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FishyFish

By FishyFish
in Film, TV & Radio

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DeNeo

DeNeo

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I just did some back of napkin calculations and I reckon I'll have finished my marathon (to the end of the McCoy era) around mid-November, shortly before the 50th anniversary. How convenient. :)

Will the 8th Doctor's only TV outing be part of your marathon too?

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Sprite Machine

Sprite Machine

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Will the 8th Doctor's only TV outing be part of your marathon too?

Oh, I suspect so, although I will then be in "stuff I've seen before" territory. Mind you, it's been a very long time since I saw it.

Vengeance on Varos

(Blog has pictures)

Vengeance on Varos is probably one of the grimmest Doctor Who stories so far. Much like 'The Sun Makers', it pushes contemporary concepts to farcical extremes to create a darkly comic dystopian future. In this case, it's a society that oppresses its people while publicly televising torture and death for their entertainment, dangling the carrot of freedom in front of them by letting them vote on their governor's policies. I suppose it's also a commentary on reality TV, albeit a bit before its time.

[Picture: The Chief Officer and Sil plot to extort underpriced ore from Varos.]

The plot is kept simple, but is punctuated by some distinctive imagery. The slug-like alien, Sil, and his evil gurgling laugh is particularly memorable. Quillam's scarred face, Peri growing feathers over her skin, the Doctor being subjected to heat exhaustion, an acid bath and a gallows. It's almost relentlessly bleak.

[Picture: Furries around the world drool as Peri is nearly turned into a bird creature.]

It has some comedic elements, some of which work as satire, like the couple watching and commenting on the TV at home, while some of it feels very badly judged in tone. The Doctor is supposed to care about life, but he has no problem with causing a few deaths here. Firstly, the security guard who gets zapped by the torture beam that he intentionally sets up as a trap, and later the two who get knocked into the acid vat. This wouldn't be so bad, but the Doctor then makes a witty quip afterwards ("you'll forgive me if I don’t join you") - he's not James bloody Bond! He hasn't got the dress sense, for a start.

[Picture: I couldn't help but think of The Truman Show as the TV cameras are getting the best angle of the Doctor struggling for his life in the Punishment Dome.]

The Governor is the sympathetic character, bravely going against the grain of the public vote, and is generally likable even when he's giving questionable orders in the line of duty. No-one is a saint, there are only shades of grey. The Doctor continues to improve as a character I can actually care about, which I guess means he just needed a decent script, and on the whole I did enjoy this one a lot.

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Mogster

Mogster

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I quite like Vengeance on Varos, but as far as I'm aware it's by far the high point of Colin Baker's run. It was quite ahead of its time with the whole reality TV aspect, which I don't think was really a thing at the time.

But yes, that quip is so badly misjudged.

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davidcotton

davidcotton

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We are now at the part of the show's history where I rarely saw a complete story. Main reason being that I was away at a disabled boarding school at the time and saturday's evening meal was always 6pm sharp. So that meant always missing the last 5 minutes or so of the programme as it was a bit of a dash to the dining area (and thanks to my dodgy knees I wasn't the quickest at the best of times!). Thank god for the 3 minute recap at the start of the next episode! Mind you the neighbours lot had it worse as afternoon lessons started at 1:30 after lunch and you could always tell who was going to be late :P:) Once it moved up against Coronation street that was it for awhile anyway.

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Sprite Machine

Sprite Machine

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The Mark of the Rani

(Blog has pictures)

The Rani is name of a Time Lord (er, Time Lady?) who has travelled to the 19th century industrial revolution era to steal brain chemicals from the local miners, resulting in the poor humans becoming aggressively violent. So, it's another historical episode with an alien incursion to deal with... and, do you know what? I thought it was fairly good!

[Picture: The Master watches as the Rani examines her captive. These two should team up more often.]

When the Master turns up on the scene, the dynamic changes for the better. Here we have a (seemingly indestructible) villain stumbling into a scenario without a plan of action, who almost immediately develops one, and it's totally bonkers ("I shall rule the world by kicking Earth's industry up a gear while controlling everyone's mind!!"). He and the Rani work well together as characters, bickering and distrusting one another, leading to some great scenes. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Peri are well-established bickerers themselves, but there are hints of a stronger relationship developing, albeit slowly.

[Picture: Luke, turned into a tree, helps Peri to not turn into a tree. Yeah, I know, right?]

The Doctor's quite tolerable in this. Since his first appearance, he's mellowed out loads. He's still something of an anti-hero at times, socially awkward and big-headed, but he gets some excellent lines now. I laughed when he implied he was a scarecrow.

[Picture: The Rani's Tardis looks so cool!]

I almost burst out laughing when the Doctor gets himself stuck between his two captors who have both stepped on mines that turn them into trees. It's such a ridiculous idea but it's completely confident that you'll just go along with it. So too with the growing dinosaur embryo thrown in at the end, as the Rani's Tardis goes spiralling out of the galaxy. Incidentally, for the short amount of time the other Tardis is seen, it's extremely well-realised. It absolutely looks like a "next generation" Tardis control room. Those spinning loops on the console are really cool. I think the Doctor should consider an upgrade.

So, it's a bit daft and light-hearted, but it's good fun. And it's set "oop north", which makes a change!

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Comrade

Comrade

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Apparently 106 (!) lost episodes have been found in Ethiopia:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/106-doctor-who-episodes-uncovered-2343474

A group of dedicated Doctor Who fans tracked down at least 100 long-lost episodes of the show gathering dust more than 3,000 miles away in Ethiopia.

It was feared the BBC ­programmes from the 1960s – featuring the first two doctors William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton – had vanished for all time after the Beeb flogged off a load of old footage.
But after months of ­detective work the tapes have been unearthed at the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency.
A television insider said: “It is a triumph and fans ­everywhere will be thrilled.
“This is a really big deal for the BBC and is set to make them millions from the sale of the DVDs.”
If the tapes are returned in time the BBC hopes to announce the news during ­celebrations to mark Doctor Who’s 50th ­anniversary next month.
The Thick Of It actor Peter Capaldi, 55, takes over from Matt Smith as the 12th Time Lord at Christmas.
The recovered episodes from the 60s include much-loved scenes from The Crusade, The Enemy of the World and The Ice Warriors series.
In the four-part Crusade story Hartnell and his ­assistant Vicki, played by Maureen O’Brien, arrive in the Tardis in Palestine in the 12th century just as King Richard the Lionheart is doing battle with the Saracen ruler Saladin.
After each airing only once between 1964 and 1969, copies were sold to the Ethiopian Agency and the BBC then lost or wiped the originals.
As the corporation still owns the copyright the shows could be digitally remastered and shown again. The prospect will delight millions of fans worldwide.
Doctor Who expert Stuart Kelly revealed news of the discovery at the Wigtown Book Festival in Scotland last week.
When contacted by the Sunday People he said: “I was told by a friend that the ­episodes have been found in Ethiopia. The BBC is ­negotiating to get them back right now. I really can’t say any more than that.”
Rumours emerged of the lost shows earlier this year when tapes and 16in films of 90 episodes were thought to have been handed to a TV historian after turning up in a container loaded on a ship from Zambia.
In December 2011 two other ­episodes that were thought to have been lost were returned to the BBC.
The shows, from 1965 and 1967, ­starring Hartnell and Troughton, were found three decades after they were sold by mistake at a village fete.
The 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who will be broadcast ­simultaneously in at least 70 countries on November 23, the BBC has said.
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Iain

Iain

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According to the Radio Times, two previously lost Troughton episodes are going to be released on iTunes on Wednesday but they don't say which ones.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-10-06/doctor-who-newly-discovered-missing-episodes-to-be-released-for-sale-this-week

In what looks set to be the best 50th birthday present fans could imagine, two missing episodes of Doctor Who will be made available for sale to the public this week.

BBC Worldwide will put two previously lost episodes from different stories – both believed to be from the Patrick Troughton era – for sale on digital platforms such as iTunes from Wednesday, RadioTimes.com understands.

They are believed to originate from a haul discovered in Africa and have been digitally remastered for sale, although exact details remain sketchy.

A BBC Worldwide spokesman refused to officially confirm the discovery or the "speculation" around further missing episodes.

It is understood that other episodes have also been found, although it is not yet known whether these will be made available.

The existence of a cache of lost Doctor Who episodes has long been rumoured, although in June the BBC suggested that no tapes existed.

Asked by RadioTimes.com if there were around 90 missing episodes from the 1960s a BBC statement said: “There are always rumours and speculation about Doctor Who missing episodes being discovered – however we cannot confirm any new finds.”

A spokeswoman added: “We can’t confirm because it’s not true, as far as I’m aware."

BBC Worldwide has confirmed it will syndicate the 50th anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, simultaneously to more than 75 countries across the world on 23 November.

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mrsnrub

mrsnrub

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I would love to see some of the old troughton episodes! Also, I don't know if anyone else finds this, but watching an episode I sometimes think "Ooh that was a great script" then I hear a bit of it on youtube taken out of context and I cringe. It may be to do with the fact that, in general, these clips are the intro to another hideous fan made music video.

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Iain

Iain

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So looks like the episodes won't be available on Wednesday. In brighter news an article has finally appeared on the BBC website about missign episodes beign returned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24448063

A number of early episodes of Doctor Who, which were believed to have been permanently lost, have been returned to the BBC.

BBC Worldwide is expected to confirm the find at a press conference in London later this week.

It follows weeks of speculation that some lost episodes had been located.

A total of 106 episodes featuring the first two actors to play the Doctor, William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, are currently missing.

The BBC destroyed many of the sci-fi drama's original transmission tapes in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, the majority of the episodes had been transferred on to film for foreign broadcasters. It is often these prints found in other countries that are the source of retrieved episodes.

In 1993, all four instalments of the Patrick Troughton adventure The Tomb of the Cybermen were discovered in Hong Kong.

The latest find comes as Doctor Who celebrates its 50th birthday. A special episode featuring the current Doctor Matt Smith and his predecessor David Tennant will be shown on the programme's anniversary on 23 November.

A raft of other programming to celebrate the long-running drama was also recently announced by the BBC.

Details of how fans will be able to watch the recovered episodes are also expected to be revealed later this week

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Sprite Machine

Sprite Machine

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Sweet, looking forward to seeing what they've unearthed! I can't imagine it's the 90+ originally rumoured, but anything greater than zero is a plus!

A Patrick Troughton related review seems apt about now.

The Two Doctors

(Blog has pictures)

Oh my giddy aunt! What the bloody hell did I just watch? You might think, from the name, that 'The Two Doctors' would be a team-up of Time Lords on a lighthearted adventure against some iconic bad-dudes, particularly with the inclusion of Patrick Troughton as the jolly and childish second Doctor. What I didn't expect was this utterly bizarre trip through cannibalism, torture and some the darkest and weirdest themes Doctor Who has ever tackled. Was this even considered a kids' show by this point? The decline into dark themes has been gradual, I admit, but this is a world away from the sort of story 'The Five Doctors' was, just a year or so prior.

[Picture: Dastari and Chessene try to discover the secret of Time Lord symbiotic nuclei.]

Things start off strangely in the second Doctor's Tardis. Now, it's great to see Frazer Hines back as Jamie, one of the longest-serving companions, but it is quite obvious that he's nearly twenty years older. Even Patrick Troughton's wig is now grey, and in addition to the clearly modern design of the control room, it suggests this version of the Doctor is set along some parallel timeline in which he never regenerated. He's even on a mission for the Time Lords, which did not happen in the original timeline, and moreover the sixth Doctor has no memory of this adventure. But this is all completely ignored, and we're supposed to accept that this all happened in the past (presumably between the points where Victoria left and Zoe joined). I gather there are some woolly 'fanon' explanations around for this, but it's difficult to accept at face value.

[Picture: The black-and-white opening catches you off-guard, before the colour (and wrinkles) return to their faces.]

I like Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, and he's still a pleasure to watch here, but it's just not the sort of story that suits him. I won't even get into the bizarre restaurant scene towards the end, because I'm not entirely sure I didn't just dream the whole thing. Remarkably, though the villains of the piece are the Sontarans, the scariest villain here is undoubtedly the cannibal chef, Shockeye. I have to give credit to the performance; his heavy breathing and leering gaze as he eyes up his prey and sharpens his blades is truly unsettling. The script is dripping with descriptive prose about tearing tender human flesh from the bone and so on, it's hard to believe that Robert Holmes wrote this as a vegetarian; it comes across more like he was just really hungry. Well, intentionally or not, he's created one of the scariest villains in Doctor Who, ever.

[Picture: Dressed for dinner, the Androgum-mutated Doctor and the chef head into town to sample the local cuisine.]

Almost everything about this story has a wicked tone, from the computer that tries to casually murder them on the space station, to the repeated capture of the heroes. Poor Peri is attacked by Jamie, chased through the Spanish heat and knocked unconscious by Shockeye, is literally seconds away from having her throat cut, and goes through the whole ordeal in a skimpy little outfit. Jamie doesn't fare much better; in fact no-one really comes away well. The poor lady of the villa gets casually offed in seconds, the truck driver is killed and so is Oscar the restaurateur when Shockeye stabs him. Yes, this is a Doctor Who story where a cannibal goes around bludgeoning an elderly woman and stabbing people. What the actual flip?

[Picture: Peri and Jamie meet in less than ideal conditions. In fact, I think he tries to hump her.]

And it's another story where the Doctor blithely goes along with it. He puts Peri in danger repeatedly (the bit where he tells her to go into the dangerous house on her own is almost laughable; it's like a horror parody), and he once again has little regard for life as he kills Shockeye with some cyanide(!!!). Although I can't say he didn't have it coming, did we really need the Doctor to offer another witty quip afterwards?

[Picture: Continuing the theme of grotesque deaths, Stike the Sontaran gets burned by acid and then blown up.]

Frankly, this is one of the strangest pieces of television entertainment I think I have ever watched. While there is an interesting central plot, lots of it is just weird tangential filler (possibly because the runtime is 50% longer than the current norm) and it's just filled with really dark humour and unsettling scenes throughout. I can't say it's entirely without merit, because I'm all for pushing boundaries and trying new things, and I would much rather it be bizarrely interesting and darkly comic than, I dunno, boring and bland. But, just, wow. I'm lost for words. And I really fancy a shepherd's pie.

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Teabag

Teabag

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This is one of the few classic stories I've managed to get my wife to watch as it was on UK Gold or something one Sunday morning.

About the third time the Dastari and the bad guys lost the Doctor and completely changed their plan for no reason she was like "These people are fucking idiots".

Oscar's death is horrible though. And the fact a mutated second Doctor is in on it is even worse. Then the mutation wears off and they're all like "Oh well that's fine".

We've done a good job of lowering your expectations for this season, meaning you seem to have enjoyed the first three stories on their own terms (I'm a big fan of this season too, simply because I loved it as a kid). I dread to think what you're going to think of the next story though...

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Teabag

Teabag

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You should read the novel. There's a superfluous scene where Chessini kills a watchman with a gas injection that's so horrible it makes Alien look like Merlin. I think someone may have even quoted it earlier in the thread.

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Sprite Machine

Sprite Machine

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Timelash

(Blog has pictures)

Pulled into a time warp, the Tardis arrives on planet Karfel during a particularly nasty dictatorship, a looming war with a neighbouring planet, and rebellion bubbling beneath the surface. Apparently, the Doctor has visited this world before with Jo Grant during his third incarnation, but this was not from any televised adventure. It's useful only in the sense the bad guys recognise who he is, which I suppose makes a change from the normal routine of capturing the intruders and having them explain themselves.

[Picture: The timelash is so horrific and deadly, it can only be thwarted by a rope.]

There are a couple of cool things in Timelash. Firstly, there's Borad, the mysterious ruler. It's a well-worn trope of hiding behind a false persona, but I liked the idea of him using a robot dummy to talk to his people, and I especially like the awesome make-up they used to make Borad's face. The half-human/half-rubber-lizard prosthetic is genuinely impressive (and horrific!) to me now; I can only imagine what it must have been like for viewers in 1985. Secondly, there's some interesting use of time effects. The Doctor's double-image bluff is intriguing, and there's the burning android that gets sent back in time one hour, which hints at the sort of non-linear storytelling that Doctor Who doesn't do very often, probably because serials have to be painfully linear when they're spread over several weeks. Sadly, this doesn't have much bearing on the plot.

[Picture: Okay, three good things. The time accelerator deathray is very cool. Flop!]

And the plot is not all that. The rebel uprising is kinda boring and the time portal to the past is silly. It's made out to be some horrible fate worse than death... but actually you just wind up in Scotland with H.G. Wells? Speaking of, the whole Wells thing is a cute twist, but the character is awful, or at least the actor is. This is a particular shame since most of the supporting cast are also awful. Poor performances all round, with one or two exceptions. And Peri is perhaps at her most useless here, serving as little more than the damsel in distress and screaming a lot. The best performance is from the Doctor as he frustratingly (and meticulously) chews out his companions for getting in the way, in a scene that appears to have been written to fill the remaining ten minutes, despite the implied urgency of the situation. I mean, it's quite funny, but what the hell?

[Picture: Herbert looks like a young Michael McIntyre. That's right, try to unsee that now!]

The ending, then, is just one massive cop-out, as the Doctor steers the Tardis into the incoming missile and is presumed dead, only to miraculously survive the explosion. I'm sorry, but "oh, it's complicated, I'll tell you about it some other time" is the absolute worst bottom-of-the-barrel writing imaginable. Shameful stuff.

[Picture: Borad, in all his marvellously hideous glory.]

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