sent by the Time Lords to the planet Solos in the 30th century. The Earth Empire is in decline and subject planets are gradually being given their independence. However, there are colonial officials who wish to retain their authority on Solos, and some of the natives are exhibiting horrific mutations.
It is interesting to compare The Mutants with The Curse of Peladon. In the earlier story, a pre-industrial civilisation joins the Galactic Federation. Here, the Earth Empire has drained a planet of its natural resources and is granting it independence. However, the most interesting comparison is in the actual execution of the story. The Curse of Peladon is a very simple story. The Mutants is far more sophisticated and intelligent, taking in themes like colonialism, racism, xeno-biology, transhumanism and cultural development. However, The Curse of Peladon is a wonderful story, because its realisation is absolutely splendid. The Mutants…isn't.
The idea of a planet that has a year of 2000 Earth years and the notion that, although the Earth Empire has been there for centuries, it has only experienced one season is intriguing. The fact that this makes any civilisation on Solos subject to environmental factors that are cyclical but not predictable shows a true understanding by Bob Baker and Dave Martin of the conceptual audaciousness that can lead to good science fiction. However, they seem to lack any understanding about how to tell that story in 24 minute segments. Although I have never seen this story before, I knew what the plot was beforehand, and I realised at the end of episode 4 that there was precious little plot left and two episodes to go. Yet again, there is no need for this to be a 6-parter.
The acting is variable. Garrick Hagon gives a solid, dignified performance as Ky. Geoffrey Palmer is excellent- he is so ubiquitous, it is easy to forget that he has never given a performance that is less than first rate. However, he is killed off very early on. Paul Whitsun-Jones is a bit over the top as the Marshal, but he is an actor with great presence and personality and I have always enjoyed his performances as irascible blowhards. Then there is Rick James as Cotton. Cotton is the first black character in Doctor Who to be a major supporting player, so it is a crying shame that James provides one of the worst performances I have ever seen. Not only does he fail to properly depict the character, his line readings sound like he's reading from a badly-punctuated autocue and, most damningly of all, he misses a fair few cue lines from his fellow actors. Better, though still terrible, is James Mellor as Varan, constantly talking in the third person (although this manner of speaking has always annoyed me and, as far as I am concerned, only the Hulk and Curtly Ambrose can get away with it!)
Christopher Barry does his best with the mess of a script. Some scenes, such as Sondegaard appearing like an angel to rescue Jo, verge on the iconic. The location work for Solos is very effectively done but, although the design work is sound, many of the interior scenes are overlit. The most successful piece of design is that of the Mutants themselves, which are detailed and actually manage to break up the outline of the actor inside the costume.
This is a very thought-provoking story, but one thought that is provoked time and time again is 'this could have been so much better'. This story fails to make the grade because it has so much potential and wastes it completely. It really could have been one of the triumphs of the Pertwee era and Doctor Who in general.
NEXT: The Time Monster
It is interesting to compare The Mutants with The Curse of Peladon. In the earlier story, a pre-industrial civilisation joins the Galactic Federation. Here, the Earth Empire has drained a planet of its natural resources and is granting it independence. However, the most interesting comparison is in the actual execution of the story. The Curse of Peladon is a very simple story. The Mutants is far more sophisticated and intelligent, taking in themes like colonialism, racism, xeno-biology, transhumanism and cultural development. However, The Curse of Peladon is a wonderful story, because its realisation is absolutely splendid. The Mutants…isn't.
The idea of a planet that has a year of 2000 Earth years and the notion that, although the Earth Empire has been there for centuries, it has only experienced one season is intriguing. The fact that this makes any civilisation on Solos subject to environmental factors that are cyclical but not predictable shows a true understanding by Bob Baker and Dave Martin of the conceptual audaciousness that can lead to good science fiction. However, they seem to lack any understanding about how to tell that story in 24 minute segments. Although I have never seen this story before, I knew what the plot was beforehand, and I realised at the end of episode 4 that there was precious little plot left and two episodes to go. Yet again, there is no need for this to be a 6-parter.
The acting is variable. Garrick Hagon gives a solid, dignified performance as Ky. Geoffrey Palmer is excellent- he is so ubiquitous, it is easy to forget that he has never given a performance that is less than first rate. However, he is killed off very early on. Paul Whitsun-Jones is a bit over the top as the Marshal, but he is an actor with great presence and personality and I have always enjoyed his performances as irascible blowhards. Then there is Rick James as Cotton. Cotton is the first black character in Doctor Who to be a major supporting player, so it is a crying shame that James provides one of the worst performances I have ever seen. Not only does he fail to properly depict the character, his line readings sound like he's reading from a badly-punctuated autocue and, most damningly of all, he misses a fair few cue lines from his fellow actors. Better, though still terrible, is James Mellor as Varan, constantly talking in the third person (although this manner of speaking has always annoyed me and, as far as I am concerned, only the Hulk and Curtly Ambrose can get away with it!)
Christopher Barry does his best with the mess of a script. Some scenes, such as Sondegaard appearing like an angel to rescue Jo, verge on the iconic. The location work for Solos is very effectively done but, although the design work is sound, many of the interior scenes are overlit. The most successful piece of design is that of the Mutants themselves, which are detailed and actually manage to break up the outline of the actor inside the costume.
This is a very thought-provoking story, but one thought that is provoked time and time again is 'this could have been so much better'. This story fails to make the grade because it has so much potential and wastes it completely. It really could have been one of the triumphs of the Pertwee era and Doctor Who in general.
NEXT: The Time Monster
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
The Sea Devils
Ships have been disappearing in a small area off the coast of England and the Doctor and Jo discover that a group of intelligent reptiles related to those on Wenley Moor are responsible and the Doctor must join forces with the Navy to investigate. Meanwhile, the Master's incarceration may not be as secure as it seems and he may not be entirely ignorant of the saurian threat.
Doctor Who and the Silurians was one of the highlights of the truly outstanding seventh season of Doctor Who and many of the same themes are revisited in this sequel. Indeed, the overall aim of the story is identical, in much the same way as the repetitive Cybermen stories of the Patrick Troughton era. Thankfully, Malcolm Hulke was a far better writer than Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis and there are enough differences to make this story more than a straight remake. Hulke takes care to make as many of the speaking roles proper characters. Trenchard is portrayed as a former colonial governor of the old school and Walker, the Private Secretary, is portrayed as a man who seldom talks without his mouth full (Pertwee-era Doctor Who seems to have little love for high ranking civil servants, what with Chinn and Brownrose). This care in characterisation is especially impressive when one notes just how many speaking roles there are, but even minor characters, such as the boatman, are given real personality. This is supported by a fine guest cast. Clive Morton makes Trenchard both bluff and sympathetic and Edwin Richfield gamely attempts to compensate for the lack of the Brigadier, with some success. I also love Martin Boddey's performance as the gluttonous Walker.
Michael Briant's direction is hugely effective, helped by extensive use of stock footage and naval hardware courtesy of the Royal Navy, making this a very lavish production. Briant also shoots very atmospherically, showing great aptitude with action scenes and moody, unsettling ones, with interesting camera angles and very effective lighting. The gradual revelation of the Sea Devils is very well done. The titular saurians are very well designed (although close ups of their heads tend to draw attention to the fact that their eyes are painted on). Most impressively, the Sea Devils are not slow and lumbering, but are shown running on several occasions. The music is even more bizarre than on Doctor Who and the Silurians, but is far less ridiculous, thanks to the lack of crumhorns!
However, the fact remains that this story does not build and expand on its predecessor in the way that a good sequel should do, but covers the same themes. The Sea Devils, unlike the Silurians, are not portrayed as characters- indeed only one of them (the leader) even speaks, which makes them less sympathetic than their land-based cousins. The fact that they are portrayed as being more aggressive than their relatives does not help matters. They are not antagonists with understandable motives of their own, they are The Enemy. The fact that the Master is involved does not help matters as he takes the role of 'Young Silurian' and there is no real reason why he should have been included at all. This is unfortunate, as Roger Delgado gives his best performance yet as the Master. More seriously, the story implies that the Doctor has learnt nothing from his previous encounter with the reptiles as he takes exactly the same tack in dealing with them. Indeed, the fact that it is the Doctor, not the armed forces, who destroy the Sea Devil base implies that he is moving towards the Government's way of thinking, which is somewhat disturbing and very out of character.
The script is also far less structured than Doctor Who and the Silurians. The earlier story used its seven parts well, but The Sea Devils seems overlong at six parts. There is obvious padding, such as the sword fight between the Doctor and the Master and the last episode is somewhat anticlimactic and, as said before, has a rather unsavoury conclusion. The regulars are on excellent form, with Pertwee balancing humour and authority excellently. Jo Grant is at her best when she is not depicted as a totally scatter-brained moron, and Katy Manning is excellent here.
The Sea Devils is rarely boring, is well acted with much good dialogue and characterisation and has a good race of monsters. However, it fails to build on its predecessor and can only really be seen as a qualified success.
Next: The Mutants
Doctor Who and the Silurians was one of the highlights of the truly outstanding seventh season of Doctor Who and many of the same themes are revisited in this sequel. Indeed, the overall aim of the story is identical, in much the same way as the repetitive Cybermen stories of the Patrick Troughton era. Thankfully, Malcolm Hulke was a far better writer than Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis and there are enough differences to make this story more than a straight remake. Hulke takes care to make as many of the speaking roles proper characters. Trenchard is portrayed as a former colonial governor of the old school and Walker, the Private Secretary, is portrayed as a man who seldom talks without his mouth full (Pertwee-era Doctor Who seems to have little love for high ranking civil servants, what with Chinn and Brownrose). This care in characterisation is especially impressive when one notes just how many speaking roles there are, but even minor characters, such as the boatman, are given real personality. This is supported by a fine guest cast. Clive Morton makes Trenchard both bluff and sympathetic and Edwin Richfield gamely attempts to compensate for the lack of the Brigadier, with some success. I also love Martin Boddey's performance as the gluttonous Walker.
Michael Briant's direction is hugely effective, helped by extensive use of stock footage and naval hardware courtesy of the Royal Navy, making this a very lavish production. Briant also shoots very atmospherically, showing great aptitude with action scenes and moody, unsettling ones, with interesting camera angles and very effective lighting. The gradual revelation of the Sea Devils is very well done. The titular saurians are very well designed (although close ups of their heads tend to draw attention to the fact that their eyes are painted on). Most impressively, the Sea Devils are not slow and lumbering, but are shown running on several occasions. The music is even more bizarre than on Doctor Who and the Silurians, but is far less ridiculous, thanks to the lack of crumhorns!
However, the fact remains that this story does not build and expand on its predecessor in the way that a good sequel should do, but covers the same themes. The Sea Devils, unlike the Silurians, are not portrayed as characters- indeed only one of them (the leader) even speaks, which makes them less sympathetic than their land-based cousins. The fact that they are portrayed as being more aggressive than their relatives does not help matters. They are not antagonists with understandable motives of their own, they are The Enemy. The fact that the Master is involved does not help matters as he takes the role of 'Young Silurian' and there is no real reason why he should have been included at all. This is unfortunate, as Roger Delgado gives his best performance yet as the Master. More seriously, the story implies that the Doctor has learnt nothing from his previous encounter with the reptiles as he takes exactly the same tack in dealing with them. Indeed, the fact that it is the Doctor, not the armed forces, who destroy the Sea Devil base implies that he is moving towards the Government's way of thinking, which is somewhat disturbing and very out of character.
The script is also far less structured than Doctor Who and the Silurians. The earlier story used its seven parts well, but The Sea Devils seems overlong at six parts. There is obvious padding, such as the sword fight between the Doctor and the Master and the last episode is somewhat anticlimactic and, as said before, has a rather unsavoury conclusion. The regulars are on excellent form, with Pertwee balancing humour and authority excellently. Jo Grant is at her best when she is not depicted as a totally scatter-brained moron, and Katy Manning is excellent here.
The Sea Devils is rarely boring, is well acted with much good dialogue and characterisation and has a good race of monsters. However, it fails to build on its predecessor and can only really be seen as a qualified success.
Next: The Mutants
Monday, 12 January 2009
The Curse of Peladon
The Curse of Peladon takes the Doctor and Jo away to the titular planet, a civilisation at an apparently European mediæval level of development, which is joining the galactic federation. However, there are elements in this society that oppose this and the mythical figure of Aggedor seems to be angered.
The plot of the story seems to be simple, with the Doctor helping to ease Peladon into the modern world and solve the mystery of Aggedor. However, the story manages to be utterly gripping from start to finish, purely because it does what it does utterly flawlessly. Brian Hayles’s script is fantastic, with the plot constructed very efficiently. The dialogue is beautiful- scenes that would seem clunky if written by a lesser writer are carried out with real elegance and wit. The characterisation is spot on. Peladon comes off as being progressive and merciful, without seeming weak. Hepesh is painted as being the antagonist, but we can see his motives, despite his adherence to primitive ritual and prejudice against aliens. In the most wonderful of twists, the Ice Warriors are brought back- but not as the villains. The presentation of a past enemy of the Doctor as now being benevolent is a welcome and mature development in the world of Doctor Who.
However, the appeal of the story is not merely in its deceptively simple story. In addition to the Ice Warriors, we have Alpha Centauri and Arcturus, a pair of wonderfully designed and realised aliens. Alpha Centauri is a one–eyed hermaphrodite hexapod (I can imagine the awkward explanations parents would have tried to give at the time!) with a shrill feminine voice, courtesy of Ysanne Churchman and Arcturus is realised as a kind of tentacled skull in a perspex dome. The interaction between the delegates is also well written.
Lennie Mayne directs very atmospherically, getting great performances from the cast and overseeing some very creative camerawork and interesting compositions. A case in point is the revelation of Ssorg, the Ice Warrior. He lumbers onscreen from the right to the left in a very simple, but hugely effective shot. Every shot has obviously been created to be interesting and effective. The design throughout is excellent, from the castle through to the costumes, and very well lit, with the castle being lit as if burning torches are the only light source.
The cast is superlative. Alan Bennion makes Izlyr both a menacing Ice Lord and a benevolent character. I love the scene when he privately admits to Jo that he finds Alpha Centauri annoying. Then there is David Troughton. He is acclaimed today as one of the finest actors in the country (I have personally seen him be utterly fantastic in roles as varied as Richard II and Captain Hook) and he is thoroughly excellent here. Jon Pertwee has to play detective, fighter and politician here, and does that with humour and aplomb, fighting with Grun, King Peladon’s champion and taming Aggedor with a Venusian lullaby. Katy Manning is truly fantastic here, Jo showing initiative and diplomatic skills. Her budding romance with Peladon is beautifully written and both Troughton and Manning are well up to it. Lennie Mayne clearly knows exactly how to motivate this fantastic cast to give the best possible performance.
I don’t personally think The Curse of Peladon is the best Doctor Who story of all time. It is, however, pretty close and, as a Doctor Who story, utterly perfect.
NEXT: The Sea Devils
The plot of the story seems to be simple, with the Doctor helping to ease Peladon into the modern world and solve the mystery of Aggedor. However, the story manages to be utterly gripping from start to finish, purely because it does what it does utterly flawlessly. Brian Hayles’s script is fantastic, with the plot constructed very efficiently. The dialogue is beautiful- scenes that would seem clunky if written by a lesser writer are carried out with real elegance and wit. The characterisation is spot on. Peladon comes off as being progressive and merciful, without seeming weak. Hepesh is painted as being the antagonist, but we can see his motives, despite his adherence to primitive ritual and prejudice against aliens. In the most wonderful of twists, the Ice Warriors are brought back- but not as the villains. The presentation of a past enemy of the Doctor as now being benevolent is a welcome and mature development in the world of Doctor Who.
However, the appeal of the story is not merely in its deceptively simple story. In addition to the Ice Warriors, we have Alpha Centauri and Arcturus, a pair of wonderfully designed and realised aliens. Alpha Centauri is a one–eyed hermaphrodite hexapod (I can imagine the awkward explanations parents would have tried to give at the time!) with a shrill feminine voice, courtesy of Ysanne Churchman and Arcturus is realised as a kind of tentacled skull in a perspex dome. The interaction between the delegates is also well written.
Lennie Mayne directs very atmospherically, getting great performances from the cast and overseeing some very creative camerawork and interesting compositions. A case in point is the revelation of Ssorg, the Ice Warrior. He lumbers onscreen from the right to the left in a very simple, but hugely effective shot. Every shot has obviously been created to be interesting and effective. The design throughout is excellent, from the castle through to the costumes, and very well lit, with the castle being lit as if burning torches are the only light source.
The cast is superlative. Alan Bennion makes Izlyr both a menacing Ice Lord and a benevolent character. I love the scene when he privately admits to Jo that he finds Alpha Centauri annoying. Then there is David Troughton. He is acclaimed today as one of the finest actors in the country (I have personally seen him be utterly fantastic in roles as varied as Richard II and Captain Hook) and he is thoroughly excellent here. Jon Pertwee has to play detective, fighter and politician here, and does that with humour and aplomb, fighting with Grun, King Peladon’s champion and taming Aggedor with a Venusian lullaby. Katy Manning is truly fantastic here, Jo showing initiative and diplomatic skills. Her budding romance with Peladon is beautifully written and both Troughton and Manning are well up to it. Lennie Mayne clearly knows exactly how to motivate this fantastic cast to give the best possible performance.
I don’t personally think The Curse of Peladon is the best Doctor Who story of all time. It is, however, pretty close and, as a Doctor Who story, utterly perfect.
NEXT: The Sea Devils
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Day of the Daleks
Day of the Daleks features an interesting proto-Terminator plotline- a global peace conference organised by a Sir Reginald Styles is bombed and future generations will blame him for it- for the bombing results in a global war that will leave the Earth open to invasion by the Daleks. Commandos are sent back in time to assassinate Styles, to prevent that future coming to pass.
This is one of the few stories to use time travel as more than the means to get the Doctor from adventure to adventure and it is reasonably well thought out. There is a discussion between the Doctor and Jo as to why the time travellers cannot keep coming back to the same point in time to correct any mistakes they might have made (although the Doctor is conveniently interrupted before actually explaining the ‘Blinovitch Limitation Effect’). There are a few problems, most notably that the Daleks are aware of the real cause of the explosion. It would have been better had they been unaware as well, rather than adding an unnecessary and confusing dimension to the plot. However, Louis Marks’s script tells an effective story with little padding and holds up quite well.
Of course, the main selling point is the return of the Daleks to Doctor Who after 5 years. Unfortunately, they are considerably underused (it is easy to see that they were a late addition to the script) and it is obvious that there are only three of them. Their voices are very different to those used in any other story which jars somewhat. However, it is good to see them back. The story also introduces their dim-witted henchmen, the Ogrons. The Ogron make-up is outstanding and these lumbering super-apes manage to be both menacing and comical at the same time.
The guest cast is generally good (although the technician at the Dalek base has an odd manner of speaking, which is never addressed). The best performance is definitely Aubrey Woods as the Controller, giving a very sympathetic portrayal of the latest in ‘a family of Quislings’. The scene where he expertly gets Jo to freely divulge the information he needs is very well acted. Paul Bernard directs with great fluidity, with some very effective editing. The whole production is of a high standard, although the fact that there are only three Daleks is particularly obvious in the assault on Auderly House.
Jon Pertwee is fantastically unflappable as the Doctor- there is a scene which the viewer will either love or hate, where the Doctor does his Venusian aki-do on a commando and then takes a sip of wine. UNIT is also on good form here- there is the great ‘RHIP’ scene between Benton and Yates. Jo Grant has to spend a good portion of the story being hoodwinked, but Katy Manning still manages to make her appealing.
Although by no means a great story, Day of the Daleks is entertaining and stands up to repeat viewings well.
NEXT: The Curse of Peladon
This is one of the few stories to use time travel as more than the means to get the Doctor from adventure to adventure and it is reasonably well thought out. There is a discussion between the Doctor and Jo as to why the time travellers cannot keep coming back to the same point in time to correct any mistakes they might have made (although the Doctor is conveniently interrupted before actually explaining the ‘Blinovitch Limitation Effect’). There are a few problems, most notably that the Daleks are aware of the real cause of the explosion. It would have been better had they been unaware as well, rather than adding an unnecessary and confusing dimension to the plot. However, Louis Marks’s script tells an effective story with little padding and holds up quite well.
Of course, the main selling point is the return of the Daleks to Doctor Who after 5 years. Unfortunately, they are considerably underused (it is easy to see that they were a late addition to the script) and it is obvious that there are only three of them. Their voices are very different to those used in any other story which jars somewhat. However, it is good to see them back. The story also introduces their dim-witted henchmen, the Ogrons. The Ogron make-up is outstanding and these lumbering super-apes manage to be both menacing and comical at the same time.
The guest cast is generally good (although the technician at the Dalek base has an odd manner of speaking, which is never addressed). The best performance is definitely Aubrey Woods as the Controller, giving a very sympathetic portrayal of the latest in ‘a family of Quislings’. The scene where he expertly gets Jo to freely divulge the information he needs is very well acted. Paul Bernard directs with great fluidity, with some very effective editing. The whole production is of a high standard, although the fact that there are only three Daleks is particularly obvious in the assault on Auderly House.
Jon Pertwee is fantastically unflappable as the Doctor- there is a scene which the viewer will either love or hate, where the Doctor does his Venusian aki-do on a commando and then takes a sip of wine. UNIT is also on good form here- there is the great ‘RHIP’ scene between Benton and Yates. Jo Grant has to spend a good portion of the story being hoodwinked, but Katy Manning still manages to make her appealing.
Although by no means a great story, Day of the Daleks is entertaining and stands up to repeat viewings well.
NEXT: The Curse of Peladon
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
The Dæmons
The main asset that The Dæmons possesses (ha!) is atmosphere. In attempting to portray Satanism in a scientific context for a family audience, director Christopher Barry makes the story seem reminiscent of (then) recent British horror films. The opening is very Hammeresque and in other places, notably the malevolent Morris dancers, the story seems to anticipate The Wicker Man by two years. Barry's direction is very effective throughout, with crane shots and the lighting throughout is very evocative- scenes set in the crypt are lit with red and exterior shots are always a bit murky (although this could be an effect of the primitive colourising process used to restore the story)
However, the story stumbles when it comes to plotting. The story is stuffed with good set pieces, but they are very poorly integrated and do not constitute a cohesive narrative. For example, the opening scene where a man is killed in the churchyard is great- until it becomes obvious that Azal has not risen, nor Bok activated- so what killed him? The resolution of the story is terrible- Azal is ready to kill the Doctor, but destroys himself when Jo willingly offers to be killed in the Doctor's stead. This is after the Doctor has spent a good deal of time supervising the building of a machine to break the heat barrier and drain Azal's energy- which then blows up shortly after it is turned on. This machine is the most gratuitous piece of padding in the story and should not have taken up more than 10 minutes, if this was all the plot significance it was going to have.
The other main problem is the guest cast. This has to be one of the most uninspiring ensemble of actors that a Doctor Who story has ever had. Colony in Space had good actors playing dull characters, whereas here, we have the opposite problem. The most interesting characters are Professor Horner and the BBC crew and they only really appear in episode 1. Of the remainder, Don McKillop as Bert the Landlord is reasonably good as is Rollo Winstanley as the Squire. The others are pretty much faceless and phone in their performances- not good if you want a village full of malevolent rural types and you get a bunch of Mummerset mumblers. Then there is Damaris Hayman as Miss Hawthorne. It is a good thing that the actress has such an interesting screen presence, because she gives one of the most annoying performances I have seen in the programme.
The regulars are on good form- it is interesting to see UNIT in civvies and they are clearly having a whale of a time. Of special note is Jon Pertwee- the Doctor is clearly moody after a long drive with many wrong turns and his bad mood continues for a good portion of the story. He is impatient and rather patronising and it's only the natural likeability of the actor that makes us stick with him.
The Dæmons is perfectly entertaining and enjoyable. The trouble is, it will dawn on you afterwards that it's not particularly good.
NEXT: Day of the Daleks
However, the story stumbles when it comes to plotting. The story is stuffed with good set pieces, but they are very poorly integrated and do not constitute a cohesive narrative. For example, the opening scene where a man is killed in the churchyard is great- until it becomes obvious that Azal has not risen, nor Bok activated- so what killed him? The resolution of the story is terrible- Azal is ready to kill the Doctor, but destroys himself when Jo willingly offers to be killed in the Doctor's stead. This is after the Doctor has spent a good deal of time supervising the building of a machine to break the heat barrier and drain Azal's energy- which then blows up shortly after it is turned on. This machine is the most gratuitous piece of padding in the story and should not have taken up more than 10 minutes, if this was all the plot significance it was going to have.
The other main problem is the guest cast. This has to be one of the most uninspiring ensemble of actors that a Doctor Who story has ever had. Colony in Space had good actors playing dull characters, whereas here, we have the opposite problem. The most interesting characters are Professor Horner and the BBC crew and they only really appear in episode 1. Of the remainder, Don McKillop as Bert the Landlord is reasonably good as is Rollo Winstanley as the Squire. The others are pretty much faceless and phone in their performances- not good if you want a village full of malevolent rural types and you get a bunch of Mummerset mumblers. Then there is Damaris Hayman as Miss Hawthorne. It is a good thing that the actress has such an interesting screen presence, because she gives one of the most annoying performances I have seen in the programme.
The regulars are on good form- it is interesting to see UNIT in civvies and they are clearly having a whale of a time. Of special note is Jon Pertwee- the Doctor is clearly moody after a long drive with many wrong turns and his bad mood continues for a good portion of the story. He is impatient and rather patronising and it's only the natural likeability of the actor that makes us stick with him.
The Dæmons is perfectly entertaining and enjoyable. The trouble is, it will dawn on you afterwards that it's not particularly good.
NEXT: Day of the Daleks
Monday, 5 January 2009
Colony in Space
Colony in Space has the Third Doctor travelling in the TARDIS for the first time to an alien planet, namely, the planet Uxarieus, where a colony from earth has been established. However, the ruthless Interplanatary Mining Company want to claim the planet for its mineral wealth and the apparently primitive natives hold a deadly secret.
When Malcolm Hulke writes a Doctor Who story, one thing the viewer can expect is a degree of intelligence, airing of social issues and the like. However, it takes more than that to create an engaging narrative. This story is well designed and competently directed. The performances are generally good, although perhaps a bit mannered in places. However, the story fails in two key areas- characterisation and plot.
The colonists have no really interesting characters amongst them. They are depicted as worthy decent folk, some slightly more aggressive than others. The impression that is given is, frankly, The Good Life in space (although the story predates that programme). What made that cosy 70s sitcom watchable were the characters and the fact that it could be very funny. Remove that, and you have a bunch of earnest middle-class types talking endlessly about crops- hardly the most arresting series of events. The IMC people are more interesting purely because they are bent on causing the colonists harm. However, the colonists are so boring that, whilst the viewer wants IMC to be thwarted, it is not for the sake of the colonists. Pertwee and Delgado are great as usual, but Katy Manning is severely hampered by a story that asks no more of her than to scream and be rescued by the Doctor.
The arrival of the Master makes things much more interesting. We are taken into the alien city and are shown the reason for the Master's presence (and the reason for the Time Lords allowing the Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. The aliens are reasonably well realised, as is their city, although the realisation of the alien leader is unwittingly reminiscent of Vic and Bob's Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye! The problem is that these events occur too late in what is a longueur saturated 6-episode narrative. Had more time been given to this, the story might have been saved.
This is a pity, as there is little in the story that is actually bad- in fact, the story might have been more entertaining had there been a hammy performance, silly music or a really rubbish monster. Instead, Colony in Space commits a crime that very few Doctor Who stories are guilty of- being dull. One for completists only.
NEXT: The Dæmons
When Malcolm Hulke writes a Doctor Who story, one thing the viewer can expect is a degree of intelligence, airing of social issues and the like. However, it takes more than that to create an engaging narrative. This story is well designed and competently directed. The performances are generally good, although perhaps a bit mannered in places. However, the story fails in two key areas- characterisation and plot.
The colonists have no really interesting characters amongst them. They are depicted as worthy decent folk, some slightly more aggressive than others. The impression that is given is, frankly, The Good Life in space (although the story predates that programme). What made that cosy 70s sitcom watchable were the characters and the fact that it could be very funny. Remove that, and you have a bunch of earnest middle-class types talking endlessly about crops- hardly the most arresting series of events. The IMC people are more interesting purely because they are bent on causing the colonists harm. However, the colonists are so boring that, whilst the viewer wants IMC to be thwarted, it is not for the sake of the colonists. Pertwee and Delgado are great as usual, but Katy Manning is severely hampered by a story that asks no more of her than to scream and be rescued by the Doctor.
The arrival of the Master makes things much more interesting. We are taken into the alien city and are shown the reason for the Master's presence (and the reason for the Time Lords allowing the Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. The aliens are reasonably well realised, as is their city, although the realisation of the alien leader is unwittingly reminiscent of Vic and Bob's Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye! The problem is that these events occur too late in what is a longueur saturated 6-episode narrative. Had more time been given to this, the story might have been saved.
This is a pity, as there is little in the story that is actually bad- in fact, the story might have been more entertaining had there been a hammy performance, silly music or a really rubbish monster. Instead, Colony in Space commits a crime that very few Doctor Who stories are guilty of- being dull. One for completists only.
NEXT: The Dæmons
Saturday, 20 December 2008
The Claws of Axos
A huge spacecraft called Axos buries itself on Earth and broadcasts a proposal- in return for the opportunity to refuel, mankind will be given Axonite, a material that can solve both the energy and food crisis of Earth. But Axonite and the Axons are not what they seem, and they are not acting alone.
The script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin is solid enough but not spectacular, containing little that had not been covered (somewhat more skilfully) in the previous season. However, this is not what sets this story apart. Perhaps more than any other story, The Claws of Axos succeeds or fails depending on the viewer's own particular sense of æsthetics. The production team is called to realise an organic spacecraft and their realisation is certainly imaginative. However, the early 1970s were not famous for tasteful combinations of colours and it is easy to sympathise with the viewer who finds the set design absolutely hideous- yellow is a colour that does not lend itself easily to saturation. In my opinion, although the sets are, indeed, very colourful, I can appreciate the imagination and creativity of them. The main chamber in Axos is reminiscent of a heart ventricle and there are nerve ganglia and ligaments in all the sets. The blobby Axons are mostly effective, although some shots are better than others. Michael Ferguson's direction is up to his usual high standard, not only in showing us the psychedelic environment of Axos, but in effective action sequences. Dudley Simpson's score is, shall we say, idiosyncratic and seems, at times, to be making it up on the spot on a Delaware synthesiser. The science in the story is very dodgy- apparently, all one has to do to escape a giant nuclear explosion is to drive away a few miles and, once the explosion has happened, it is perfectly safe to drive back!
The guest cast is very variable. Paul Grist is a bit flat as Bill Filer, but Donald Hewlett and Tim Piggot-Smith are rather good. There are some more serious character problems, however. Winser is made to be a rather unlikeable figure for no reason whatsoever and we are actually glad when he gets killed (or I was, anyway!) There have been many scientists in Doctor Who who mistrust the Doctor and think him a fool, but they have always had a proper place in the plot. Peter Bathurst's performance as Chinn is perfectly sound, but Bathurst is miscast. The character should have either been played as a young, inexperienced, but overconfident man, or a single-minded blowhard. With Bathurst playing him, I actually felt sorry for Chinn quite a few times! The regulars are on good form with some very nice scenes given to the Master when he is inspecting the Doctor's TARDIS. There is also an unusual and well played turn of events when the Doctor appears to join with the Master and abandon Earth. The Doctor has pretended to join with the villain before, but there is a real personal stake in it this time and we are not sure. This is the first time we have seen the Doctor piloting the TARDIS since he regenerated and the ease in which the Third Doctor does this is obvious.
The Claws of Axos is a real mixed bag, but does contain much that is good. It depends, really on how much you like yellow.
NEXT: Colony in Space
The script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin is solid enough but not spectacular, containing little that had not been covered (somewhat more skilfully) in the previous season. However, this is not what sets this story apart. Perhaps more than any other story, The Claws of Axos succeeds or fails depending on the viewer's own particular sense of æsthetics. The production team is called to realise an organic spacecraft and their realisation is certainly imaginative. However, the early 1970s were not famous for tasteful combinations of colours and it is easy to sympathise with the viewer who finds the set design absolutely hideous- yellow is a colour that does not lend itself easily to saturation. In my opinion, although the sets are, indeed, very colourful, I can appreciate the imagination and creativity of them. The main chamber in Axos is reminiscent of a heart ventricle and there are nerve ganglia and ligaments in all the sets. The blobby Axons are mostly effective, although some shots are better than others. Michael Ferguson's direction is up to his usual high standard, not only in showing us the psychedelic environment of Axos, but in effective action sequences. Dudley Simpson's score is, shall we say, idiosyncratic and seems, at times, to be making it up on the spot on a Delaware synthesiser. The science in the story is very dodgy- apparently, all one has to do to escape a giant nuclear explosion is to drive away a few miles and, once the explosion has happened, it is perfectly safe to drive back!
The guest cast is very variable. Paul Grist is a bit flat as Bill Filer, but Donald Hewlett and Tim Piggot-Smith are rather good. There are some more serious character problems, however. Winser is made to be a rather unlikeable figure for no reason whatsoever and we are actually glad when he gets killed (or I was, anyway!) There have been many scientists in Doctor Who who mistrust the Doctor and think him a fool, but they have always had a proper place in the plot. Peter Bathurst's performance as Chinn is perfectly sound, but Bathurst is miscast. The character should have either been played as a young, inexperienced, but overconfident man, or a single-minded blowhard. With Bathurst playing him, I actually felt sorry for Chinn quite a few times! The regulars are on good form with some very nice scenes given to the Master when he is inspecting the Doctor's TARDIS. There is also an unusual and well played turn of events when the Doctor appears to join with the Master and abandon Earth. The Doctor has pretended to join with the villain before, but there is a real personal stake in it this time and we are not sure. This is the first time we have seen the Doctor piloting the TARDIS since he regenerated and the ease in which the Third Doctor does this is obvious.
The Claws of Axos is a real mixed bag, but does contain much that is good. It depends, really on how much you like yellow.
NEXT: Colony in Space
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