Terry Nation had many faults as a writer, many of which were embarrassingly displayed in The Chase. At first glance, The Daleks’ Master Plan seems to have many of the same qualities. Both stories feature the Doctor being pursued by the Daleks throughout time and space. Both are filled with B-movie threats- in this story, we have invisible monsters, man-eating plants and prisoners taking over a ship, amongst other things. However, this story is so superior to The Chase that it makes one wonder how it could have come from the same mind. If any two stories prove ‘it’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it’ it’s these two.
The first thing that strikes the viewer about this story is its length. This is a colossal 12-episode epic, nearly 5 hours of television. This obviously begs the question of whether or not the story is padded or not and indeed, I could easily reduce this story to a 3-parter: The taranium is an obvious McGuffin, with most of the story being centred round it. If the Doctor doesn’t steal the taranium, there is no need for episodes 2-10. However, this story is well named, as this story has a sense of scale that dwarfs the stories that come before it. The Doctor is, for the first time, battling a threat to the whole universe, with the fates of whole galaxies at stake. Such a story is epic in nature and demands an epic length. The threats confronted transcend B-movie cliché- the Varga plants make sense plotwise and are a genuinely horrific threat and the Visians are also brought to life very effectively through very simple special visual and audio effects. The detour to Desperus might seem a bit pointless, but it ends in the most shocking scene in Doctor Who yet, the death of Katarina. This scene is excellently scripted, acted and directed and the story is all the better for it. The detour to ancient Egypt is very well acted and directed and contains the very welcome return of Peter Butterworth as the Meddling Monk. Unlike in The Chase, although the story takes us to many locations in time and space, it is rooted in one place- the nightmarish planet of Kembel.
Apart from the TARDIS crew and the Daleks, the other main player in the story is Mavic Chen, brought to life in a powerhouse performance by Kevin Stoney. Chen is a man who is already the most powerful human being ever and yet wants more. He is depicted as a man of wit, intelligence and charisma, but with an egotism that increases as the story goes on and eventually drives him to madness, believing himself to be a god who rules the Daleks. The only issue I have is with Chen’s make-up. He is meant to be ‘part-Oriental’, which the make-up team interpreted by darkening Stoney’s skin and taping back his eyes. This makes him look like a grotesque, caricatured ‘Chinaman’ which is unfortunate, as Chen’s ethnicity is not mentioned at all in the story, and he is not a Fu Manchu takeoff.
The guest cast is, perhaps, the strongest the programme has had since Marco Polo, and I cannot think of a single poor performance. Nicholas Courtney is memorable as Bret Vyon and it is easy to see why he returned to the programme a couple of times. Even a minor character like Karlton is well brought to life by Maurice Browning It is clear that good deal of thought has gone into characterisation and, importantly, character interplay. For example, Steven is a character from our future, but Sara Kingdom’s past, so that something that Steven would consider contemporary would seem futuristic to us and antediluvian to Sara. This is something which is actually a factor in the way these two characters interact.
The Daleks are totally rehabilitated from the fiasco of The Chase. Here they are scheming, ruthless and efficient. Their voices are brilliant here, after the limp vocal stylings of the previous two stories. As in The Chase Nation throws other monsters against them, but here the Daleks triumph. Their plan is a truly diabolical one and they would not come up with a plan as masterful until 2008.
Hartnell puts in one of his finest performances in this story. The Doctor rages against those who hurt his friends and takes no nonsense from the Daleks, dictating terms to them even when he is at a disadvantage. He also joyfully wraps the Monk up in bandages and whacks Visians with his stick. The length of the story is ably matched by Hartnell’s range. Purves continues to work wonders as Steven- it is mainly due to his performance that Katarina’s death works as well as it does. Adrienne Hill, it must be said, is no more than adequate as Katarina and it is, perhaps, good that the character died before she got too annoying. Jean Marsh as Sara puts in an excellent performance making the character both as tough as nails without making her unsympathetic.
Even though only a quarter of the episodes exist, it is clear that this is where Douglas Camfield got his reputation as one of the programme’s finest directors. As said before, the performances from the guest cast are strong across the board, and Camfield’s choice of camera angles and movement are sublime as is his supervision of editing- there is a great cut from an image of the sun in sky to a glint on the dome of a Dalek.
The Daleks’ Master Plan was the first story to have an episode broadcast on Christmas Day, "The Feast of Steven" and this episode takes a break from the Daleks to give us some light relief for the festive season. The first setting is a charming skit where the doctor is arrested by a policeman after being seen coming out of the TARDIS and the second is set in Hollywood in the Mack Sennet era. It is less successful, but still worthwhile. Then there is the famous scene where the Doctor toasts the viewer at home, which I found to be very well done- as the Doctor says, the TARDIS crew rarely get a chance to celebrate. The inclusion of this interlude is not as random as it looks, as it occurs in a natural break in the story and, although it is business as usual in the next episode, there is still a hilarious interlude at the Oval cricket ground to ease the transition back.
I must also make special mention of the last episode. The previous Dalek stories were resolved with a battle or an explosion. Here we are treated to something truly spectacular. The Time Destructor is turned on and it causes the surface of the Kembel to age. Unfortunately, it has the same effect on Sara and the Doctor and Sara ages to death and decays. Steven manages to turn the machine into reverse, rejuvenating the Doctor and eventually destroying the pursuing Daleks by regressing them into embryos. Kembel is reduced to a desert planet by the time the machine is exhausted. In the midst of this, Steven and the Doctor are left alone to ponder the cost of their victory. It is a truly epic ending to an epic story.
Next: The Massacre
Showing posts with label Dennis Spooner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dennis Spooner. Show all posts
Monday, 29 September 2008
Monday, 22 September 2008
The Time Meddler
In which the Doctor discovers one of his own race is attempting to change the course of history by destroying the forces of Harald Hardrada, so that the Battle of Stamford Bridge does not occur.
The above description would indicate a run-of-the-mill pseudo-historical had it referred to a story set a decade later. But this was only the seventeenth Doctor Who serial and, to the viewing public who had followed the Doctor’s adventures for the past two years, this would have been a thoroughly shocking episode that turned everything you knew about the Doctor on its head. It is clear that there is something very different about this journey into the past. Donald Cotton’s historicals had been increasingly moving away from John Lucarotti’s in theme as well as style. In Lucarotti’s historicals, the Doctor and his companions do not change the status quo and the Doctor states that ‘not one line’ of history can be changed. In The Romans, the Doctor inspires Nero to burn Rome, which means that the Doctor has been the cause of a historical fact. Of course, Nero (as the story depicts him) would probably have decided to burn Rome anyway. However, with The Time Meddler, we have a character that has directly influenced history (helping raise the megaliths of Stonehenge, putting the idea of powered flight to Leonardo Da Vinci) and now intends to alter it. History is no longer sacrosanct and history can be rewritten, and the anachronistic objects that increasingly turn up during the story add to this sense of ‘temporal violation’.
However, the greatest shock is that the Doctor is no longer unique. This is clear from the very start, when the Monk witnesses the materialisation of the TARDIS. There is surprise on his face, but not fear or shock, and when the regulars go into the sarcophagus and find themselves in a TARDIS, several assumptions about the Doctor are questioned. To viewers, it was assumed that the Doctor was the inventor of the TARDIS and he was unique amongst his people. This is no longer the case.
The Monk is clearly not evil- he tends Eldred’s wounds and, in aiming to destroy Hardrada’s army, rather than Williams, he will not be killing anyone who would not have died anyway. Indeed, rather than mistreat the imprisoned Doctor, the Monk goes to the trouble of cooking him a full-English breakfast. However, even though there is no direct threat to the Doctor’s life (apart from the cholesterol) the Doctor still puts his all into stopping the Monk and stranding him in time. Peter Butterworth is phenomenal as the Monk, giving a performance that is full of humour but doesn’t obscure the calculating intelligence in the character. The sense of fun that Butterworth imbues in the Monk means that we can accept ludicrous things like the very large to-do list and his diary of time meddling. Despite this, the Monk’s wail of anger and despair at being marooned still feels genuine.
The scenes with the regulars are a delight. Although we are still missing Ian and Barbara, Peter Purves is instantly likeable as Steven and his initial TARDIS scene is charming and very funny. Hartnell plays the Doctor as being increasingly annoyed with the relentless faux piety of the Monk and puts in one of his funniest performances.
Amongst the supporting cast, Alethea Charlton and Michael Miller are also excellent as Edith and Wulnoth. Charlton again plays a character from the past with bad hair, but she gives the character warmth and steel, sometimes within the same scene. Unfortunately there is precious little of note provided by the other speaking roles. Peter Russell lacks charisma as Eldred and Norman Hartley and David Anderson are far from memorable as the main Viking characters.
Cotton’s script full of funny lines, but the story is not just comedic. There is a shocking and very well acted scene where it is strongly implied that Edith has just been raped by the Vikings in which both Charlton and Miller give their all. Douglas Camfield does some good work in making Barry Newbery’s excellent sets look very convincing with canny use of stock footage. However, the fight scenes (arranged by David Anderson) are rather limp. Some might be turned off by the rather slow pacing and the fact that both the Doctor and the Monk practically soliloquise when they are alone.
The importance of this story cannot be overstated. When it was first broadcast, it was an oddity, but it increasingly became the template for the Doctor Who historical to come.
NEXT: Galaxy 4
The above description would indicate a run-of-the-mill pseudo-historical had it referred to a story set a decade later. But this was only the seventeenth Doctor Who serial and, to the viewing public who had followed the Doctor’s adventures for the past two years, this would have been a thoroughly shocking episode that turned everything you knew about the Doctor on its head. It is clear that there is something very different about this journey into the past. Donald Cotton’s historicals had been increasingly moving away from John Lucarotti’s in theme as well as style. In Lucarotti’s historicals, the Doctor and his companions do not change the status quo and the Doctor states that ‘not one line’ of history can be changed. In The Romans, the Doctor inspires Nero to burn Rome, which means that the Doctor has been the cause of a historical fact. Of course, Nero (as the story depicts him) would probably have decided to burn Rome anyway. However, with The Time Meddler, we have a character that has directly influenced history (helping raise the megaliths of Stonehenge, putting the idea of powered flight to Leonardo Da Vinci) and now intends to alter it. History is no longer sacrosanct and history can be rewritten, and the anachronistic objects that increasingly turn up during the story add to this sense of ‘temporal violation’.
However, the greatest shock is that the Doctor is no longer unique. This is clear from the very start, when the Monk witnesses the materialisation of the TARDIS. There is surprise on his face, but not fear or shock, and when the regulars go into the sarcophagus and find themselves in a TARDIS, several assumptions about the Doctor are questioned. To viewers, it was assumed that the Doctor was the inventor of the TARDIS and he was unique amongst his people. This is no longer the case.
The Monk is clearly not evil- he tends Eldred’s wounds and, in aiming to destroy Hardrada’s army, rather than Williams, he will not be killing anyone who would not have died anyway. Indeed, rather than mistreat the imprisoned Doctor, the Monk goes to the trouble of cooking him a full-English breakfast. However, even though there is no direct threat to the Doctor’s life (apart from the cholesterol) the Doctor still puts his all into stopping the Monk and stranding him in time. Peter Butterworth is phenomenal as the Monk, giving a performance that is full of humour but doesn’t obscure the calculating intelligence in the character. The sense of fun that Butterworth imbues in the Monk means that we can accept ludicrous things like the very large to-do list and his diary of time meddling. Despite this, the Monk’s wail of anger and despair at being marooned still feels genuine.
The scenes with the regulars are a delight. Although we are still missing Ian and Barbara, Peter Purves is instantly likeable as Steven and his initial TARDIS scene is charming and very funny. Hartnell plays the Doctor as being increasingly annoyed with the relentless faux piety of the Monk and puts in one of his funniest performances.
Amongst the supporting cast, Alethea Charlton and Michael Miller are also excellent as Edith and Wulnoth. Charlton again plays a character from the past with bad hair, but she gives the character warmth and steel, sometimes within the same scene. Unfortunately there is precious little of note provided by the other speaking roles. Peter Russell lacks charisma as Eldred and Norman Hartley and David Anderson are far from memorable as the main Viking characters.
Cotton’s script full of funny lines, but the story is not just comedic. There is a shocking and very well acted scene where it is strongly implied that Edith has just been raped by the Vikings in which both Charlton and Miller give their all. Douglas Camfield does some good work in making Barry Newbery’s excellent sets look very convincing with canny use of stock footage. However, the fight scenes (arranged by David Anderson) are rather limp. Some might be turned off by the rather slow pacing and the fact that both the Doctor and the Monk practically soliloquise when they are alone.
The importance of this story cannot be overstated. When it was first broadcast, it was an oddity, but it increasingly became the template for the Doctor Who historical to come.
NEXT: Galaxy 4
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
The Romans
Dennis Spooner strikes again with his second historical, which finds the Doctor and his companions holidaying in Ancient Rome after the events of The Rescue. However, this leads to Ian and Barbara being captured by slave traders and the Doctor and Vicki going to Nero’s court in Rome, where the intrigue deepens.
As with The Reign of Terror, Spooner blends gritty realism with comedy, but the comedy is far more to the fore here. Nero is largely played as a comic character by the excellent Derek Francis, and his interplay with his annoying slave Tigellinus is hilarious (Brian Proudfoot also deserves special mention for his wonderful, wordless performance). Episode 3 is notable for being almost a sitcom, with the Barbara being chased by the lecherous Nero and just avoiding bumping into the Doctor and Vicki. Tigellinus’s casual poisoning had me in stitches. However, the scenes with Ian as a slave are pretty grim. Ian is a gladiator and a galley slave in this and the squalor of Roman slavery is not avoided by the story and the gladiatorial combat is actually rather well choreographed.
The regulars are on fine form, with Barbara again showing that intelligent, strong willed female companions are not an innovation of the 21st century. The interplay between Ian and Barbara is now unmistakeably that of a couple and there are times where you can imagine them kissing a moment later. Vicki’s excitement at her new life is infectiously brought to life by Maureen O'Brien. Here, Vicki shows she is more than a surrogate Susan when she almost poisons Nero because of Poppea’s plan to poison ‘some poor slave’. However, Hartnell continues to astonish as the Doctor, at one point punning relentlessly about playing in the arena, and at another having his first genuine fight scene, where it is clear no stunt-double was used.
If there is any criticism, the sitcom elements of the story seem to have brought with it sitcom production values. The sets are impressive, but not as brilliant as in previous historical (interestingly, Ray Cusick designed this one, rather than Barry Newbery). Christopher Barry’s direction is rather basic visually, although he manages to get good performances out of the whole cast.
It would be interesting at this point to compare Spooner's approach to the historical in Doctor Who with John Lucarotti’s. Lucarotti is intent on immersing the viewer in the time when the story is set, trying to make the viewer feel like they are back in time. The drama here comes as much from the personalities bred in the environments of the setting as in actual history. Spooner is far more interested in plot and intrigue and he picks periods where events are dramatic and iconic. Although a degree of research has gone into The Romans, the production team is not above changing things for effect- Nero is middle-aged, rather than young, Tigellinus is Nero’s personal slave rather than his sadistic lackey. These changes are nothing new or shocking- artistic licence was taken with the likes of Spartacus and Quo Vadis?. Spooner’s historicals are, perhaps, lesser as works of art than Lucarotti’s, but they are thoroughly entertaining throughout.
NEXT: The Web Planet
As with The Reign of Terror, Spooner blends gritty realism with comedy, but the comedy is far more to the fore here. Nero is largely played as a comic character by the excellent Derek Francis, and his interplay with his annoying slave Tigellinus is hilarious (Brian Proudfoot also deserves special mention for his wonderful, wordless performance). Episode 3 is notable for being almost a sitcom, with the Barbara being chased by the lecherous Nero and just avoiding bumping into the Doctor and Vicki. Tigellinus’s casual poisoning had me in stitches. However, the scenes with Ian as a slave are pretty grim. Ian is a gladiator and a galley slave in this and the squalor of Roman slavery is not avoided by the story and the gladiatorial combat is actually rather well choreographed.
The regulars are on fine form, with Barbara again showing that intelligent, strong willed female companions are not an innovation of the 21st century. The interplay between Ian and Barbara is now unmistakeably that of a couple and there are times where you can imagine them kissing a moment later. Vicki’s excitement at her new life is infectiously brought to life by Maureen O'Brien. Here, Vicki shows she is more than a surrogate Susan when she almost poisons Nero because of Poppea’s plan to poison ‘some poor slave’. However, Hartnell continues to astonish as the Doctor, at one point punning relentlessly about playing in the arena, and at another having his first genuine fight scene, where it is clear no stunt-double was used.
If there is any criticism, the sitcom elements of the story seem to have brought with it sitcom production values. The sets are impressive, but not as brilliant as in previous historical (interestingly, Ray Cusick designed this one, rather than Barry Newbery). Christopher Barry’s direction is rather basic visually, although he manages to get good performances out of the whole cast.
It would be interesting at this point to compare Spooner's approach to the historical in Doctor Who with John Lucarotti’s. Lucarotti is intent on immersing the viewer in the time when the story is set, trying to make the viewer feel like they are back in time. The drama here comes as much from the personalities bred in the environments of the setting as in actual history. Spooner is far more interested in plot and intrigue and he picks periods where events are dramatic and iconic. Although a degree of research has gone into The Romans, the production team is not above changing things for effect- Nero is middle-aged, rather than young, Tigellinus is Nero’s personal slave rather than his sadistic lackey. These changes are nothing new or shocking- artistic licence was taken with the likes of Spartacus and Quo Vadis?. Spooner’s historicals are, perhaps, lesser as works of art than Lucarotti’s, but they are thoroughly entertaining throughout.
NEXT: The Web Planet
Thursday, 28 August 2008
The Reign of Terror
The first season concludes with another historical, this time from the pen of Dennis Spooner. After the events of The Sensorites, the Doctor promises to put Ian and Barbara off the ship at the earliest opportunity. However, instead of London in 1963, the regulars are plunged into the darkest years of the French Revolution, where they are embroiled in the chaos and fear of the time.
Although Spooner doesn’t have the same knack for writing lyrical dialogue as Lucarotti and the script isn’t as thoroughly researched, this is still a great adventure for the regulars. In particular, the Doctor is at his most active yet. We see him donning disguises, knocking people out and, for the first time, getting his companions out of trouble. Hartnell relishes these scenes, from his brisk strolling down the road to Paris, to the look he gives when he is nearly found out. Jacqueline Hill is again on strong form. I love her flirtation with the Doctor in the first scene, and her strength remains undiminished throughout.
A good sense of time is established by the script, perhaps because this is the first story that depicts actual historical events. Although there is a good deal of humour, particularly the Doctor’s escapades and the drunken gaoler, the horror of the era is not forgotten. Robespierre is shot in the jaw and, although we don’t see the event, we hear it and see the aftermath, which is handled expertly by director Henric Hirsch. Also, the scene where the Doctor knocks out the foreman makes us wonder for a few seconds whether the Doctor has actually killed him.
Barry Newberry’s sets are again brilliant, aided by some effective lighting. The gaol set is 100% convincing and at no point do we think that any of the sets are not the real thing. The costume design is also excellent. The burning house is a tad unconvincing though- the model is too small for it to look like anything but an out-of-control birthday cake.
There are a couple of under-par performances, however. The child in the first two episodes is awful and James Cairncross's performance as Lemaitre starts off well, but is poor in the last episode. Donald Morley is excellent as Jules Renan and Tony Wall makes an instant impression in Napoleon’s brief cameo (it is nice to see him portrayed as being of average height, which he was in real life). Unfortunately, I cannot judge Keith Anderson's performance as Robespierre as he mainly appears in Episode 4. Vocally, he seems fine, though.
Overall, this is a fine end to a fine season. One down, 29 to go!
NEXT: Planet of Giants
Although Spooner doesn’t have the same knack for writing lyrical dialogue as Lucarotti and the script isn’t as thoroughly researched, this is still a great adventure for the regulars. In particular, the Doctor is at his most active yet. We see him donning disguises, knocking people out and, for the first time, getting his companions out of trouble. Hartnell relishes these scenes, from his brisk strolling down the road to Paris, to the look he gives when he is nearly found out. Jacqueline Hill is again on strong form. I love her flirtation with the Doctor in the first scene, and her strength remains undiminished throughout.
A good sense of time is established by the script, perhaps because this is the first story that depicts actual historical events. Although there is a good deal of humour, particularly the Doctor’s escapades and the drunken gaoler, the horror of the era is not forgotten. Robespierre is shot in the jaw and, although we don’t see the event, we hear it and see the aftermath, which is handled expertly by director Henric Hirsch. Also, the scene where the Doctor knocks out the foreman makes us wonder for a few seconds whether the Doctor has actually killed him.
Barry Newberry’s sets are again brilliant, aided by some effective lighting. The gaol set is 100% convincing and at no point do we think that any of the sets are not the real thing. The costume design is also excellent. The burning house is a tad unconvincing though- the model is too small for it to look like anything but an out-of-control birthday cake.
There are a couple of under-par performances, however. The child in the first two episodes is awful and James Cairncross's performance as Lemaitre starts off well, but is poor in the last episode. Donald Morley is excellent as Jules Renan and Tony Wall makes an instant impression in Napoleon’s brief cameo (it is nice to see him portrayed as being of average height, which he was in real life). Unfortunately, I cannot judge Keith Anderson's performance as Robespierre as he mainly appears in Episode 4. Vocally, he seems fine, though.
Overall, this is a fine end to a fine season. One down, 29 to go!
NEXT: Planet of Giants
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)