The anniversary specials of the programme have always generated interest, but Doctor Who
in 2013 is a mainstream success in a way it hasn't been since
Dalekmania in the 1960s. It is probably no exaggeration to say,
therefore, that "The Day of the Doctor" is probably the most eagerly
awaited episode of Doctor Who since "Rose". It has to satisfy the
wide mainstream audience that will tune in, whilst keeping an eye on
the fans, some of whom remember William Hartnell, some of whom were not
even born when Christopher Eccleston was the Doctor. It has to pay
tribute to the 50 years of television history that preceded it, whilst
trying to tell an engaging story. It is a pleasure to state that the
episode manages to succeed in all of these aims on a level that
genuinely surprised even me.
More so than any of the other anniversary specials, "The Day of the Doctor" works as a regular Doctor Who
adventure, this one being a fiendish plan by the Zygons to take over
the Earth. The use of the pictures as suspended animation makes that
part of the plot seem like a bright and breezy season opener, with the
added bonus of featuring a well-loved adversary from yester-year.
However, although the Zygon plot is easily enough to sustain a story in
itself, taking place in two time zones and featuring a Zygon Good Queen
Bess, this is only the gateway into a deeper story. For the pictures are
relics of Gallifrey and of the darkest day of the Doctor's life...
The key thing the audience remembers from Anniversary specials is the
current Doctor meeting with past incarnations and here, we have the very
welcome return of David Tennant, playing the Doctor like he'd never
been away. Joining him is the incarnation we must now call the 'War
Doctor' played by the legendary John Hurt. I stated at the end of his
era that I thought Tennant was the best leading man the show had had
since Hartnell and Hurt is an acting legend, one of the finest in the
world, who has always been thoroughly mesmerising in every role he has
played. I can think of no better praise for Matt Smith than stating that
he completely holds his own in the presence of Hurt and Tennant. Moffat
uses the three Doctors more intelligently than his predecessors did –
we really get a sense of the centuries dividing them. The War Doctor is
definitely the warrior that his predecessor chose to be, but he has not
made the key decision that has haunted his successors. It is also a good
choice to have a previously unknown incarnation be brought to the fore –
the War Doctor has no nostalgic connotations, so he can stand in for
all the previous incarnations more effectively, which makes his
criticisms of his successors' characteristics all the more potent. Some
portions of fandom criticise the perceived modern overuse of the sonic
screwdriver, which is alluded to by the War Doctor and then it is shown
why the sonic is used so often, as, for the first time this century, the
Doctor is locked up! The War Doctor initially has little respect for
the flippancy of his successors, but it becomes clear that it is a
coping mechanism for something he has not yet done. Little kisses to the
past abound, from the title sequence to the fulfilled promise of all
the Doctors making an appearance.
Nick Hurran manages to make the episode both completely epic, with the
stunning fall of Arcadia and also very low key in the quieter moments.
The 3D photography really serves the epic space battles well, but the
episode never devolves into a mere 3D showcase. The design is opulent
and contains great little touches – apparently the original version of Le Radeau de la Méduse
contained no humans! Hurran assembles a great cast, with the very
welcome return of Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, a fun turn from Joanna
Page as Elizabeth and her Zygon double. There is also the wonderful
Ingrid Oliver as Osgood (related to a certain UNIT technician who
assisted at Devil's End?) Jenna Coleman continues to sparkle as Clara,
whether impersonating witches or out-thinking three incarcerated
incarnations of the Doctor. However, there are two minor parts that made
my jaw drop – a brief flash of Peter Capaldi's eyes and (possibly) the
first uttered words of the Twelfth Doctor; and the return of the most
iconic actor to play the Doctor in the 20th Century. Whoever the Curator
actually is, it is a true joy to see Tom Baker again!
The decision to rescue Gallifrey may not be acceptable to some, but the
way in which it is brought about is excellently constructed. Moffat
wants to rescue the Doctor from the burden of committing the genocide of
the Daleks and the near omnicide of his home planet. We found out the
importance of the name of the Doctor and now we find out what must be
done in that name. The emotional consequences are still there, as the
Ninth and Tenth Doctors forget what the War Doctor did in his final
days. The Doctor has had many titles given to him, but where once he was
Death, the Destroyer of Worlds, he is now the more famous aspect of
Vishnu, that of Preserver < / pretentiousness >. Moffat's script is
superlative, writing and rewriting myth with aplomb, without losing the
little touches of humour.
I remember "The Five Doctors" when the programme was in the autumn of its success and I also remember Remembrance of the Daleks and Silver Nemesis
when the winds of winter were blowing. The story looks back at the
programme's history, but makes sure that it does not rest on its laurels
and makes a decisive step forwards into the future. In this November,
50 years after it started, "The Day of the Doctor" is another highlight
of a glorious second summer that shows no sign of coming to an end. Long
live Doctor Who!
NEXT: "The Time of the Doctor"
Showing posts with label Tom Baker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Baker. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Logopolis
The most iconic era of 20th Century Doctor Who comes to an end with Logopolis, which is the first script by Christopher Bidmead. Bidmead’s tenure as script editor was one of the factors which made Doctor Who worth watching again after the very patchy Season 17 and his first full contribution is a very interesting story. The plotting is very odd- for the first episode and a half, the Doctor is concerned with measuring the TARDIS, but ends up materialising around another TARDIS which results in bizarre dimensional anomalies. Outside, on the Barnet Bypass, Australian air stewardess Tegan Jovanka is changing the tyre on her Aunt Vanessa’s car. However, there are two other presences- the other TARDIS belongs to the resurrected Master, who begins his new life with callous murder. Dispassionately observing this is the Watcher, a terrifying figure swathed in white- but the (unheard) conversations he has with people indicate he is a figure to be trusted, if not welcomed. Perhaps the first 40 minutes is unnecessary in plot terms, but it is very well executed- there could have been a bit of trimming in some of the Bypass scenes and the Doctor’s plan to flush out the Master’s TARDIS is one of the stupidest things the programme has done in plot terms, but the rest is compelling, if sometimes baffling- how does the dimensional anomaly work, exactly?- too compelling to be dismissed as padding. The titular planet is a fascinating alien world- the inhabitants form a giant organic computer that is used for ‘Block Transfer Computation’- using pure mathematics to create events in space/time. Bidmead’s skill at presenting scientific concepts with beautifully written dialogue cannot be underestimate it- ‘The essence of matter is structure and the essence of structure is mathematics’ is understandable by anyone, and sounds great. Into this society we first see the Master and his rash meddling results in the death of Logopolis and the doom of the Universe- Block Transfer Computation actually created the CVEs and, possibly, the micro-universes they opened into (neatly tying in the adventures in E-Space) to drain the waste energy of the Universe. For the first time, the Doctor literally saves the entire Universe, paying the ultimate price.
Bidmead’s script is one of the most cerebral that the programme has ever had, but he does not forget characterisation and is helped by some excellent performances. New regular Janet Fielding is instantly memorable as Tegan and Sarah Sutton is very effective as Nyssa. Matthew Waterhouse does not offend (the viewer can actually accurately gauge the acting talents of the three regulars by looking at their reactions to the doctor falling from the radio telescope!) Anthony Ainley makes his first proper appearance as the Master. He seems eerily cadaverous in his first scenes with Nyssa and he underplays very effectively throughout, but always giving a hint of the madness that has now taken over the character. He may have a goatee, but this is a very different character to the Delgado version.
Season 18 is one of the most visually striking eras of Doctor Who. Unfortunately, despite good direction from Peter Grimwade, there are hints of the money running out for the season, especially in the climactic scenes on the radio telescope unfortunately. However, Logopolis itself and the wonderful TARDIS Cloisters are very effectively realised.
Tom Baker’s portrayal of the Doctor grabbed the attention of the world and didn’t fully relinquish its dominance for twenty-four years. There were times when he gave the best performance yet in the title role. There were other times when he actually failed to give a convincing performance as the Doctor- something that I would not say about his three predecessors. However, his performance in his final story is phenomenal. The Fourth Doctor has always been slightly avuncular, but Baker plays it in a more grandfatherly way in the opening scenes. His dismissal of Adric Nyssa and Tegan is beautifully played, as is his discovery of the extent of the Master’s madness. Despite all this, all the character traits the Fourth Doctor ever had are still present including, most crucially, his sense of humour.
Everything comes magnificently together in the best regeneration scene yet. The Doctor sees visions of past adversaries as he hangs from the radio telescope and he falls. His broken body lies at the foot of the telescope, but he is still alive and, as his new companions call his name, he sees his old friends doing the same. ‘It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for’. He beckons to the Watcher, who is a projection of the Fifth Doctor. They merge and the Doctor sits up, a new man.
Logopolis has its faults, but it contains intelligence, humour and emotion, a great ending to a great season and a great Doctor.
NEXT: Castrovalva
Bidmead’s script is one of the most cerebral that the programme has ever had, but he does not forget characterisation and is helped by some excellent performances. New regular Janet Fielding is instantly memorable as Tegan and Sarah Sutton is very effective as Nyssa. Matthew Waterhouse does not offend (the viewer can actually accurately gauge the acting talents of the three regulars by looking at their reactions to the doctor falling from the radio telescope!) Anthony Ainley makes his first proper appearance as the Master. He seems eerily cadaverous in his first scenes with Nyssa and he underplays very effectively throughout, but always giving a hint of the madness that has now taken over the character. He may have a goatee, but this is a very different character to the Delgado version.
Season 18 is one of the most visually striking eras of Doctor Who. Unfortunately, despite good direction from Peter Grimwade, there are hints of the money running out for the season, especially in the climactic scenes on the radio telescope unfortunately. However, Logopolis itself and the wonderful TARDIS Cloisters are very effectively realised.
Tom Baker’s portrayal of the Doctor grabbed the attention of the world and didn’t fully relinquish its dominance for twenty-four years. There were times when he gave the best performance yet in the title role. There were other times when he actually failed to give a convincing performance as the Doctor- something that I would not say about his three predecessors. However, his performance in his final story is phenomenal. The Fourth Doctor has always been slightly avuncular, but Baker plays it in a more grandfatherly way in the opening scenes. His dismissal of Adric Nyssa and Tegan is beautifully played, as is his discovery of the extent of the Master’s madness. Despite all this, all the character traits the Fourth Doctor ever had are still present including, most crucially, his sense of humour.
Everything comes magnificently together in the best regeneration scene yet. The Doctor sees visions of past adversaries as he hangs from the radio telescope and he falls. His broken body lies at the foot of the telescope, but he is still alive and, as his new companions call his name, he sees his old friends doing the same. ‘It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for’. He beckons to the Watcher, who is a projection of the Fifth Doctor. They merge and the Doctor sits up, a new man.
Logopolis has its faults, but it contains intelligence, humour and emotion, a great ending to a great season and a great Doctor.
NEXT: Castrovalva
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
The Keeper of Traken
It is fitting that Johnny Byrne, creator of the almost comically somniferous Heartbeat, should write this story, where the heady concepts of the rest of Season 18 are dialled back for a rather sedate tale. In fact, the pace is very different from any other Doctor Who story I have seen. The info-dumping about Traken and its main players is done rather beautifully by the Keeper using the TARDIS scanner to give a potted visual history. The story progresses naturally- indeed, if it wasn't for a major revelation, this would be a story with no surprises at all- the main plot is resolved a bit too simply for my liking. However, there is a great deal to commend this story. The plot is reasonably simple and Byrne's script is full of very stylised dialogue that never seems artificial and is often lyrical and contains good characterisation and makes Traken a believable world
This is helped by a gorgeous production- the sets and costumes are sublime and, while this is hardly the most dynamic story, it is directed with great style by John Black- indeed, the production most resembles the better of the BBC Complete Shakespeare plays that were broadcast in the 70s and 80s. There are also some truly great performances- however, it is a real pity that John Woodnut and Denis Carey disappear half-way through as they are two of the best performers. Sheila Ruskin is a bit odd as Kassia- her facial and vocal performance is fine, but her body language seems influenced by the worst excesses of silent movie acting. However, the best performance is that of Anthony Ainley. Even with the knowledge of Ainley's future in the programme, his performance as Tremas is thoroughly convincing.
This story, of course, is just as much about the return of an old adversary as it is about regime change on Traken. Geoffrey Beevers puts in a very entertaining performance as the Master that is eerily anticipatory of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor in Return of the Jedi (and beyond). The Master's scheme is foiled, but that just lulls us into a false sense of security that makes the shocking twist at the end all the more powerful. Tom Baker is excellent, being both light-hearted and contemptuous of overly legalistic behaviour. Matthew Waterhouse's performance is fine here- he seems to spark well off Tom Baker.
This is a very enjoyable story, a moment of balm to ease us into what is to come.
NEXT: Logopolis
This is helped by a gorgeous production- the sets and costumes are sublime and, while this is hardly the most dynamic story, it is directed with great style by John Black- indeed, the production most resembles the better of the BBC Complete Shakespeare plays that were broadcast in the 70s and 80s. There are also some truly great performances- however, it is a real pity that John Woodnut and Denis Carey disappear half-way through as they are two of the best performers. Sheila Ruskin is a bit odd as Kassia- her facial and vocal performance is fine, but her body language seems influenced by the worst excesses of silent movie acting. However, the best performance is that of Anthony Ainley. Even with the knowledge of Ainley's future in the programme, his performance as Tremas is thoroughly convincing.
This story, of course, is just as much about the return of an old adversary as it is about regime change on Traken. Geoffrey Beevers puts in a very entertaining performance as the Master that is eerily anticipatory of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor in Return of the Jedi (and beyond). The Master's scheme is foiled, but that just lulls us into a false sense of security that makes the shocking twist at the end all the more powerful. Tom Baker is excellent, being both light-hearted and contemptuous of overly legalistic behaviour. Matthew Waterhouse's performance is fine here- he seems to spark well off Tom Baker.
This is a very enjoyable story, a moment of balm to ease us into what is to come.
NEXT: Logopolis
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Warriors’ Gate
Warriors’ Gate has to be the centrepiece of the Doctor Who Renaissance that was season 18. It is a visually stunning and thought provoking story that can be discussed endlessly, but is not alienating for children- it certainly mesmerised the four year old me when it was broadcast. The premise is a simple one- the TARDIS is at the gateway between E-Space and N-Space, a featureless white void, in which they are trapped with a slave ship. However, Stephen Gallagher manages to tap all the potential of this premise- the slaves are Tharils, time sensitives who can phase in and out of space/time and navigate through hyperspace. The Tharils are ruthlessly exploited now, but they were one the oppressive masters of an empire of their own. The nature of the Tharils brings to mind some of the rudiments of quantum theory, and the influence of and references to the I Ching complement this wonderfully. The Doctor is saved by doing ‘the right kind of nothing’- in the gateway, it seems, making a choice reduces the space and one is trapped there the more one acts. Rorvik and his crew are doomed as they continue to act, even beyond the point when it would be rational to stop. However, this story is not just a musing on cosmology- it is full of fantastic dialogue and memorable characters with a plot that is dispensed with not a hint of padding.
To complement this is one of the most astounding televisual presentations of twentieth century television. Director Paul Joyce is influenced by Cocteau (the sets of La Belle et la Bête, visual imagery from the Orphic Trilogy) Welles (the long tracking shots that open the story) and creates a truly unforgettable experience. The story is full of memorable images- the spinning coin, Biroc’s entry into the TARDIS, the Gateway and what lies beyond, the axe-wielding Gundan robots. The lighting is skilfully atmospheric , with excellent set design and costumes. Joyce also marshals the cast into a truly fantastic set of performances. Not one actor is anything less than first rate, but special mention has to be made of Clifford Rose as Rorvik. Gallagher’s script makes everyone believable and Rose is excellent as a sadistic slave trader whose crew, nevertheless, have genuine respect for him.
This is Lalla Ward’s last outing as Romana and she is astonishing in it and earns her right to be E-Space’s equivalent of the Doctor. Tom Baker is genuinely galvanized by the very strong material he has to work with and even Adric does not offend in his (very limited) role here. This is also the last appearance of K9. Although the character has been somewhat marginalised in this season, he is great in this, spouting probabilities like prophecies. John Leeson always made K9 charming and it is sad to see him go.
This is a truly unmissable story that will stay with the viewer long after it has ended.
NEXT: The Keeper of Traken
To complement this is one of the most astounding televisual presentations of twentieth century television. Director Paul Joyce is influenced by Cocteau (the sets of La Belle et la Bête, visual imagery from the Orphic Trilogy) Welles (the long tracking shots that open the story) and creates a truly unforgettable experience. The story is full of memorable images- the spinning coin, Biroc’s entry into the TARDIS, the Gateway and what lies beyond, the axe-wielding Gundan robots. The lighting is skilfully atmospheric , with excellent set design and costumes. Joyce also marshals the cast into a truly fantastic set of performances. Not one actor is anything less than first rate, but special mention has to be made of Clifford Rose as Rorvik. Gallagher’s script makes everyone believable and Rose is excellent as a sadistic slave trader whose crew, nevertheless, have genuine respect for him.
This is Lalla Ward’s last outing as Romana and she is astonishing in it and earns her right to be E-Space’s equivalent of the Doctor. Tom Baker is genuinely galvanized by the very strong material he has to work with and even Adric does not offend in his (very limited) role here. This is also the last appearance of K9. Although the character has been somewhat marginalised in this season, he is great in this, spouting probabilities like prophecies. John Leeson always made K9 charming and it is sad to see him go.
This is a truly unmissable story that will stay with the viewer long after it has ended.
NEXT: The Keeper of Traken
Friday, 12 June 2009
State of Decay
It is surprising that the Hinchcliffe/ Holmes ‘Gothic Horror’ era never did a vampire story (actually there is a boring production based reason) but we finally get one in the form of State of Decay, from the ever present pen of Terrance Dicks. Dicks’s script takes influences from the classics of Vampire fiction (well, two of them anyway). We have the ancient castle where the vampires live and the peasants who cluster around it ‘like ducklings’ and who live in fear of their vampire lords and owe them tribute. Of course, this is adapted into a Doctor Who context, with the castle being a spacecraft and the traditional vampires that are seen are a mere shadow of the ancient evil beneath the castle, an ancient enemy of the Time Lords. The script blends horror with musings of the decline of civilisations and evolution of language and the effect of the collective unconscious on legend. There is some deft characterisation, especially in the portrayal of the dynamic of the ‘Three Who Rule’, although the rest of the characters are less well drawn- the peasants and their society are not portrayed with the same degree of care as the vampires. There are some things left unexplained- what is ‘The Wasting’ (are they the bats, if so the Three Who Rule are running a protection racket!) and what exactly is the significance of the Chosen Ones?
However, the story is further strengthened by its very impressive realisation. The sets, especially for the castle interiors are gorgeous, with some very effective matte shots being used for the throne room and the blood-red brickwork for the castle corridors are a welcome touch. The miniature shots for the castle are superbly detailed, unlike other miniature efforts in the past. The only production let downs are some of the shots of bats attacking and the realisation of the Great Vampire. I can just about forgive the giant hand, but the terrible shot of the creature on the scanner is awful. Peter Moffat directs the scenes with an elegant simplicity, although he is rubbish at fight scenes.
The cast are first rate- the Three Who rule are terrifyingly cadaverous, but it is clear that they are inhibited and controlled- witness their ritualistic hand-washing. Moffat has the Three arranged in tableaux for several scenes, which seems ‘stagey’ at first, but becomes more appropriate as one understands the story more. Zargo and Camilla are king and queen but Aukon is the one who communes with the Great Vampire. The Three are excellently performed, with special mention for the wonderful Emrys James as Aukon. Tom Baker is wonderful, with the Doctor driven by more than his usual desire to right wrongs. Lalla Ward’s Romana performs the role of Mina Murray very well, although, with Camilla, the influence shifts from Dracula to Le Fanu’s Carmilla (Camilla shows signs of being a lesbite, or lesbian vampire). Matthew Waterhouse is wisely kept in the background and doesn’t manage to be too annoying.
Despite its faults, State of Decay has something in it for all Doctor Who fans and is great fun.
NEXT: Warriors’ Gate
However, the story is further strengthened by its very impressive realisation. The sets, especially for the castle interiors are gorgeous, with some very effective matte shots being used for the throne room and the blood-red brickwork for the castle corridors are a welcome touch. The miniature shots for the castle are superbly detailed, unlike other miniature efforts in the past. The only production let downs are some of the shots of bats attacking and the realisation of the Great Vampire. I can just about forgive the giant hand, but the terrible shot of the creature on the scanner is awful. Peter Moffat directs the scenes with an elegant simplicity, although he is rubbish at fight scenes.
The cast are first rate- the Three Who rule are terrifyingly cadaverous, but it is clear that they are inhibited and controlled- witness their ritualistic hand-washing. Moffat has the Three arranged in tableaux for several scenes, which seems ‘stagey’ at first, but becomes more appropriate as one understands the story more. Zargo and Camilla are king and queen but Aukon is the one who communes with the Great Vampire. The Three are excellently performed, with special mention for the wonderful Emrys James as Aukon. Tom Baker is wonderful, with the Doctor driven by more than his usual desire to right wrongs. Lalla Ward’s Romana performs the role of Mina Murray very well, although, with Camilla, the influence shifts from Dracula to Le Fanu’s Carmilla (Camilla shows signs of being a lesbite, or lesbian vampire). Matthew Waterhouse is wisely kept in the background and doesn’t manage to be too annoying.
Despite its faults, State of Decay has something in it for all Doctor Who fans and is great fun.
NEXT: Warriors’ Gate
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Full Circle
Full Circle marks the beginning of the Doctor's adventures in E-Space. This is the first time a script has been written by a Doctor Who fan and, happily, Andrew Smith does not wade in with continuity-obsessed wish fulfilment, instead contributing an intelligent, well written science-fiction story. The script is typical of Christopher Bidmead's more scientifically literate outlook on the programme, and the story deals with questions of evolution and development and stagnation of societies. We are shown a group of humanoids living on a crashed Starliner who are seeking to leave the planet Alzarius for what they believe to be their planet of origin, Terradon. However, Alzarius goes through a cycle called Mistfall, when the air becomes suffused with gases from the Alzarian marshes, from which emerge the Marshmen, an amphibious race of humanoid reptilians- and the Doctor and Romana find that the inhabitants of the starliner are more closely linked to Alzarius than they thought.The script is full of good dialogue and the plot is developed well over the four episodes (if a little slow paced at times). The Marshmen are not depicted as monsters- indeed there are no real villains in the story- but as an intelligent, if very different life form.
The characterisation is not bad, but there are no real stand-outs. There are, however, some very effective performances from James Bree, Alan Rowe and the wonderful George Baker. However, this story is also famous for introducing a regular character who has not had the best press. Matthew Waterhouse's performance can best be described as watchable, but amateur. His line delivery is acceptable, but he seems unsure of what to do when he is not speaking. To be fair, the other outlers are not much good either- although Richard Willis has a good screen presence as Varsh and Bernard Padden is fascinatingly lugubrious.
Where this story triumphs is in its visuals. Alzarius is realised by beautifully shot locations and atmospheric set designs and Peter Grimwade uses long takes with interesting camerawork in the studio. It's not visually dynamic, but certainly shows a deep understanding of the material. The scenes with the spiders are genuinely shocking and Grimwade's treatment of the Marshmen is inspired. Of special note is the tragic figure of the Marshchild, which is shown as a terrified innocent ripped out of its home to die in a strange place.
Tom Baker puts in one of his best performances in this story- keeping his sense of humour but livid at the callous treatment of the Marshchild. Lalla Ward supports ably, although her scene of possession (the first time a companion had been possessed in years) could have been better played.
Full Circle is, incidentally, the first Doctor Who story I watched in full at the time of transmission, with the spiders bursting out of the fruit being my first 'behind the sofa' moment (although my family's sofa was against the wall, meaning I had to face my fears). Twenty-eight years on, I still found it a highly enjoyable story, well worth a watch.
NEXT: State of Decay
The characterisation is not bad, but there are no real stand-outs. There are, however, some very effective performances from James Bree, Alan Rowe and the wonderful George Baker. However, this story is also famous for introducing a regular character who has not had the best press. Matthew Waterhouse's performance can best be described as watchable, but amateur. His line delivery is acceptable, but he seems unsure of what to do when he is not speaking. To be fair, the other outlers are not much good either- although Richard Willis has a good screen presence as Varsh and Bernard Padden is fascinatingly lugubrious.
Where this story triumphs is in its visuals. Alzarius is realised by beautifully shot locations and atmospheric set designs and Peter Grimwade uses long takes with interesting camerawork in the studio. It's not visually dynamic, but certainly shows a deep understanding of the material. The scenes with the spiders are genuinely shocking and Grimwade's treatment of the Marshmen is inspired. Of special note is the tragic figure of the Marshchild, which is shown as a terrified innocent ripped out of its home to die in a strange place.
Tom Baker puts in one of his best performances in this story- keeping his sense of humour but livid at the callous treatment of the Marshchild. Lalla Ward supports ably, although her scene of possession (the first time a companion had been possessed in years) could have been better played.
Full Circle is, incidentally, the first Doctor Who story I watched in full at the time of transmission, with the spiders bursting out of the fruit being my first 'behind the sofa' moment (although my family's sofa was against the wall, meaning I had to face my fears). Twenty-eight years on, I still found it a highly enjoyable story, well worth a watch.
NEXT: State of Decay
Monday, 8 June 2009
Meglos
I have often said that many Doctor Who stories regarded as failures have nothing wrong with the basic storyline. Meglos, however, is the story of the Doctor being summoned to help an old friend, but is impersonated by a cactus along the way. If you haven't seen this story before, you did not read that wrong. The script is somewhat better than this storyline would indicate- it considers questions about science and religion and has some nice dialogue. but it contains vague explanations- we never find out what exactly what Meglos is or what his aims are; we never find out anything about the Dodecahedron, apart from the fact that it is a source of great power. Even the ending is undercooked- the Doctor came to help with the Dodecahedron, but he destroys it in the end and the Tigellan's accept (in an implausibly laid back way) that they must live on the surface- despite the fact that the Savants have lost their power source and the Deons the totem of their God, they seem to take this massive cultural upheaval very well. Characterisation is rather basic and there is an even more serious script problem which I will discuss later.
Visually, the story has its strengths, most notably the 'scene-synch' variation of CSO. This process is unique to this story which probably makes it look more striking than it actually is, but the results are impressive, especially in episode 1, where the long shots mask the tell-tale CSO fringing (it was, perhaps, unwise to begin the shot with a close up of a planet in the sky, with the string holding it up all too visible). The sets are well-designed and atmospherically lit, with the exception of the Tigellan jungle, with plants that look as if they are pantomime props. Only Meglos itself is convincing amongst the phyto-bestiary- it helps, of course, that cacti naturally look like Doctor Who monsters anyway! Terence Dudley's direction is not as striking as in other stories in the season, but his skill is evident when one considers the padding in the story. This is a very short adventure, but it is clear that the script was much too short- reprises are long and there is no need to show the time loop in so much detail. However Dudley manages to rescue it.
The regulars put in excellent performances, with Tom Baker relishing playing a villain (his cactus make-up is very good, incidentally). Of the guest appearances, we welcome back Jacqueline Hill with the greatest of pleasure and she gives the best guest performance of the lot (her death, incidentally, is not particularly essential to the plot and is badly executed) Bill Fraser and Frederick Treves are fun as Grugger and Brotodac but none of the other performances rise above adequate.
This is perfectly acceptable Doctor Who- it is a pity it cannot be something more.
NEXT: Full Circle
Visually, the story has its strengths, most notably the 'scene-synch' variation of CSO. This process is unique to this story which probably makes it look more striking than it actually is, but the results are impressive, especially in episode 1, where the long shots mask the tell-tale CSO fringing (it was, perhaps, unwise to begin the shot with a close up of a planet in the sky, with the string holding it up all too visible). The sets are well-designed and atmospherically lit, with the exception of the Tigellan jungle, with plants that look as if they are pantomime props. Only Meglos itself is convincing amongst the phyto-bestiary- it helps, of course, that cacti naturally look like Doctor Who monsters anyway! Terence Dudley's direction is not as striking as in other stories in the season, but his skill is evident when one considers the padding in the story. This is a very short adventure, but it is clear that the script was much too short- reprises are long and there is no need to show the time loop in so much detail. However Dudley manages to rescue it.
The regulars put in excellent performances, with Tom Baker relishing playing a villain (his cactus make-up is very good, incidentally). Of the guest appearances, we welcome back Jacqueline Hill with the greatest of pleasure and she gives the best guest performance of the lot (her death, incidentally, is not particularly essential to the plot and is badly executed) Bill Fraser and Frederick Treves are fun as Grugger and Brotodac but none of the other performances rise above adequate.
This is perfectly acceptable Doctor Who- it is a pity it cannot be something more.
NEXT: Full Circle
Saturday, 6 June 2009
The Leisure Hive
The Leisure Hive marks the biggest stylistic change in Doctor Who since Spearhead from Space, something which is obvious from the start. For the first time, someone other than Delia Derbyshire has realised the theme tune. Peter Howell’s arrangement is the earliest one I remember and I still think it is a very good reinterpretation of the Grainer/Derbyshire original.
But onto the story. David Fisher shows us Argolis, a world that has been ravaged by nuclear war, whose sterile survivors have constructed the titular Leisure Hive- a recreation complex that aims to teach the value of tolerance to the Galaxy as a lat gift to the ages. However, the Leisure Hive is on the brink of bankruptcy, just at the time when the Hive’s pioneering science of tachyonics might provide hope for the doomed Argolin race. How much of this is Fisher’s is unclear- the tone is somewhat more serious than his previous contributions, probably due to Christopher Hamilton Bidmead being the script editor. However, the script is by no means mirthless, showing that Bidmead knew the value of carefully used humour. Whoever was the main force behind the script, it is very effective. There is very little padding (this is, incidentally a rather short four parter, running only 90 minutes in total) and there is some very effective world building. We have the dying Argolins, whom the war have mutated into a race with a long youth and middle age, but a very rapid old-age. They were the aggressors in the war and are now attempting to atone. Their former enemies, the Foamasi, are a somewhat socialistic reptilian race who have, nevertheless, have fringe groups devoted to capitalism. The characters are very well written, with Pangol, the bellicose youngster Argolin contrasting well with Mena’s dignified elder.
However, what really distinguishes the story is the direction, from the very first scene which begins with a very long tracking shot of Brighton Beach. Lovett Bickford seems to have abandoned the usual method of studio direction – sitting in the gallery and cutting from camera to camera. Here, every shot has been planned and individually lit, meaning that the editing was done mainly in post-production. The story tries to find a new way of doing even the most basic shot- for the first time, the camera moves when the TARDIS materialises. However, The Leisure Hive is not merely a simple montage of ambitious techniques. Bickford has not forgotten the power of an arresting image, with the memorable tachyon dismemberments and the way in which the Argolins rapidly age. The scene where Brock is unmasked is edited in a genuinely terrifying way. Bickford also manages to get superb performances from the guest cast. A young, but still instantly recognisable, David Haig is superb Pangol and Adrienne Corri is very memorable as Mena. I must also comment on the relationship between Hardin and Mena, a relationship that might blossom into love in different circumstances, beautifully played by Corri and Nigel Lambert. Tom Baker’s performance is the best in what seems like ages. He is more subdued, but by no means serious and his portrayal of the aged Doctor is wonderful. Lalla Ward is wonderful as Romana, from her petulance in the early scenes to the sense given that she has grown closer to the Doctor since the previous story.
This is the beginning of John Nathan-Turner’s tenure as producer. There are still a few fans who see JNT as the ruination of Doctor Who. Whatever else he would do, it is blatantly obvious that The Leisure Hive is far superior to most of Season 17 and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
NEXT: Meglos
But onto the story. David Fisher shows us Argolis, a world that has been ravaged by nuclear war, whose sterile survivors have constructed the titular Leisure Hive- a recreation complex that aims to teach the value of tolerance to the Galaxy as a lat gift to the ages. However, the Leisure Hive is on the brink of bankruptcy, just at the time when the Hive’s pioneering science of tachyonics might provide hope for the doomed Argolin race. How much of this is Fisher’s is unclear- the tone is somewhat more serious than his previous contributions, probably due to Christopher Hamilton Bidmead being the script editor. However, the script is by no means mirthless, showing that Bidmead knew the value of carefully used humour. Whoever was the main force behind the script, it is very effective. There is very little padding (this is, incidentally a rather short four parter, running only 90 minutes in total) and there is some very effective world building. We have the dying Argolins, whom the war have mutated into a race with a long youth and middle age, but a very rapid old-age. They were the aggressors in the war and are now attempting to atone. Their former enemies, the Foamasi, are a somewhat socialistic reptilian race who have, nevertheless, have fringe groups devoted to capitalism. The characters are very well written, with Pangol, the bellicose youngster Argolin contrasting well with Mena’s dignified elder.
However, what really distinguishes the story is the direction, from the very first scene which begins with a very long tracking shot of Brighton Beach. Lovett Bickford seems to have abandoned the usual method of studio direction – sitting in the gallery and cutting from camera to camera. Here, every shot has been planned and individually lit, meaning that the editing was done mainly in post-production. The story tries to find a new way of doing even the most basic shot- for the first time, the camera moves when the TARDIS materialises. However, The Leisure Hive is not merely a simple montage of ambitious techniques. Bickford has not forgotten the power of an arresting image, with the memorable tachyon dismemberments and the way in which the Argolins rapidly age. The scene where Brock is unmasked is edited in a genuinely terrifying way. Bickford also manages to get superb performances from the guest cast. A young, but still instantly recognisable, David Haig is superb Pangol and Adrienne Corri is very memorable as Mena. I must also comment on the relationship between Hardin and Mena, a relationship that might blossom into love in different circumstances, beautifully played by Corri and Nigel Lambert. Tom Baker’s performance is the best in what seems like ages. He is more subdued, but by no means serious and his portrayal of the aged Doctor is wonderful. Lalla Ward is wonderful as Romana, from her petulance in the early scenes to the sense given that she has grown closer to the Doctor since the previous story.
This is the beginning of John Nathan-Turner’s tenure as producer. There are still a few fans who see JNT as the ruination of Doctor Who. Whatever else he would do, it is blatantly obvious that The Leisure Hive is far superior to most of Season 17 and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
NEXT: Meglos
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Shada
Shada is a tricky one to review as, obviously, what we are looking at is very much unfinished. Because bits of it were never shot it is hard to get a sense of the pacing and coherence of the thing. However, it is still possible to watch it and get a sense of the story, which is why I have decided to include it in my retrospective, in spite of the fact that it was never broadcast.
Shada was, in a sense, the end of an era and probably would have been (stylistically) the definitive example of the Douglas Adams era. The script would be instantly recognisable as Adams’ work even if it wasn’t reused seven years later as the basis for Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (the similarities are even more pronounced than in City of Death, with entire scenes being reproduced almost verbatim). As it stands, the script is a good one. It takes an idea- a scientist who wants to be God and runs away with it, with some inspired concepts such as the mind-stealing sphere and a spaceship computer that nigh-on worships its master. There is a good deal of the comedy characteristic of the era, but a fair bit of it is funny, fortunately. The dialogue is good throughout with a few exceptions: ‘They stole our brains!’ is never a good line, no matter how necessary to the plot it is. The characterisation is reasonably good, even though the key characters of Chris Parsons and Clare Keightley aren’t exactly fleshed out- apart from Arthur Dent, Adams was never very good at making his everyman characters three dimensional. However, we have the wonderful character of Professor Chronotis and the insanely arrogant and ruthless Skagra to keep our attention. The script seems to justify the length of six episodes, which is pleasantly surprising.
The standard of the production is hard to judge, as only one of the studio sessions were made, giving the studio scenes a very uniform look. However, the location scenes in Cambridge are wonderful and the Professor’s study is a fantastic set. Pennant Roberts puts in some fantastic work behind the camera (something I’d never thought I’d type)- of special note is the opening scene, where the camera circles round the seated figures of the Think Tank, which is intercut with a countdown in Roman numerals. The Krarg is a wonderfully realised monster, making a strong impression even in its brief appearance on the surviving footage. The performances are excellent, with Denis Carey being wonderful as Chronotis and Christopher Neame’s Nordic glower being used to good effect as Skagra. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward are clearly invigorated by this story and perform excellently.
Shada would not have been the best story of the season, but it would certainly have been very memorable if it had been completed. What is left of it can actually be enjoyed as a story and it is a real pity that it was not allowed to rescue what was the weakest run of Doctor Who stories for some time.
NEXT: The Leisure Hive
Shada was, in a sense, the end of an era and probably would have been (stylistically) the definitive example of the Douglas Adams era. The script would be instantly recognisable as Adams’ work even if it wasn’t reused seven years later as the basis for Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (the similarities are even more pronounced than in City of Death, with entire scenes being reproduced almost verbatim). As it stands, the script is a good one. It takes an idea- a scientist who wants to be God and runs away with it, with some inspired concepts such as the mind-stealing sphere and a spaceship computer that nigh-on worships its master. There is a good deal of the comedy characteristic of the era, but a fair bit of it is funny, fortunately. The dialogue is good throughout with a few exceptions: ‘They stole our brains!’ is never a good line, no matter how necessary to the plot it is. The characterisation is reasonably good, even though the key characters of Chris Parsons and Clare Keightley aren’t exactly fleshed out- apart from Arthur Dent, Adams was never very good at making his everyman characters three dimensional. However, we have the wonderful character of Professor Chronotis and the insanely arrogant and ruthless Skagra to keep our attention. The script seems to justify the length of six episodes, which is pleasantly surprising.
The standard of the production is hard to judge, as only one of the studio sessions were made, giving the studio scenes a very uniform look. However, the location scenes in Cambridge are wonderful and the Professor’s study is a fantastic set. Pennant Roberts puts in some fantastic work behind the camera (something I’d never thought I’d type)- of special note is the opening scene, where the camera circles round the seated figures of the Think Tank, which is intercut with a countdown in Roman numerals. The Krarg is a wonderfully realised monster, making a strong impression even in its brief appearance on the surviving footage. The performances are excellent, with Denis Carey being wonderful as Chronotis and Christopher Neame’s Nordic glower being used to good effect as Skagra. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward are clearly invigorated by this story and perform excellently.
Shada would not have been the best story of the season, but it would certainly have been very memorable if it had been completed. What is left of it can actually be enjoyed as a story and it is a real pity that it was not allowed to rescue what was the weakest run of Doctor Who stories for some time.
NEXT: The Leisure Hive
Monday, 1 June 2009
The Horns of Nimon
The Horns of Nimon follows in the far-from-august footsteps of Underworld, in taking inspiration from Greek myth. This time, the unfortunate Hellenic tradition to be so honoured is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Again, the script is not a completely uninspired reworking of the story. The Nimon are not a race insincerely promising to grant their knowledge to a benevolent but naïve population, but to the remnants of an empire that will use that knowledge to conquer and subdue. The idea on the Nimon as ‘space locusts’ is also a good one and the fact that the ‘labyrinth’ in the story is actually a circuit to channel the energy in the Power Complex is intriguing. However, the script as a whole lacks the verve that is required to make it truly memorable and lacks the payoff that it should have had.
However, that is the beginning of the problems of the story. The set design is tepid, as is the costume design. The Nimon costumes consist of bull masks, lycra bodysuits and platform boots, which means the actors wearing them have to walk in a ridiculous way to stop themselves from falling over. This is a pity, as their voices are fantastic. Kenny McBain’s visual direction is totally uninspired- at no point does he convey the ‘labyrinth’ as even a maze, let alone a shifting circuit. The performances are very disappointing- Simon Gipps-Kent is totally unconvincing as Seth (Theseus) and Janet Ellis (for whom it is mandatory for British men over 40 to have had a crush on) shows that she was no great shakes as an actress. But, of course, there is one performance that everyone remembers. Graham Crowden is...unforgettable as Soldeed, but, it has to be noted, although he is florid and sometimes completely over the top, it is not a bad performance- in fact it is one of the few things that makes the story worth watching. The regulars seem to be enjoying themselves and Tom Baker and Lalla Ward put in good performances throughout.
The main problem with the story is tone. Apologists will claim that it is not meant to be taken seriously, yet it seemed to me that the story does exactly that, but has bizarre moments of silliness, the worst of which is when the TARDIS breaks down, making a sound that makes use of every sound effect in the Goon Show arsenal. As with many stories in this season, there are ‘jokes’ but the only time I actually laughed was whenever the Skonnan Co-Pilot hisses ‘Weakling scum!’ as the Anethans. Some have pointed to the broadcast date have stated that this is Doctor Who the pantomime but, unless you were shouting out ‘he’s behind you’ in the scene where the Doctor and co are hiding in plain sight from a Nimon, the story has little to offer as festive entertainment.
In the end, this is a story that, were it not for one very entertaining performance, would be dull in the extreme.
NEXT: Shada
However, that is the beginning of the problems of the story. The set design is tepid, as is the costume design. The Nimon costumes consist of bull masks, lycra bodysuits and platform boots, which means the actors wearing them have to walk in a ridiculous way to stop themselves from falling over. This is a pity, as their voices are fantastic. Kenny McBain’s visual direction is totally uninspired- at no point does he convey the ‘labyrinth’ as even a maze, let alone a shifting circuit. The performances are very disappointing- Simon Gipps-Kent is totally unconvincing as Seth (Theseus) and Janet Ellis (for whom it is mandatory for British men over 40 to have had a crush on) shows that she was no great shakes as an actress. But, of course, there is one performance that everyone remembers. Graham Crowden is...unforgettable as Soldeed, but, it has to be noted, although he is florid and sometimes completely over the top, it is not a bad performance- in fact it is one of the few things that makes the story worth watching. The regulars seem to be enjoying themselves and Tom Baker and Lalla Ward put in good performances throughout.
The main problem with the story is tone. Apologists will claim that it is not meant to be taken seriously, yet it seemed to me that the story does exactly that, but has bizarre moments of silliness, the worst of which is when the TARDIS breaks down, making a sound that makes use of every sound effect in the Goon Show arsenal. As with many stories in this season, there are ‘jokes’ but the only time I actually laughed was whenever the Skonnan Co-Pilot hisses ‘Weakling scum!’ as the Anethans. Some have pointed to the broadcast date have stated that this is Doctor Who the pantomime but, unless you were shouting out ‘he’s behind you’ in the scene where the Doctor and co are hiding in plain sight from a Nimon, the story has little to offer as festive entertainment.
In the end, this is a story that, were it not for one very entertaining performance, would be dull in the extreme.
NEXT: Shada
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Nightmare of Eden
Bob Baker’s name looks very lonely in the credit sequence without the ‘and Dave Martin’ but his first solo script is probably the best he has been involved with for the programme. There are very imaginative ideas- conservation involving storing whole ecosystems on a ‘Continual Event Transmuter’, narcotics that are formed from the decay of an alien’s body and ‘warp’ flight causing two ships to become embedded in each other. The characters are believable and act in interesting ways, even if some are not that well drawn. The villains are not truly evil- Tryst has turned to drug-running to finance his conservation efforts and Dymond is more worthy of contempt than hatred. There is some excellent dialogue and the fact that the plot revolves around an ongoing crisis gives it a sense of urgency. The narcotics plotline is dealt with in a genuinely adult way- although it’s hardly Traffik or The Wire, the plot doesn’t merely broadcast the message that ‘drugs are bad’; instead it shows what motivates people to deal in them and how willing they are to deny their responsibility for the destruction of lives the that drug trade brings.
As many have said before me, BakerMartin scripts wildly overestimated what was possible on Doctor Who’s budget. This is not the case with this script, where the script demands nothing unrealistic from the budget. However, tragically, this story was evidently allocated a far smaller budget than was usual. The sets are hardly the best the programme have had- a special dishonourable mention must be given to the ‘economy class’ section of the ship, which is just a room with chairs in it. The other sets are more convincing, but it is very obvious that there aren’t many of them. The only reasonably good set is the one for the Eden environment in the CET. Then there are the monsters. The Mandrels look pretty ridiculous even before you see that they have flared legs (1979 is a bit late for flares, surely?)
The main problem with the story is the direction and, it should be said at the start, this is not director Alan Bromly’s fault. He clearly knows what to do with the camera and has an idea who the characters are and how they should interact. However, the very tight budget obviously meant the actors were under-rehearsed and there were clearly few, if any, retakes- something that is obvious in the number of fluffs and the set wobbles (nothing like as common an occurrence in the programme as a whole as lazy commentators would have you think) and monster costumes not zipping up at the back etc. The story was, in fact, produced in a similar way to the Hartnell episodes without the production team having the experience and skill of working within those restraints. Had the story been given the same level of attention as, say, Planet of Evil, this story would have been seen as a classic.
The cast is rather good, in spite of the rushed execution of the story. David Daker does good work as Captain Rigg and conveys as effectively as a family programme can a man going through a high, a comedown and withdrawal. Geoffrey Hinsliff is wonderfully officious as Fisk. Lewis Fiander’s performance as Tryst is watchable, but his attempt to do a futuristic ‘Creole European’ accent unfortunately reminds me of Stephen Fry’s Eastern European characters in A Bit of Fry and Laurie- I was half expecting Tryst to exclaim ‘You are shatting right that is what I am going to do!’ The regulars are excellent, with Tom Baker being clearly invigorated by the script and Lalla Ward ably assisting.
It’s cheap and shabby but if you forgive the many production disasters, there is an excellent story to be found here.
NEXT: The Horns of Nimon
As many have said before me, BakerMartin scripts wildly overestimated what was possible on Doctor Who’s budget. This is not the case with this script, where the script demands nothing unrealistic from the budget. However, tragically, this story was evidently allocated a far smaller budget than was usual. The sets are hardly the best the programme have had- a special dishonourable mention must be given to the ‘economy class’ section of the ship, which is just a room with chairs in it. The other sets are more convincing, but it is very obvious that there aren’t many of them. The only reasonably good set is the one for the Eden environment in the CET. Then there are the monsters. The Mandrels look pretty ridiculous even before you see that they have flared legs (1979 is a bit late for flares, surely?)
The main problem with the story is the direction and, it should be said at the start, this is not director Alan Bromly’s fault. He clearly knows what to do with the camera and has an idea who the characters are and how they should interact. However, the very tight budget obviously meant the actors were under-rehearsed and there were clearly few, if any, retakes- something that is obvious in the number of fluffs and the set wobbles (nothing like as common an occurrence in the programme as a whole as lazy commentators would have you think) and monster costumes not zipping up at the back etc. The story was, in fact, produced in a similar way to the Hartnell episodes without the production team having the experience and skill of working within those restraints. Had the story been given the same level of attention as, say, Planet of Evil, this story would have been seen as a classic.
The cast is rather good, in spite of the rushed execution of the story. David Daker does good work as Captain Rigg and conveys as effectively as a family programme can a man going through a high, a comedown and withdrawal. Geoffrey Hinsliff is wonderfully officious as Fisk. Lewis Fiander’s performance as Tryst is watchable, but his attempt to do a futuristic ‘Creole European’ accent unfortunately reminds me of Stephen Fry’s Eastern European characters in A Bit of Fry and Laurie- I was half expecting Tryst to exclaim ‘You are shatting right that is what I am going to do!’ The regulars are excellent, with Tom Baker being clearly invigorated by the script and Lalla Ward ably assisting.
It’s cheap and shabby but if you forgive the many production disasters, there is an excellent story to be found here.
NEXT: The Horns of Nimon
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
The Creature from the Pit
Season 17 moves from art to arse in with the dread coming of The Creature from the Pit. The production is not a resounding success by any standard, but it is the script which is the real reason why this story is so awful. The premise is not a bad one- the planet Chloris is rich in vegetation (David Fisher obviously following the Terry Nation school of planetary nomenclature) but lacking in metallic ores. The only mine on the planet is owned by the Lady Adrasta and Chloris is kept at a mediæval level of development and bandits roam the land scavenging and killing for metal. Adrasta protects her monopoly ruthlessly and condemns dissenters by throwing them into the Pit to the dreaded Creature. However, the creature is not a monster, but Erato, ambassador from the planet Typhonus, which has little vegetation but has a great deal of metallic ore.
There are some nice concepts, like the egg-like Tythonian ship and Erato's method of communication. However, this is one of the very rare stories where a simple plot has been padded to bursting point and still fails to make it to four episodes, meaning that a second ending has to be clumsily grafted on. The second ending consists entirely of technobabble and mediocre special effects, which is about the worst thing it could have done dramatically- it is comprehensible, but is disconnected with most of the story preceding it, making it very unsatisfying. This is not helped by the fact that the preceding storyline is full of wandering around caves, McGuffins being lost or stolen and very basic characterisation.
Christopher Barry fights valiantly to make the story at least watchable, but he fights a losing battle. There are some nice sets, but the costumes are mainly leftovers from other BBC productions and Adrasta looks like a character from a children's version of Derek Jarman's Jubilee. Worst of all is the realisation of Erato, a giant green bin-liner with some very dodgy looking appendages in various states of tumescence. The nadir of the story (and possibly the entire programme since The Time Monster) has Tom Baker actually blowing into one of these protuberances. There is a time and a place for such visual images and, however open one's mind is, this isn't it.
The cast is either bland or overwrought, with Myra Frances strangely wavering between totally convincing as a ruthless grandee and a woman pretending to be a pantomime dame. The bandits are inexplicably attired as cavemen, but talk like low-rent Fagins, which borderlines on the offensive. The only decent performances are the, always watchable, Eileen Way and Geoffrey Bayldon's entertaining Organon. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward are clearly as unimpressed as the viewer and seem only to be interested in mollifying their own irritation.
This is road accident Doctor Who- if you do watch it, it's hard to take your eyes off it, but you still want to avoid it at all costs.
NEXT: Nightmare of Eden
There are some nice concepts, like the egg-like Tythonian ship and Erato's method of communication. However, this is one of the very rare stories where a simple plot has been padded to bursting point and still fails to make it to four episodes, meaning that a second ending has to be clumsily grafted on. The second ending consists entirely of technobabble and mediocre special effects, which is about the worst thing it could have done dramatically- it is comprehensible, but is disconnected with most of the story preceding it, making it very unsatisfying. This is not helped by the fact that the preceding storyline is full of wandering around caves, McGuffins being lost or stolen and very basic characterisation.
Christopher Barry fights valiantly to make the story at least watchable, but he fights a losing battle. There are some nice sets, but the costumes are mainly leftovers from other BBC productions and Adrasta looks like a character from a children's version of Derek Jarman's Jubilee. Worst of all is the realisation of Erato, a giant green bin-liner with some very dodgy looking appendages in various states of tumescence. The nadir of the story (and possibly the entire programme since The Time Monster) has Tom Baker actually blowing into one of these protuberances. There is a time and a place for such visual images and, however open one's mind is, this isn't it.
The cast is either bland or overwrought, with Myra Frances strangely wavering between totally convincing as a ruthless grandee and a woman pretending to be a pantomime dame. The bandits are inexplicably attired as cavemen, but talk like low-rent Fagins, which borderlines on the offensive. The only decent performances are the, always watchable, Eileen Way and Geoffrey Bayldon's entertaining Organon. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward are clearly as unimpressed as the viewer and seem only to be interested in mollifying their own irritation.
This is road accident Doctor Who- if you do watch it, it's hard to take your eyes off it, but you still want to avoid it at all costs.
NEXT: Nightmare of Eden
Monday, 25 May 2009
City of Death
If there is one story that justifies the appointment of Douglas Adams as script editor, it is this one. It is one of those stories which I have lost count of the number of times I have seen, and it is a pleasure to revisit it. The plot itself is rather good (in fact, Adams would shamelessly reuse it in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency!) but it is only the skeleton on which a truly wonderful script has been built. The dialogue is as sharp as a sushi knife, with quotable lines being spouted at every turn. The characters are well drawn and believable. Best of all, the humour is actually funny, rather than the clumsy attempts at hilarity in Destiny of the Daleks. As I have said before, Adams does get his science wrong sometimes, but not in a really egregious way.
However, great scripts have been let down before by inadequate realisation, so it was thankful that this story benefited from Doctor Who’s first ever foreign location shoot. The Parisian locations are beautifully shot and add an ambience that permeates the other scenes (helped by the fantastic set designs). Michael Hayes again worked with film cameraman John Walker, who has a great talent for getting very beautiful shots on 16mm film (as previously seen in The Androids of Tara) and his talent behind the camera is very much in evidence throughout. Hayes makes this story one of the most gorgeous ever made. The production is excellent throughout with some very imaginative sets and model work. Even Dudley Simpson is drawn out of the rut of woodwind flatulence he has been caught in and contributes a beautiful score- I always felt Simpson was happier with a keyboard than an orchestra.
He is helped, of course, by a superlative guest cast. The team of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward really come into their own here and their performances are truly joyous, getting everything possible out of the wonderful script and clearly having the time of their lives. Julian Glover returns to Doctor Who in the role of Scaroth the Jagaroth in all his human guises. Glover makes Scaroth a chilling alien monster, urbane gentleman thief, aristocrat and desperate survivor and makes them all believable as being part of the same character. He is ably supported by Catherine Schell as his wife, willingly taking on the role as consort to a thief and murderer (incidentally, to address all you wags out there, if Scaroth can make a human mask with blinking eyes, facial expression and believable hair, a convincing willy would not have been beyond him!) Tom Chadbon is great as the clueless, violent, but otherwise good-egg, Duggan and, indeed, every role is brilliantly played, even a great little performance from Peter Halliday as the guard in Leonardo's study. Then there are the two art critics…
This is truly unmissable Doctor Who- but then, you probably guessed that already!
NEXT: The Creature from the Pit
However, great scripts have been let down before by inadequate realisation, so it was thankful that this story benefited from Doctor Who’s first ever foreign location shoot. The Parisian locations are beautifully shot and add an ambience that permeates the other scenes (helped by the fantastic set designs). Michael Hayes again worked with film cameraman John Walker, who has a great talent for getting very beautiful shots on 16mm film (as previously seen in The Androids of Tara) and his talent behind the camera is very much in evidence throughout. Hayes makes this story one of the most gorgeous ever made. The production is excellent throughout with some very imaginative sets and model work. Even Dudley Simpson is drawn out of the rut of woodwind flatulence he has been caught in and contributes a beautiful score- I always felt Simpson was happier with a keyboard than an orchestra.
He is helped, of course, by a superlative guest cast. The team of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward really come into their own here and their performances are truly joyous, getting everything possible out of the wonderful script and clearly having the time of their lives. Julian Glover returns to Doctor Who in the role of Scaroth the Jagaroth in all his human guises. Glover makes Scaroth a chilling alien monster, urbane gentleman thief, aristocrat and desperate survivor and makes them all believable as being part of the same character. He is ably supported by Catherine Schell as his wife, willingly taking on the role as consort to a thief and murderer (incidentally, to address all you wags out there, if Scaroth can make a human mask with blinking eyes, facial expression and believable hair, a convincing willy would not have been beyond him!) Tom Chadbon is great as the clueless, violent, but otherwise good-egg, Duggan and, indeed, every role is brilliantly played, even a great little performance from Peter Halliday as the guard in Leonardo's study. Then there are the two art critics…
This is truly unmissable Doctor Who- but then, you probably guessed that already!
NEXT: The Creature from the Pit
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Destiny of the Daleks
Terry Nation’s final contribution to Doctor Who has a very simple premise. The Daleks are locked in a stalemate with another race, the Movellans and are looking for a way to break it- as are their enemies. To do this, they are looking for Davros, who has been in suspended animation since the events of Genesis of the Daleks. This is a good enough premise, which alone makes it more worthwhile than Planet of the Daleks. However, the problem is there is very little more to the script than its ‘high concept’ summary and it is mercilessly padded with repetition, captures and repetition. The only line of dialogue I can remember is ‘Oh look! Rocks!’ and the characterisation is practically non-existent. Douglas Adams puts in some jokes to liven the script, but they hardly raise a chuckle and sometimes work against the story- it is unwise to mock the apparent limitations of the Daleks in the script, for example. The guest performances are adequate, with the most memorable roles being the Movellans. Although they are a poorly thought out arch enemy for the Daleks (all one needs to do to immobilise one is to remove its power pack) the performers are striking to look at. Peter Straker as the Movellan commander might not be the most gifted actor, but he has incredible screen presence. It is odd that Tony Osoba is given such a minor role, however, and Suzanne Danielle has little to do except look nice (which she does extremely well, admittedly).
To compensate for this, Ken Grieve’s direction is very stylish, with Steadicam shots, long takes and interesting angles. The sets are atmospherically lit and the locations used are very evocative. The cliffhanger with Romana in a chamber with the nova device is made far better thanks to the expert camera work. The Movellens do look a bit ‘disco’, but the look is certainly memorable. In fact the only let down on the production side are the Daleks themselves, who look very shabby.
Then, of course there is Davros. David Gooderson is not exactly bad as Davros, but his performance is nothing like as good as Michael Wisher’s (as has been said by practically everyone reviewing this story). However, the fault is not entirely Gooderson’s- his voice has barely been treated with a ring modulator and he obviously has not been instructed in how to move a Dalek body- his trundling is very obvious and is quite distracting. Tom Baker is pretty much on autopilot throughout, but Lalla Ward does good work in her debut as Romana, despite the terrible regeneration scene at the beginning.
Is it worth watching? Not really, but it’s not a complete waste of time.
NEXT: City of Death
To compensate for this, Ken Grieve’s direction is very stylish, with Steadicam shots, long takes and interesting angles. The sets are atmospherically lit and the locations used are very evocative. The cliffhanger with Romana in a chamber with the nova device is made far better thanks to the expert camera work. The Movellens do look a bit ‘disco’, but the look is certainly memorable. In fact the only let down on the production side are the Daleks themselves, who look very shabby.
Then, of course there is Davros. David Gooderson is not exactly bad as Davros, but his performance is nothing like as good as Michael Wisher’s (as has been said by practically everyone reviewing this story). However, the fault is not entirely Gooderson’s- his voice has barely been treated with a ring modulator and he obviously has not been instructed in how to move a Dalek body- his trundling is very obvious and is quite distracting. Tom Baker is pretty much on autopilot throughout, but Lalla Ward does good work in her debut as Romana, despite the terrible regeneration scene at the beginning.
Is it worth watching? Not really, but it’s not a complete waste of time.
NEXT: City of Death
Saturday, 9 May 2009
The Armageddon Factor
The Key to Time arc comes to the end with this story. The quest for the sixth segment is intertwined with a total war that has been taking place between the twin planets of Atrios and Zeos. While the obsessively bellicose Atrion Marshal is bent on eradicating the enemy at all costs, he is being controlled by the shadowy figure of the, er, Shadow, who knows of the Doctor and is keen to get hold of the final segment. Usually, the phrase 'Baker and Martin six-parter' doesn't exactly fill me with anticipation. One expects very imaginative/barmy ideas that make unrealistic demands on the budget, a complete lack of any scientific understanding and plot-holes the size of planets. Happily, the wacky ideas in this story are ones which can easily be realised (such as placing the Atrion attack in a time loop) and there is little real science for Baker and Martin to violate. For the most part, the plot is reasonably well executed (although this could be due to script-editor Anthony Read- he came up with the idea that Zeos had become uninhabited and their entire campaign was being orchestrated by a battle computer called Mentalis- Baker and Martin wanted to have Zeos as a planet exactly the same as Atrios) this makes for an enjoyable first 100 minutes. Unfortunately, the final two parts have a good deal of padding with too much running around and the Doctor being shrunk for no good reason.
The characterisation is variable. Princess Astra and Merak are standard types, but the Shadow is a very good portrayal of an evil 'lieutenant' to a greater evil. The great William Squire plays the Shadow to perfection, his eerie whispering voice working wonders. For his master, the Black Guardian, the production team managed to get an even more evil sounding voice, that of Valentine Dyall. John Woodvine works wonders with the rather basically written Marshal, but Davyd Harries seems unsure what to do with the character of Shapp- early on he is a stoic second in command, but he turns into a Carry On character later. Then there is Barry Jackson as Drax. There is no reason why a Time Lord should not have a Cockney accent, but Jackson's performance at no point makes us feel that he is a Time Lord and he is written as some kind of proto-Del Boy, which doesn't help.
The production is of a high standard throughout, with Michael Hayes directing well visually, although he is not altogether as successful with the actors. Lighting is used effectively, with the strong lighting for Zeos (consisting of soft yellows and pinks) contrasting effectively with the dank locales of Atrios (with its stark reds and greens) and the sepulchral tones of the Shadow's domain.
Tom Baker is good, except when he has to feign being power mad when the Key is whole. Unwisely, he plays it 'comedically' which just comes off as horrific overacting. Mary Tamm is great in her final portrayal of Romana, and I am sorry to see her go.
So, the Key to Time is dispersed again, making one feel slightly cheated. However, this is still an enjoyable, though by no means great, story.
NEXT: Destiny of the Daleks
The characterisation is variable. Princess Astra and Merak are standard types, but the Shadow is a very good portrayal of an evil 'lieutenant' to a greater evil. The great William Squire plays the Shadow to perfection, his eerie whispering voice working wonders. For his master, the Black Guardian, the production team managed to get an even more evil sounding voice, that of Valentine Dyall. John Woodvine works wonders with the rather basically written Marshal, but Davyd Harries seems unsure what to do with the character of Shapp- early on he is a stoic second in command, but he turns into a Carry On character later. Then there is Barry Jackson as Drax. There is no reason why a Time Lord should not have a Cockney accent, but Jackson's performance at no point makes us feel that he is a Time Lord and he is written as some kind of proto-Del Boy, which doesn't help.
The production is of a high standard throughout, with Michael Hayes directing well visually, although he is not altogether as successful with the actors. Lighting is used effectively, with the strong lighting for Zeos (consisting of soft yellows and pinks) contrasting effectively with the dank locales of Atrios (with its stark reds and greens) and the sepulchral tones of the Shadow's domain.
Tom Baker is good, except when he has to feign being power mad when the Key is whole. Unwisely, he plays it 'comedically' which just comes off as horrific overacting. Mary Tamm is great in her final portrayal of Romana, and I am sorry to see her go.
So, the Key to Time is dispersed again, making one feel slightly cheated. However, this is still an enjoyable, though by no means great, story.
NEXT: Destiny of the Daleks
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
The Power of Kroll
…Or the one with the giant squid-thing. Apparently, one of the objectives of The Power of Kroll was to have the biggest monster in Doctor Who history, but Robert Holmes has again taken a very simple premise and built a convincing world for the story to take place in. Earth is clearly very aggressively colonial at this stage, with native populations of conquered planets relocated en masse to less valuable moons and planets. Such is the fate of the green-skinned natives of Delta Magna, called ‘Swampies’ by humans. They are a hunter and gatherer society who worship the cephalopod god Kroll and the humans was to indulge the Swampies by importing some giant squid and it is clear that something greater lurks beneath the surface of the swamps of Delta Three. Holmes’s script shows his usual sophistication, but also contains a great deal of padding. Most noticeable is the sacrifice plotline, where the Doctor, Romana and the gun-runner Rohm-Dutt are stretched by drying vines- it is never a good idea to immobilise the heroes for any period of time. However, the characterisation is intriguing- The humans on the refinery have no love for the Swampies, but some have stronger feelings than others- Thawn, the leader dispassionately wishes for the genocide of the Swampies and employs Rohm-Dutt to arm them so that he can have an excuse to wipe them out. The Swampies worship of Kroll brings up questions about religion, particularly the line between propitiation and worship.
However, the performances fall short of the characterisation. Neil McCarthy was a talented enough actor, but his portrayal of Thawn is all wrong. Physically, he looks the part but his soft voice and mannerisms let the side down. I cannot describe the effect better than certain other commentators have- he acts like a Peter Cook character! Glyn Owen seems half asleep as Rohm-Dutt and most of the rest of the cast are merely adequate. Only Philip Madoc and John Abineri put in praiseworthy performances (Abineri seems to be doing a dry run for his performance as Herne the Hunter in Robin of Sherwood).
There is some very atmospheric filming on the Iken Marshes and the use of hovercraft gives these scenes a very glossy look. However, the studio scenes are less effective, with the refinery scenes being overlit and the sacrifice scenes totally lacking in atmosphere. The model for the refinery looks like a chair in a paddling pool with no effort made to give a sense of scale. Kroll himself is variable. The model itself is very well designed and looks great with its quivering palps. Its first appearance looks great, with its awesome size brought over excellently. However, its subsequent appearances show very ragged matte lines and the full-size mock ups of its tentacles are desperately unconvincing.
The regulars are not at their best. Tom Baker effectively portrays his outrage at the treatment of the Swampies, but he seems uninterested, presumably because standing for hours in a swamp does that to an actor. Mary Tamm is fine, but Romana is very much the standard ‘damsel in distress’ in this story.
This is by no means the disaster others have claimed it was and it is watchable, but its many flaws will become very evident on watching.
NEXT: The Armageddon Factor
However, the performances fall short of the characterisation. Neil McCarthy was a talented enough actor, but his portrayal of Thawn is all wrong. Physically, he looks the part but his soft voice and mannerisms let the side down. I cannot describe the effect better than certain other commentators have- he acts like a Peter Cook character! Glyn Owen seems half asleep as Rohm-Dutt and most of the rest of the cast are merely adequate. Only Philip Madoc and John Abineri put in praiseworthy performances (Abineri seems to be doing a dry run for his performance as Herne the Hunter in Robin of Sherwood).
There is some very atmospheric filming on the Iken Marshes and the use of hovercraft gives these scenes a very glossy look. However, the studio scenes are less effective, with the refinery scenes being overlit and the sacrifice scenes totally lacking in atmosphere. The model for the refinery looks like a chair in a paddling pool with no effort made to give a sense of scale. Kroll himself is variable. The model itself is very well designed and looks great with its quivering palps. Its first appearance looks great, with its awesome size brought over excellently. However, its subsequent appearances show very ragged matte lines and the full-size mock ups of its tentacles are desperately unconvincing.
The regulars are not at their best. Tom Baker effectively portrays his outrage at the treatment of the Swampies, but he seems uninterested, presumably because standing for hours in a swamp does that to an actor. Mary Tamm is fine, but Romana is very much the standard ‘damsel in distress’ in this story.
This is by no means the disaster others have claimed it was and it is watchable, but its many flaws will become very evident on watching.
NEXT: The Armageddon Factor
Monday, 4 May 2009
The Androids of Tara
Doctor Who has always ‘borrowed’ from other sources, but this is the most blatant ‘homage’ that the programme has ever done. This is The Prisoner of Zenda rewritten as a Doctor Who story, with the human lookalikes changed into android duplicates and electric swords and crossbows, but it is still high adventure crammed with Ruritanian intrigue. There are a couple of things that raise it above mere pastiche. I like the way that the society of Tara is depicted- technologically advanced, but so steeped in the class system that anything that requires intelligence and inventiveness is deemed a ‘peasant skill’. This is not only interesting world-building in its own right, but a wry commentary about how useless the nobility ultimately are. Indeed, in the not-so-distant past, no ‘gentleman’ could style himself so if he ever lowered himself to actually working for his money! Beyond this, David Fisher writes some very witty dialogue and good characterisation, such as the relationship between Count Grendel and his servant Madame Lamia.
The production is exquisite, with great sets, costumes and locations (the matte work to augment Leeds Castle is almost flawless) some gorgeous film sequences and atmospheric lighting. Michael Hayes puts in some stellar work behind the camera with good use of high and low shots. True, the monster is rubbish, but it’s of no real importance to the story. Then there are the performances. Neville Jason is great as Prince Reynart and his android duplicate and actually manages to convey the difference between the real man, the android and the android playing the real man. There is good support from Simon Lack and Paul Lavers as the Prince’s aides. However, the show is very nearly stolen by the wonderful Peter Jeffrey as Count Grendel, villainous, deceitful but incorrigibly likeable throughout. Lois Baxter puts in a very nice performance as Lamia and there’s a good little role for Jabba the Hutt himself, Declan Mulholland. Once Tom Baker tries to stop upstaging everyone around him, he puts in a very good performance and Mary Tamm is just as good as Neville Jason in playing herself, her android duplicate and the very different character of Princess Strella.
The Androids of Tara may not be the most necessary Doctor Who story, but it is highly enjoyable.
NEXT: The Power of Kroll
The production is exquisite, with great sets, costumes and locations (the matte work to augment Leeds Castle is almost flawless) some gorgeous film sequences and atmospheric lighting. Michael Hayes puts in some stellar work behind the camera with good use of high and low shots. True, the monster is rubbish, but it’s of no real importance to the story. Then there are the performances. Neville Jason is great as Prince Reynart and his android duplicate and actually manages to convey the difference between the real man, the android and the android playing the real man. There is good support from Simon Lack and Paul Lavers as the Prince’s aides. However, the show is very nearly stolen by the wonderful Peter Jeffrey as Count Grendel, villainous, deceitful but incorrigibly likeable throughout. Lois Baxter puts in a very nice performance as Lamia and there’s a good little role for Jabba the Hutt himself, Declan Mulholland. Once Tom Baker tries to stop upstaging everyone around him, he puts in a very good performance and Mary Tamm is just as good as Neville Jason in playing herself, her android duplicate and the very different character of Princess Strella.
The Androids of Tara may not be the most necessary Doctor Who story, but it is highly enjoyable.
NEXT: The Power of Kroll
Saturday, 2 May 2009
The Stones of Blood
Doctor Who is very used to demystifying myths and legends- a god, fabulous beast or superstition turns out to be an alien or a computer. This is the basis behind The Stones of Blood; the ancient Celtic goddess Cailleach turns out to be the alien criminal Cessair of Diplos. However, unlike other stories which have kept the Hammeresque atmosphere throughout, the revelation of Cessair of Diplos is accompanied by a wholesale change in the mood of the story. The ‘horror’ aspect of the story is well done, with a mix of latter-day Druidic revivalists, standing stones that come to life and drink blood, ravens acting as spies and a friendly archaeologist. David Fisher has clearly put some thought into the script, such as the Doctor pointing out to De Vries that understanding of ancient Druidic behaviour is mainly based on supposition. There are a few problems with this half of the story. Most obvious is the godawful literal cliff-hanger to part one and De Vries is killed off too early. However the real problems start once the action shifts to the space-craft lurking in hyperspace above the stone circle. There is nothing inherently wrong with the change in mood that this development brings with it- in fact it could have benefitted the story greatly. Unfortunately, the opportunity is wasted. The Doctor is put on trial for a petty crime by the Megara justice machines, while he has to prove that Vivien Fay is really Cessair of Diplos. This leads to a tedious trial sequence that takes up fat too much time. Fisher clearly lost inspiration for this section, which is desperately uninteresting.
The production matches the script a little too well. The scenes set on Earth are very atmospheric, with great sets and locations that are atmospherically lit (although the unwise decision is made to shoot day-for-night and genuine night). The Ogri, the titular monsters, are quite effective most of the time- the deafening heart-beat sound they make is terrifying and there is a scene where De Vries and an acolyte have their skulls crushed by the Ogri that is very close to the mark. However, they lose a bit of their menace when they start moving quickly- at one point, when one bursts through the door, we not only see the trolley it’s on, but a man pushing it and a further man standing behind him! However, the hyperspace scenes are overlit and seem to have been shot in a rush. The Megara come across like two officious fairies, which looks as ridiculous as it sounds. Darrol Blake’s stint in the director chair is mixed, though not uninteresting.
This is a real pity, as there are some great performances to be found, most notable of which is Beatrix Lehmann as Professor Rumford, a wonderfully dotty character played to perfection. Susan Engel puts in a nicely restrained performance as Vivien/ Cessair and, as said, Nicholas McArdle makes De Vries very memorable. The regulars perform well throughout with Tom Baker working very well with Beatrix Lehmann. It is genuinely bizarre seeing Mary Tamm wearing a Burberry cap, considering the current image of that article.
The Stones of Blood is a real mixed bag. It’s certainly entertaining, but if you never see it, you won’t have exactly wasted your life.
NEXT: The Androids of Tara
The production matches the script a little too well. The scenes set on Earth are very atmospheric, with great sets and locations that are atmospherically lit (although the unwise decision is made to shoot day-for-night and genuine night). The Ogri, the titular monsters, are quite effective most of the time- the deafening heart-beat sound they make is terrifying and there is a scene where De Vries and an acolyte have their skulls crushed by the Ogri that is very close to the mark. However, they lose a bit of their menace when they start moving quickly- at one point, when one bursts through the door, we not only see the trolley it’s on, but a man pushing it and a further man standing behind him! However, the hyperspace scenes are overlit and seem to have been shot in a rush. The Megara come across like two officious fairies, which looks as ridiculous as it sounds. Darrol Blake’s stint in the director chair is mixed, though not uninteresting.
This is a real pity, as there are some great performances to be found, most notable of which is Beatrix Lehmann as Professor Rumford, a wonderfully dotty character played to perfection. Susan Engel puts in a nicely restrained performance as Vivien/ Cessair and, as said, Nicholas McArdle makes De Vries very memorable. The regulars perform well throughout with Tom Baker working very well with Beatrix Lehmann. It is genuinely bizarre seeing Mary Tamm wearing a Burberry cap, considering the current image of that article.
The Stones of Blood is a real mixed bag. It’s certainly entertaining, but if you never see it, you won’t have exactly wasted your life.
NEXT: The Androids of Tara
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
The Pirate Planet
Of all the writers who scripted Doctor Who in the 20th Century, only one became so successful that he arguably became almost as iconic as the series itself. Douglas Adams was riding the wave of success of the first radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy when this story, the second in the Key to Time season was brought out. Adams's renown colours the perception of any viewer coming to the story today- we are looking for the detached view of the universe, the ideas that are both daft and brilliant, the absurd situations and the people that they spawn. We certainly get some very imaginative ideas- the Zanak, the planet that devours others; inertia absorbing corridors; a gestalt being formed from the psychic energy of the dead of a destroyed planet and moulding random inhabitants of Zanak to become Mentiads, beings with awesome psychic powers .
However, as you all know, I have been absorbed in Doctor Who for months, which led me to consider something- Douglas Adams has a lot in common with Bob Baker and Dave Martin. Baker and Martin are also fond of barmy ideas and they also have gaps in their scientific knowledge (to be fair, Adams has gaps, Baker and Martin have yawning chasms!) However, Adams is able to bind his barmy ideas into a narrative with more success than Baker and Martin usually do. Adams's humour is, of course a major factor, but more critical are the wonderful characters he creates. The Captain is one of the most entertaining figures the programme has ever seen, with his bombastic manner and piratical appearance. Bruce Purchase brings the character wonderfully to life, his mellifluous voice making us feel not only the bluster, but the ruthlessness and genuine humanity underneath. The interplay between the Captain and Andrew Robertson's wonderful Mr Fibuli are a joy to behold and the Captain's genuine grief at Mr Fibuli's death is genuinely moving. The twist in the tale is that the real reason for destroying dozens of planets and trillions of lives is to ensure that Queen Xanxia will be immortal. The vanity and total amorality is well portrayed in a restrained (and therefore very effective) performance by Rosalind Lloyd. Some of the other performances are less effective, however. The Mentiads are merely adequate, which is a real shame- we never really see why the rest of the population have such a horror of them. The only really disappointing performance is that of Ralph Michael as Balaton- not so much bad acting as wrongly modulated.
Like Baker and Martin, Douglas Adams's scripts don't seem too concerned about whether they can be effectively realised on screen with the low budget that Doctor Who had. However, the story is effectively realised, for the most part- special mention must be given to the wonderful costume for the cyborg Captain. The direction by Pennant Roberts is good enough to make the scenes work, but could have been better- his skill seems to be concentrated on some of the more impressive set pieces- the battle between K9 and the Polyphase Avitron was clearly filmed in a hurry, but works reasonably well.
Strange as it may seem, Tom Baker does not go completely over the top in his performance- perhaps this is Roberts's greatest contribution as director! Baker is funny when the script calls for it, but also expresses outrage at the countless deaths caused by Zanak. Mary Tamm is growing into her role nicely. Romana's attitude to the Doctor has changed a great deal, but her outward behaviour has not, something put over very well by Tamm.
The Pirate Planet is funny, clever and imaginative, which more than compensates for its flaws.
NEXT: The Stones of Blood
However, as you all know, I have been absorbed in Doctor Who for months, which led me to consider something- Douglas Adams has a lot in common with Bob Baker and Dave Martin. Baker and Martin are also fond of barmy ideas and they also have gaps in their scientific knowledge (to be fair, Adams has gaps, Baker and Martin have yawning chasms!) However, Adams is able to bind his barmy ideas into a narrative with more success than Baker and Martin usually do. Adams's humour is, of course a major factor, but more critical are the wonderful characters he creates. The Captain is one of the most entertaining figures the programme has ever seen, with his bombastic manner and piratical appearance. Bruce Purchase brings the character wonderfully to life, his mellifluous voice making us feel not only the bluster, but the ruthlessness and genuine humanity underneath. The interplay between the Captain and Andrew Robertson's wonderful Mr Fibuli are a joy to behold and the Captain's genuine grief at Mr Fibuli's death is genuinely moving. The twist in the tale is that the real reason for destroying dozens of planets and trillions of lives is to ensure that Queen Xanxia will be immortal. The vanity and total amorality is well portrayed in a restrained (and therefore very effective) performance by Rosalind Lloyd. Some of the other performances are less effective, however. The Mentiads are merely adequate, which is a real shame- we never really see why the rest of the population have such a horror of them. The only really disappointing performance is that of Ralph Michael as Balaton- not so much bad acting as wrongly modulated.
Like Baker and Martin, Douglas Adams's scripts don't seem too concerned about whether they can be effectively realised on screen with the low budget that Doctor Who had. However, the story is effectively realised, for the most part- special mention must be given to the wonderful costume for the cyborg Captain. The direction by Pennant Roberts is good enough to make the scenes work, but could have been better- his skill seems to be concentrated on some of the more impressive set pieces- the battle between K9 and the Polyphase Avitron was clearly filmed in a hurry, but works reasonably well.
Strange as it may seem, Tom Baker does not go completely over the top in his performance- perhaps this is Roberts's greatest contribution as director! Baker is funny when the script calls for it, but also expresses outrage at the countless deaths caused by Zanak. Mary Tamm is growing into her role nicely. Romana's attitude to the Doctor has changed a great deal, but her outward behaviour has not, something put over very well by Tamm.
The Pirate Planet is funny, clever and imaginative, which more than compensates for its flaws.
NEXT: The Stones of Blood
Monday, 27 April 2009
The Ribos Operation
And so, we move on to the 'Key to Time' season, where the Doctor has to collect all 6 parts of the titular McGuffin to save the universe from chaos. The first story is another of Robert Holmes’s. I was disappointed, somewhat, with The Sun Makers, but any thought that Homes was losing his touch was quickly dismissed by this utterly fantastic story . It is not what you would call a sci-fi plot- Garron and Unstoffe try to con the deposed Levithian monarch the Graff Vynda-K into buying the planet Ribos, which is at a mediæval level of development. It could quite easily have been them selling an island to a dodgy millionaire. The plot is very well constructed and engaging throughout, but Holmes doesn’t stop there. Holmes makes Ribos a real planet, whose eccentric orbit has led to the inhabitants worshipping fire gods and ice gods. We are efficiently given the state of interstellar politics with the Graff’s situation and Holmes’s gift for making up evocative words is well used here- with ‘Pontonese starships’, ‘mercenaries from Schlangi’ and the like. We are dropped into a time and place that seems instantly real. The dialogue is simply gorgeous with almost every line being quotable. Holmes’s script ranges from genuinely hilarious comedy to tragedy with consummate skill.
Then, of course there is the characterisation, in which Holmes outdoes himself and is aided by a truly superlative cast. First and foremost, there is Iain Cuthbertson as Garron, truly one of the best guest performances the programme has ever seen. Cuthbertson is utterly electrifying throughout and it is testament to his extraordinary skill that Garron’s impersonation of a planetary estate agent is thoroughly convincing while being obvious as an impersonation to the viewer. Cuthbertson is generous enough not to steal scenes from the brilliant Nigel Plaskitt as Unstoffe, making this perhaps the greatest Robert Holmes double act of all time. Then there is Paul Seed as the Graff Vynda-K who is written as a genuinely frightening tyrant by Holmes. He is clearly a man of honour, but that does not mean he would not kill an unarmed innocent if it suited his purpose. The interplay between him and his confidante Sholakh is so well written that we genuinely feel the Graff’s grief at his friend’s death. Seed and Robert Keegan are thoroughly convincing as the pair. Binro the Heretic is one of the many examples of Holmes refusing to make incidental characters boring. Binro is the Ribosian equivalent of Galileo (with a bit of Thomas Digges thrown in) and the scene where Unstoffe confirms Binro’s theories and validates his life is very touching- Timothy Bateson’s performance as Binro is truly special. Even Prentis Hancock works well, his limited role playing to his few strengths as an actor.
The story is beautifully shot with George Spenton-Foster working wonders behind the camera. The production design is first rate, with great sets (believe it or not, mostly the same set, redressed!) and costumes. The lighting is subtle and atmospheric, especially the wonderful candle-lit catacombs. Tom Baker’s performance is note-perfect throughout, especially scenes he shares with Cuthbertson. Then there is the new regular, the glacially gorgeous Mary Tamm as Romana. The Doctor/ Romana dynamic is one that the programme has not had before- Romana is truly the Doctor’s equal. Their interplay is beautifully written and acted and great to watch. The stage for the season is set with a great scene written by Anthony Read, where the White Guardian gives the Doctor his task. I have a few problems with this rather dualistic theological view of the Doctor Who universe, but the presentation of this figure, of an elderly man sipping Chartreuse is an inspired view of omnipotence.
There are few Doctor Who stories that offer the viewer so much- a great start to the season.
NEXT: The Pirate Planet
Then, of course there is the characterisation, in which Holmes outdoes himself and is aided by a truly superlative cast. First and foremost, there is Iain Cuthbertson as Garron, truly one of the best guest performances the programme has ever seen. Cuthbertson is utterly electrifying throughout and it is testament to his extraordinary skill that Garron’s impersonation of a planetary estate agent is thoroughly convincing while being obvious as an impersonation to the viewer. Cuthbertson is generous enough not to steal scenes from the brilliant Nigel Plaskitt as Unstoffe, making this perhaps the greatest Robert Holmes double act of all time. Then there is Paul Seed as the Graff Vynda-K who is written as a genuinely frightening tyrant by Holmes. He is clearly a man of honour, but that does not mean he would not kill an unarmed innocent if it suited his purpose. The interplay between him and his confidante Sholakh is so well written that we genuinely feel the Graff’s grief at his friend’s death. Seed and Robert Keegan are thoroughly convincing as the pair. Binro the Heretic is one of the many examples of Holmes refusing to make incidental characters boring. Binro is the Ribosian equivalent of Galileo (with a bit of Thomas Digges thrown in) and the scene where Unstoffe confirms Binro’s theories and validates his life is very touching- Timothy Bateson’s performance as Binro is truly special. Even Prentis Hancock works well, his limited role playing to his few strengths as an actor.
The story is beautifully shot with George Spenton-Foster working wonders behind the camera. The production design is first rate, with great sets (believe it or not, mostly the same set, redressed!) and costumes. The lighting is subtle and atmospheric, especially the wonderful candle-lit catacombs. Tom Baker’s performance is note-perfect throughout, especially scenes he shares with Cuthbertson. Then there is the new regular, the glacially gorgeous Mary Tamm as Romana. The Doctor/ Romana dynamic is one that the programme has not had before- Romana is truly the Doctor’s equal. Their interplay is beautifully written and acted and great to watch. The stage for the season is set with a great scene written by Anthony Read, where the White Guardian gives the Doctor his task. I have a few problems with this rather dualistic theological view of the Doctor Who universe, but the presentation of this figure, of an elderly man sipping Chartreuse is an inspired view of omnipotence.
There are few Doctor Who stories that offer the viewer so much- a great start to the season.
NEXT: The Pirate Planet
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