The Doctor Who Mission

Theremin! And after that otherworldly noise, we d...

2012-04-21T13:08:57.575+01:00

Theremin!

And after that otherworldly noise, we dive straight into the action with a futuristic-looking machine in a manor-house and clear and urgent danger of some description. A cracking start.

I love the Tardis landing on its side (apparently the doors open outwards now), and we also get another further-down-the-mountain gag to open with.

In episode three, we reveal that the Ice Warrior has "electronics in the ear pieces... some kind of space suit." So what we see isn't their true appearance (much like the Voord in that respect. I wonder what they really look like beneath that space armour...

And speaking of their space armour, with its tufts of hair and reptilian scales it all looks more than a little organic. In episode five Varga pulls his head down into the suit like a turtle retreating into its shell, which leads me to thing that this is probably how they seal the suits for excursions into space.

Also: more young ladies in miniskirts and PVC. Call me shallow, but I think I'll like living in the future.

Throughout the story, it's clear that Clent's treatment of scientist Penley is what drives him away. His other staff, despite him shouting and complaining about them, stick around for some reason.

This is basically the story of a bad manager who gets his arse pulled out of the fire by a consultant. What's the betting that Clent now gets promoted? Though I suppose he does at least appear to have repaired his relationship with the man who really does all the work at the end.

Well, this kicks off with a scream, which is alway...

2012-04-21T12:35:09.250+01:00

Well, this kicks off with a scream, which is always a good way to start a story.

A slow-paced first episode reveals another Tardis redesign, as the scanner has now become a very small cathode ray television screen in a pillar.

It feels like there are a couple of firsts in here. As near as I can make out this is the first time that the Doctor has returned to the scene of a previous unseen adventure, and the first time that a "new" enemy has heard of the Doctor before. His reputation, it seems, is starting to get around.

Character-wise Travers is an interesting monomaniac, and I continue to adore the relationship between the Doctor and Jamie.

"Have you thought up some clever plan, Doctor?"
"Yes Jamie, I believe I have."
"What are you going to do?"
"Bung a rock at it."

I also very much like the contrast between the cute-but-deadly yeti and the scary moving control spheres.

Unfortunately the quality of the reconstruction I was able to watch for this was very rough indeed, meaning that a lot of the time I simply wasn't able to work out what was going on. And it became less understandable as it went along.

So in short: the second episode was great. But I wonder what the rest of the story was like.

So the the Doctor, Jamie and new arrival Victoria ...

2012-03-07T14:04:22.194Z

So the the Doctor, Jamie and new arrival Victoria turn up near the city of Telos just as an archaeological team are about to open up the last resting place of the Cybermen - scientists eh - so much intelligence but no common sense! So for our heroes it's out of a skaro frying pan and into a telos fire.

Like Piers I remember my ecstatic excitement at the re-discovery of this lost story back in the 90s. It didn't let me down on first viewing and it does not now. In short, this is a cracker.

The plot revolves around the scheming of Kaftan and Klieg of The Brotherhood of Logicians to use the expedition to get to the Cybermen and then use the Cybermen to take control of Earth. Of course, the logician Klieg is not clever enough to open the gateway to the tomb by himself but with some nefarious jiggery-pokery from the Doctor he manages it. My reading of this is that the Doctor knows exactly what he's doing and would rather fight a few cybermen now in a weakened state than a whole revived army earlier down the line. But then one of the great things about the Second Doctor and Troughtons performance is that you never quite know if he is in control or if its just luck that things tun out okay in the end. I would suggest that his performance here is even an improvement over his first year - equally adept at the horror and drama and the comedy - for example the rather wonderful moment at the start of the adventure when he and Jamie hold hands instead of both holding the nervous (understandably) Victoria.Compare this with the beautiful tender moment when he is explaining to Victoria how he remembers his family when he wants or needs to and the rest of the time he carries them around inside him. It is one of the mot touching pieces of character writing between companion and Doctor in the entire history of the show for me and the range and talent of Troughton is staggering.

In addition, Fraser Hines and Deborah Watling are both excellent and immediately make a fine team to back up the Doctor. Watling confirms the promise of the previous story and once again, in amongst the screaming, Victoria also has reserves of courage and cunning to deal with the danger.

The Cybermen are very impressive and look so tall and the Cybermats are a wonderful addition to their arsenal. A word also for the set design of the tomb - a staggering achievement for the team. And on the effects front the highlight is Toberman beating a Cyberman so badly foam oozes from his chest - it's visceral, exciting and scary all in one go.

All this combines with the writing to make an absolutely thrilling and terrifically scary story. The downsides - well, yet another Cyberman story has some very dodgy accents among the human cast thrown into the mix. And Klieg is basically an idiot - a logical idiot but an idiot nonetheless. Kaftan is more calculating and some of the looks she gives Toberman hint at a subtext that certainly is not for kids I think - or perhaps thats just me.

Overall, this is fantastic and one of the first black and white stories I would show to someone who wanted a way in to early era Who. In fact, my 9 year-old nephew watched it when I first got it 20 odd years back and to this day Troughton is still his favourite Doctor - he's a good boy that one.

So from me, despite the accents, it's another 10/10. And if you dont agree we will make you like us!

Looks downstairs. Finds copy of borrowed DVD whi...

2012-02-06T22:51:49.049Z

Looks downstairs.

Finds copy of borrowed DVD which I'd borrowed to watch it on instead of watching crappy old VHS.

Saunters off, whistling and looking completely innocent.

I watched this again on the VHS copy I bought afte...

2012-02-06T22:30:19.030Z

I watched this again on the VHS copy I bought after it had been re-discovered, and was so happy that it had, both then and now. It had always remembered as being a particularly brilliant Doctor Who story, and it was so nice to find that actually true when the episodes were returned to us.

Further evidence for the Doctor having built the Tardis comes in the line that he's "perfected a rather special model", when talking about time travel with Victoria.

The special effects are great. There's a lovely pan early on from the spaceship model to Toberman which really gives a sense of scale in the location shooting.

The relationship between Jamie and the Doctor continues to be one of sheer brilliance, both of them masters of comedy both physical and verbal.

The Doctor, when introduced to the city of Telos (not, mark you, the planet, which is un-named) helps out the humans who want to get into the tomb, and there's a question to be answered here: does he deliberately help them get in? Why not just leave, in the knowledge that they're probably not clever enough to open the tombs?

My read of the story is that the Doctor actually doesn't mean to give the answers to the logic problems away - he just can't help himself from solving the puzzles. And then perhaps a little bit of wanting everyone to know how clever he is, but regretting giving the answers away as soon as he's done so.

As a man brought up on Doctor Who novelisations, for me this has always been how the Cybermen killed - with their X-Ray lasers which cause smoke to come out from people's bodies as they're shot. Although the Cybermen of The Moonbase and The Tenth Planet may have killed differently on-screen, this is how they did off with people in the books, all of which I read long before I ever watched these episodes.

This is how my Cybermen kill. And it's good.

I watched this story with a friend who hasn't ever seen any black-and-white Doctor Who before, or even any before Tom Baker arrived, and am pleased to report that it still holds its spell even among the not-we. She was scared by the concept, laughed at the comedy, and jumped at the Cybermats. And we got a big disgusted ew when the Cyberman bleeds/melts/foams at the end.

It's the small touches. The verisimilitude. The fact that the undersides of the Cybermats are shown, with dozens of triangular flaps which they use to move themselves, and their lovely wobbly organic eyes...

And just as in their previous stories, the Cybermen have a plan, and they're following it. The human vilains have a plan, and even between Kaftan and Klieg, they have different approaches and attitudes.

Which equals conflict.

Which equals drama.

And we're straight into this episode with a ch...

2012-01-27T17:46:56.951Z

And we're straight into this episode with a chase scene! And the dramatic music makes me wonder if there's a bigger budget for that too...

It's an intriguing start to the episode as people with walkie-talkies surveille the Doctor and Jamie, the Tardis gets nicked, and I'm all excited at the return of David Whitaker to the series, the man who wrote the magnificent Power of the Daleks that launched Troughton in the role, and then!

We're suddenly slowed right down as the Doctor and Jamie attempt to do a bit of detective work for far too long. On the plus side - suddenly-appearing futuristic control rooms are always a lot of fun, but we had one in the last story.

I'm glad to see the Beatles' association with the show continues, though, as that's pretty much all of Paperback Writer in the coffee-shop scene. And then - EPISODE ONE CLIFFHANGER DALEK REVEAL!

Which is already becoming a bit of a cliché. Still, let's hope that never happens again for the rest of Doctor Who, eh?

I do rather like the resolution to this particular cliffhanger, though. A Dalek appears behind someone who's not a regular as the cliffhanger - and then guns them down within seconds of the beginning of the next episode. "How did he die?" "Hands clenched... He died in horrible agony." Which has the terror of the Daleks about right.

Jamie's winning streak with the ladies continues, but from episode two onwards, the whole thing starts to feel very padded. For no good reason we've travelled back in time to the Victorian era. Why? And exactly how long did it take Maxtible to kit out the South Wing of his house with all those deathtraps? Did the Daleks help him out? "OH. I THINK YOU NEED ANOTHER DEATHTRAP THERE." I mean, given that they're perfectly capable of travelling to Skaro, why not build the deathtraps on their own planet instead of inside an old Victorian manor house on Earth?

It just makes no sense. The Daleks are all "WE DO NOT TRUST YOU" to the Doctor - and then leave him in charge of programming the work-out-the-human-factor machine. And Molly the Maid hears Victoria's voice, and here's another secret passage, and why the fuck are we supposed to be interested?

There's a late rally with the new childlike Daleks, and it's nice to hear the soundscape of the Dalek city again, and the Emperor Dalek himself is impressive and shocking but it's all too little and too late.

It's padded, and drags, and after the pure genius of The Power of the Daleks just came as a huge disappointment to me.

I'm afraid this is going to be brief as it'...

2012-01-19T11:03:15.337Z

I'm afraid this is going to be brief as it's quite a while since I watched this one now.

I enjoyed The Smugglers, there are a lot of larger than life characters and a couple of the performances are particularly engaging. Ben and Polly are a lot of fun, especially lovely Polly passing herself off as a lad (just a tad unlikely!).

I must say that as good a job as Loose Cannon (other reconstructions are available) do, recon fatigue was truly setting in by this point and looking at the long list of missing episodes still ahead sent a shiver down my spine.

Better than - The Myth Makers
Not as Good as - The Romans

"Doctor Who is required." What a corke...

2012-01-19T11:02:07.007Z

"Doctor Who is required."

What a corker this is. The first zinger for quite some time. The story that set the tone for the future.

There is much to like but, as usual, I’m last to the party and I’m not going to repeat what has been said already. Suffice to say that this last story of series three is easily the best. In fact I’d say The War Machines is the best story I’ve watched since The Dalek Invasion of Earth way back at the front end of that awful dog’s arse of a second series.

Dodo’s gone then, with about as much ceremony as was appropriate. Ben and Polly are an instantly more likeable pair. They are convincingly modern and seem quite fresh and exciting, with clear personalities. I’m looking forward to travelling with these two.

The cliffhanger of episode three, that lovely hero moment when the Doctor stands in the path of the oncoming War Machine, is one of my favourite moments of Doctor Who.

Better than – The Time Meddler
Not as Good as – The Dalek Invasion of Earth

And so ends series three. A mixed bag, if I'm generous, and dominated by the hugely ambitious but not entirely succesful Masterplan. Although there have been some stories I enjoyed, I found little to love in this run (just The Time Meddler and The War Machines).

I must say Peter Purves was been a great presence, especially where Hartnell was absent or not quite firing on all cylinders. The first really good companian since Ian and Barbara.

There were times I thought it was a wonder that the show survived for a fourth series. It seems clear to me that a shake up is required if it is to endure beyond that..

Season 4 round-up: what a monumental year it was -...

2011-12-23T13:10:30.633Z

Season 4 round-up: what a monumental year it was - obviously the first regeneration and the first appearances of the Cybermen are absolutely key events in the history of the show. But in terms of quality the season is, for the most part, very successful. With one very poor story in "The Underwater Menace" and one very average historical in "The Highlanders" the only real blips in an otherwise above average run of adventures, there are also some real stand-outs including 2 of the best Dalek stories in the history of the show. The season climaxes with "the final end" of the Daleks and immense promise that the next season could be even better.

Lovely to see - or at least hear - a link from one...

2011-12-22T18:59:36.330Z

Lovely to see - or at least hear - a link from one story to the next as The Doctor and Jamie watch in vain as the Tardis is driven away from the airport on the back of the truck. Thus, we are dragged into the next adventure and what an adventure it is!

This is a story with an enormous amount going for it. Initially. we have The Doctor and Jamie in contemporary London searching for The Tardis and trying to find out who took it and why. Troughton and Hines are quite brilliant and in this phase of the tale The Doctor is a kind of down-on-his luck Sherlock Holmes with Jamie as a more innocent, less educated Dr.Watson. The double act between the two which has been slowly developing since The Highlanders has reached fruition and, for me, is the strongest teaming since the initial 1st Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian that started us off on our mission. The ability of the two to handle drama, mystery and comedy is a joy to behold.

The mystery of the missing Tardis leads them to an antique shop from where they are dragged back 100 years to 1866 and get involved with the results of the experiments of Edward Waterfield and Theodore Maxtible. Those results are the Daleks on 19th century earth with a new fiendish plan for domination of Earth and humanity. The BBC ability at period drama pays off in the visuals, with set, dressing and costumes utterly excellent and the plot of this phase sees Jamie become the action hero as he goes on his quest to rescue Waterfields' daughter Victoria. I love the way The Doctor manipulates Jamie into attempting this by playing on his sense of right and wrong and Fraser Hines is great in the scene where he is angry, believing The Doctor has done a deal with Waterfield or Maxtible or the Daleks. The Doctor is, of course, merely trying to find out what the Daleks are planning and outwit them and the two strands are excellently paced and exciting and lead us on to the final phase of the tale.

This phase is set on Skaro, and the story has a spectacular conclusion as The Doctor cleverly converts Daleks with the human factor and thus begins a civil war. It's lovely to see a hierarchy on Skaro with the Black Daleks issuing orders to the now questioning regular Daleks. And, of course, at the top of the tree is The Emperor Dalek. I love this, and the audio disc captures the look of it beautifully in the commentary script. I love the panic in his Dalek voice as he orders Daleks to "not fight in here" as life-support tubes are fired through and smoke billows from his casing. I also love the fact that Maxtible is given the Dalek factor and becomes a reflection of us all as children doing our Dalek impressions - in fact, it's a stroke of genius.

The three phases of the story make it for me one of the most successful longer serials in the history of the show. The three parts means that the pace of all the episodes doesn't slacken and the plot moves forward in each part but at the same time there is breathing space for the characters to make an impression. And the cast are uniformly fine all the way down the line - it's great to see characters like Molly Dawson and relationships like that between Ruth and Arthur given screen time alongside the traditional adventure aspects.

Also we get the introduction of new travelling companion Victoria Waterfield. It is one of the best character introduction stories I think and I like Victoria from the start. There is a lovely bit in a cell on Skaro where she tells turkish wrestler Kemel that she'll protect him and he looks incredulously at her - she may like a scream but she has levels of courage that should stand her in good stead in the future.

So what are the weaknesses - ahmm the plot maybe is not the most scientifically sound - that's really all I can think of -but I really don't care.

This one of the best Dalek stories I've ever seen, in fact one of the best Doctor Who stories I've ever seen so I have no choice here its 10/10 from me. I love it

New discovery excitement I am registering here as ...

2011-12-15T20:03:22.002Z

New discovery excitement I am registering here as its one of the stories to benefit - I'm so happy that we have another Troughton episode to watch and really ecstatic that we get to visually experience Galaxy Four! ! ! ! Who'd think that more episodes would still be surfacing -more more MORE I say!!!!!!!

'The Faceless Ones' has one truly great s...

2011-12-11T15:33:47.390Z

'The Faceless Ones' has one truly great strength - the sense of genuine mystery that runs throughout it's length. It is rare for a story to sustain a question as well as this one does over what has happened and why to the unfortunate passengers of Chameleon Tours.

The tale also has other things going for it. The contemporary setting lends it a realism that is rare in Doctor Who of any era I love the way The Doctor and Jamie bump heads with the Commandant early on and the way that the airport staff all gradually come to see The Doctor is the only one with a clue about what's happening. And of course his knowledge of 'ray guns' comes in very handy.

His double act with Jamie is superb, The Doctors massive knowledge and experience perfectly matched by Jamies naive innocence, trusting nature and total loyalty to his friends. Jamie and Samantha Briggs, superbly played by Pauline Collins, also make a wonderful team and like Piers I too regret that she couldn't be persuaded to stay on so we could see more of them together. There is a genuine affection between them and the way she teases him is exquisite. In addition to the great performances by the regulars, the supporting players are all well cast and turn in sterling performances.

The story itself is a traditional monster tale in many ways with the twist that the alien race in this case is not after power, riches or just keen on dominating or exterminating others but is simply trying to find a way to survive after a disastrous accident on their homeworld. Like the Sensorites and Rills before them, the show presents us with an alien race that is sympathetic and in this case it is an even greater achievement to do this as they are the villains of the story.

So, what are the weaknesses of the story - well, I do feel it's too long at 6 episodes and there are a few dull or repetitive stretches. And as a goodbye tale for Ben and Polly it isn't great as they have disappeared for much of the tale. But they do get to come and say goodbye, unlike Dodo. I do feel they deserved a better send- off as they were a good pair of companions who did well in easing the transition from Hartnell to Troughton at a crucial stage in the shows history. For me they are at their best in Power of the Daleks and I like to imagine Ben returning from his latest voyage and coming home to Polly with a pot of fresh coffee ready and waiting, her obsession with hot drinks undimmed by her adventures aboard the Tardis.

So, overall a story with much to commend it and a few weaknesses that don't spoil it for me too much. 8/10 from me

And now late 60s Doctor Who does a kind of hippy t...

2011-12-10T18:09:46.548Z

And now late 60s Doctor Who does a kind of hippy take on 1984 and adds in monsters in the traditional manner - the result, for me, is a kind of genius. I absolutely loved this story.

As Piers says, the story basically splits into two halves but I don't find the difference as jarring as Piers. The holiday camp colony first half does have a genuine creepiness that is superbly realised - have happy trippy jingles ever seemed quite this threatening? Well, maybe in "The Prisoner" but I think that aired a few months later so plaudits go to the production team and writer.

These early scenes allow Troughton full range for both the comedic and dramatic sides of his talent to shine. Even in audio I can see - yes literally see - his smile as after the beautiful cleaning up he is given is spoilt and he returns to the slightly shambolic look that the Second Doctor cultivates so proudly. It's also a beautiful marker of The Doctors belief in free will, good or bad, which is so much the theme of this tale.

It's nice to see Ben given a chance to shine as he falls victim to the colony brainwashing techniques and betrays his friends - a nice performance as his free will gradually returns and he is torn, mentally fighting to be who he is.

Jamie is slightly underused - again as a result of his late addition to the cast - but he it's great to see him do the highland fling during an escape attempt. Polly does a nice line in screaming. And. yes Piers. her new haircut is mightily invigorating!

The colonists are all well acted though probably lack a little depth compared to some other stories. On the subject of the the Macra it's hard for me to judge. On audio, they are extremely effective but in pictures I've seen they don't come across as well visually but I can only judge what I've experienced so I have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

So, overall, I really, really enjoy this and I'm giving it 9/10.

First: What happened to Polly's lovely elfin h...

2011-11-29T21:47:58.351Z

First: What happened to Polly's lovely elfin hair? It seems to suddenly have grown long again. A shame, I loved the pixie look.

Now the important stuff is out of the way, it's time to get on with the episode, and once again, we find ourselves in the real world. And it is the real world, with airports and "flying beasties" (planes, to those not out of time like poor Mr McCrimmon there) and location filming and once again I'm loving the way that Innes Lloyd's Doctor Who feels so real. The modern episodes feel so much more confident than the rest - see for example The Macra Terror which not only never catches fire, it never really gets warm.

But with this story it's clear that we're now in a completely different programme to that of Verity Lambert and William Hartnell. You can see the connective tissue between them, but at this point it's definitely Innes Lloyd's show - and all the better for it.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, a secret door appears in the Chameleon Tours warehouse. Nice reveal. And there's a lovely spooky atmosphere throughout the first episode. What's the thing in the box? Who are the creatures with ray guns? I don't know what's going on, and isn't that brilliant!

(And speaking of which, I miss the term "ray gun". You so rarely hear it used these days.)

Jamie and the Doctor seem to have gelled as a double-act by this point. With the hiding-behind-newspapers, the interaction with officials (and is this the first time that the Doctor has squared off against bureaucracy?), the fact that Jamie and the Doctor are together while Ben and Polly are... well... off. Somewhere. The faceless ones themselves get more screen time than Ben and Polly put together, and it's fairly obvious that they're on the way out.

And Jamie seems to have a bit of an eye for the ladies, now, doesn't he? Witness all that flirting with young Samantha Briggs. You'd better watch that one, girl, he'll have your heart in an instant. And they seem to be getting on so well... Hugs. And more hugs. And some more hugs.

Sadly, our villains seem to have the same problem that countless others have had before and since, to wit: the uncontrollable desire to put our heroes into a laser-based death trap rather than just, say, shooting them. With their ray guns.

Episode four, and Jamie's giving Sam a wee kiss on the cheek! Now admittedly it's as cover for nicking her ticket, but still. Like I say - you've got to watch that Mr McCrimmon.

Hitting the final strait, and we find out what's happened to the passengers - they've been miniaturised and put into filing drawers. This is classic Doctor Who, turning something ordinary and everyday into an obect of fear.

And I think it's worth mentioning again, just how good and how different the Second Doctor Who is.

Pauline Collins did a wonderful job, and it's a shame she didn't want to stay on. Still, Jamie's going to get another snog out of it at least. The chancer!

Finally, Ben and Polly show up. Like Dodo in the story in which they were introduced, Ben and Polly didn't really do anything in their last show, but at least they get a sweet goodbye as they realise that they're home again. "We won't leave, Doctor, if you really need us."

But he doesn't, and we must bid farewell to the two of them, Ben to return to his ship and Polly to robotically make hot drinks for any man who demands it of her.

Piers said... "In episode four, the crimi...

2011-10-15T20:13:00.409+01:00

Piers said...

"In episode four, the criminals from Desperus talk about going to Kembel, not Earth. Sorry, there's no two ways about it, then. Kembel, Earth, Desperus are all in the solar system."

There is no evidence that Kembel and Desperus are within the Earth's solar system. Kirksen says he wants to go to Kembel and not Earth, because, as a convinced murderer, he knows the Earth authorities will either kill him, or send him back to the prison planet. It has nothing to do with how far he is from one planet relative to the other.

Piers said...

"And people are always banging on about the solar system. Home to 40 billion people now, no less. Perhaps it's all been terraformed, like in Firefly?"

Clearly, that's the case, as Melpha indicates in "Mission to the Unknown" all the planets of the solar system will be attacked, also, in "Master Plan," it is stated that Brett Vyon was born on Mars, and Karlton is later instructed by Chen go to Venus and wait for further instructions there.

Piers said...

"If you go outside, it's dangerous! The atmosphere is entirely poisonous!" Well, OK, let's not go outside then ... And then, of course, the atmosphere's not poisonous anyway."

Evidently, the Tardis was picking up on the quality of the London air, which in 1965 was rank. Air pollution was a major health hazard for Londoners, with the "Great Smog" in December 1952 killing over 12,000 people.

Chen's arguments with the Dalek Supreme demons...

2011-10-15T19:36:01.640+01:00

Chen's arguments with the Dalek Supreme demonstrates how deluded he is, and how cunning they are. The Daleks only put up with Chen's histrionics because without the Taranium Core the Time Destructor is useless, and it is this device that holds the key to the success of the Daleks' Master Plan. If the Core is lost, then they will need Chen to again secretly mine it for them, as Taranium only exists on a single planet within the Earth's solar system. With the Core, however, they can kill Chen and destroy the Earth and its colonies in short order. To see "Master Plan" as a rehash of "The Chase," is to completely miss the plotting and counter plotting that suffuses this story from top to tail.

Starting with the slightly disturbing holiday-camp...

2011-09-30T18:00:32.893+01:00

Starting with the slightly disturbing holiday-camp atmosphere, with the drum majorettes and tannoy singing "We're happy to work... happy to play..." this one starts out both weird and creepy. A heady combination indeed.

Happy Songs: Check
Holiday Camp Vibe: Check
Brainwashing: Check

This is basically The Prisoner, isn't it?

It's an odd beast, this, with the first two episodes being all about the weird colony holiday camp, and then the final two about the mine and the Macra overlords. A bit of a jump, and I don't think the two halves fit together very well. They never feel like they're part of the same story.

The Doctor says towards the end that "Bad laws were made to be broken." Oh, you lovable rational anarchist scamp, you!

The story never really catches fire, for me, although I must say that I approve of Polly's sexy new haircut Very Much Indeed.

And then they dance their way out of the colony at the end. Of course.

A lovely sense-of-wonder comes through in this sto...

2011-09-27T22:18:46.338+01:00

A lovely sense-of-wonder comes through in this story from the very first moments. It feels like actual hard SF in a way that Doctor Who rarely manages.. The first moments on the moon. The spacesuits. The low gravity.

In the immortal words of Neil Armstrong: "We're on the fucking moon".

It's nice to see that once again we're in the multinational future that we've seen before, in the first Cyberman serial. Again, it adds to the feeling of verisimilitude that I mentioned earlier.

The sets are magnificent, and throughout there are many little touches that make it real, such as when the two astronauts go through the airlock and their oxygen cylinders are obviously just large plastic drinks bottles that have been stuck to their backs. But the fact that they check the bottles and seals before going out onto the lunar surface sells it completely.

And having talked about how the SF feels real, it's particularly interesting that the first episode is basically a ghost story. With the gravity device not working for reasons that no-one can ascertain, the fact that "We're being monitored", the mysterious silver hand, the bodies vanishing overnight... And then the reveal of the first episode cliffhanger that it's the Cybermen!

A shock return from the dead for them, in an episode that doesn't have their name in the title. Something that they'll do again, but that the Daleks never seem to quite have got the hang of.

"Why not make some coffee to keep them all happy while I think of something?" asks the Doctor, and Polly's response shows that her coffee-based brainwashing still seems to be in effect. She makes some more at the end, too. Good Polly. You understand.

This story also marks the first appearance of what is (to me at least) the Cybermen's definitive theme music. As well as sporting a new look, the Cybermen have acquired new voices. I like the new, raspy version too. And they are brilliant villains. We know what they want, they have a plan to get it, and their desires are utterly inimical to humanity. Brilliant.

What I love most about this is the raising tension and the fast pace. There's always a new threat. Deal with the Cybermen inside the base? There's more of them outside. Relief ship on the way? The Cybermen have got control of someone in the Gravitron.

A hole in the dome? Got it covered with cloth. Which holds for a second, and then doesn't work any more. Fortunately the dome gets sealed properly with a previously-chekhoved tea tray.

Jamie's out of action for most of The Moonbase, his first story as a companion, due to a sudden conk on the head. Which seems odd, until you realise that these scripts were written before he was signed up as such.

Fantastic monsters. An excellent story. Resistance is useless.

The Cybermen return in a story that is essentially...

2011-06-10T17:00:31.027+01:00

The Cybermen return in a story that is essentially a rerun of their first adventure with the Moon replacing Antartica as the venue of the isolated human community.

Although it's lacks the seminal originality of 'The Tenth Planet' for me this story is actually an improvement on it. I think this is because the plot works better for me overall and the acting by the supporting cast is much better.

Patrick Troughton is on immensely fine form, throwing himself into the comedic section when he is taking samples with an almost Chaplinesque grace. This culminates when he is dusting down Benoits' boot which the Frenchman steps out of leaving it in The Doctors hand. His face as he rises to be confronted by Hobson is absolutely priceless. He remains at that level throughout the whole serial, being equally amazing when he realises that the Cybermen have infiltrated the base.

Fraser Hines as Jamie is asleep for around half the story but like Michael Craze and Anneke Wills is really good when called upon. And I do enjoy the fact that Pollys coffee making abilities are actually used for a crucial plot point.

This brings me to a plot point that puzzles me. If the sugar has been contaminated surely all the men that take sugar would get infected at around the same time, rather than over an extended period. Unless they are a rather indecisive group who can't decide whether to sugar or not sugar their beverage. In which case not people I would trust to control Earths gravity. Ho hum.

I like the Cyberman who manages to avoid detection by throwing a blanket over himself which apparently makes it impossible for humans to notice his huge size and big silver boots sticking out. And the image of a large group of them walking across the lunar surface is really effective.

So there really is loads to enjoy here. I feel it should get one more mark than "The Tenth Planet' but it should also lose one for the lack of originality. So I'm awarding a watchable 7/10.

Piers my dear old thing, I've never known anyo...

2011-06-10T16:30:59.331+01:00

Piers my dear old thing, I've never known anyone get so much from that line - it almost justifies it's existence you strange wonderful man

A real curate's egg, this one. When Zaroff d...

2011-05-22T23:14:16.784+01:00

A real curate's egg, this one.

When Zaroff delivers the line "I could feed you to my pet octopus, yes?" I found myself liking this madman already.

And yet, let's be clear about this, the bad things about this story, of which there are many - the grindingly slow start, the co-incidence of a random escape tunnel happening to lead to the temple where Polly is about to be sacrificed, the gosh-begorrah accent (oh dear), Zaroff pretending to be ill, the fish-people-flying-ballet weirdness - grate terribly when they're on.

But then they're replaced by spooky chanting before a human sacrifice, and a flooding Atlantis, and a don't-trust-authority message, and Polly in Shells (that last may just be me) and there's something here, something strange and weird and wonderful that I just can't put my finger on that is inexplicably Doctor Who in all its strange glory and glorious oddness.

And then there's The Line.

The line that condenses all that is great and terrible about this story, the wonderful, terrible, magnificent, awful, stupefying, transcendental line when Professor Zaroff declaims in front of an audience of just two or three henchmen that "Nothing in the world can stop me now!"

And I never for a moment believed that it could stand up to the hype, that it could be as glorious and horrific as generations of Doctor Who fans before me had made it out to be.

And yet I found myself, finger on the take-time-back-Sapphire-take-time-back button, again, and again, and again, sitting there watching it.

I pressed that button at least thirty times, watching Professor Zaroff declaim that nothing in the world could stop him, just going back and watching him again and again, fascinated and enthralled, and I did not understand why.

And some people may think that it's just a terrible line delivered in a hammy style, but there's something about it that calls to me, that says: This, this is the moment where you will know that you are one of the chosen, when you know that you love something that no rational person could appreciate, that is terrible and magnificent at the same time, that no other show in the world can give you.

Something terrible and wonderful.

Was it the delivery? The line itself? The contextual fact that he's playing it to henchmen who couldn't possibly give a damn and that it makes no sense?

I don't know. Still don't. But something about that line - nonsensical and strange and terrible and wonderful at the same time - still echoes down the years to me now.

"I would like a hat like this!" And the...

2011-05-22T22:42:07.185+01:00

"I would like a hat like this!"

And the new doctor settles into his new role with a penchant, it seems, for trying on new hats.

I love Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. The feeling that he's always constantly improvising, barely staying on top of things, is such a contrast to William Hartnell's portrayal. He also has lovely physical comedy chops as when asking "Do you have a headache?" - answered in the negative - results in him slamming some poor fellow's head against the desk and a revisiting of the question.

Despite that, his core values are the same. Although he spends most of one episode threatening people with a gun, when he eventually pulls the trigger it turns out to be unloaded.

Well, of course. They're dangerous things.

Wow. That's not the Doctor! Disconcerting fro...

2011-02-01T23:38:15.748Z

Wow. That's not the Doctor!

Disconcerting from the off, this story is more than a little bit freaky and scary. The man that we've come to know and trust is gone. And when Ben asks him "Who are we?" the man who's suddenly appeared in the Tardis just brushes aside the question with a "Don't you know?"

He continues to wrongfoot us all, answering questions with questions, referring to "The Doctor" in the third person... Can we trust this stranger?

Oh dear. He really can't play the recorder at all well, can he? And I'm not sure about that hat either...

Out onto the surface of Vulcan. "Don't touch it, Polly - it's quicksilver, goes through the pores." I suppose it's not technically a pool of acid, but I can't help but feel the same principle applies. It's the same... but different.

"We saw your rocket" implies that the Tardis has actually landed rather than materialised this time.

And then... Blimey! I actually jumped in my seat when the Dalek mutant appeared. And it was just a still picture!

This is such a different Doctor from Hartnell. In the acting, in the writing... Ben doesn't believe it's the Doctor. Polly does. The audience identification is split.

There's a lot of fantastic writing going on here.

The story presents Lesterson as Frankenstein. "There must be some way to bring this thing back to life!" And, of course, he is slain by his own creation in the end.

What I really love about the whole of this story is the audience superior position. We know what the Daleks are, and that Lesterson and Janley are making a terrible mistake in powering them up... but they don't. "I cannot think what this short stubby arm is for," says one of them... while we know exactly what it is and what it can do.

The story is one of mounting terror throughout, as the Daleks become more powerful and more able to work in the open.

A Dalek asks "Why do human beings kill human beings?" And there's no answer that will satisfy.

And then there's the terrifying sight of a Dalek proclaiming eagerly "I am your servant" throughout. A line that's repeated later, pathetically, by the broken Lesterson. Just before he's exterminated.

Interestingly, when the Doctor meets a Dalek and says "So they've given you the run of the colony, have they..." there's genuine fear in his voice. Something that I never saw in Hartnell's blustery performance.

It's also nice to hear a reference to the past, when the Doctor wonders how long the Daleks will be able to move around on these non-metal floors.

By episode four, I'm sold. He is the Doctor. The same, but different.

"Doctor, you did know what you were doing, didn't you?"

And personally, I don't think the answer is yes.

Utterly brilliant.

A warm welcome back young man

2011-01-31T13:08:56.527Z

A warm welcome back young man

I'm back! Yes. i slipped off the mission for...

2011-01-29T11:32:09.392Z

I'm back!

Yes. i slipped off the mission for a while, but have returned in earnest with 3 2nd Doctor audio stories under my belt.

here's my review of the first.

Power of the Daleks - MAGNIFICENT.

Six parts of tense, ominous and downright brutal storytelling.
the story features some brilliantly realised characters, which are some of the most fully developed in Doctor Who history.

The Daleks are unveiled in this new era as devious and deadly creatures. A far cry from the aimless bumbling tin cans that preceeded this story. for once, they are truly terrifying.

The end of episode two ends with the truly chilling "I am your serrrrrrvant!" cry, which really creeped me out.

Oh... and a new Doctor!

This story sees our new Doctor acting very weird. he communicates at times by blowing his recorder. Like a petulant child refusing to play.
it must have been very disconcerting for viewers of the 1960's to not only lose their lead actor, but to have his replacement appear like a reluctant hero, who even his companions are unsure about.
Brave stuff. And a better treatment than the disastrous 6th Doctor introduction.

I could go on and on about Power of The Daleks. it certainly ranks in my top 3 Dalek stories.
6 episodes of sustained gripping storytelling.

We have always heard how Daleks are the most cruel and ruthless race in the universe and in episode 6 they demonstrate it in brutal fashiom, wiping out an entire colony. Men, women and children. For me, it was a much needed reminder to the viewers of why they are the Doctors most fearsome nemesis.

I give Power Of the Daleks a much deserved 8/10.