Doctor Who

[Vespa Alex]

Isn't it just Hartnell / Tom Baker / Pertwee / Tennant / Smith?

EDIT: Ah, caught the glimpses of Davison and Eccleston. Is the silhouette through the tunnel meant to be Troughton?

Yep, he's playing his recorder, so definitely Troughton.

Colin Baker is in there from behind which just leaves McCoy that I didn't spot.

[Mortis]

Isn't McCoy in front of the weeping angel with the ? brolley

[NEG]

I guess he gets to sonic screwdriver the sky in the episode.

[Harsin]

:02 Policeman and I.M. Foreman gates

:07 I. M. Foreman Scrap Yard

Fez

Sonic Screwdriver

Robot mask from Girl in the Fireplace

Robot mask from The Runaway Bride

Heironymous mask from The Masque of Mandragora

Model of the Pyramid rocket from Pyramids of Mars

:09 Pocketwatch

TARDIS key

The Cloven Hoof pub sign from The Daemons

Original TARDIS console

Fluid Link from TARDIS?

:11 Brass globe from TARDIS

:12 UNIT soldier shot by Dalek (Remembrance of the Daleks)

Polyphase Avatron (The Pirate Planet)

Tracer for the Key to Time

:13 The First Doctor

:16 The Second Doctor

The Himalayas

:18 Sonic Screwdriver

:20 Jelly Babies

:25 The Fourth Doctor

:26 Sonic Screwdriver

:27 No More (?)

:28 K9

Daleks

:29 Sarah Jane Smith

Sea Devil

London with Dalek Saucer (The Dalek Invasion of Earth)

Cybermen (Earthshock)

:30 The Third Doctor

The Master

:32 Clara

Claras Leaf

:36 The Seventh Doctor

Weeping Angel

The Fifth Doctor

Cricket Ball

The Ninth Doctor

The Sixth Doctor

Silent

D84 Robot (The Robots of Death)

TARDIS Key

:38 2005 Dalek

Rose

The Eighth Doctor

Ood

Auton (Rose)

Sonic Screwdriver

Queen Spider (Planet of the Spiders)

Either Amy or Donna

:39 Bessie

The Hurt Doctor?

Unknown robot/Cyberman?

:40 Sontaran Capsule

The Tenth Doctor

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Shard

:41 Gallifreyan monument

Dalek saucers

:43 The Eleventh Doctor

:44 Pieces of the Key to Time

The Fifth Doctors reading glasses

Multiple Sonic Screwdrivers, Laser Screwdriver, Sonic Pen

[Comrade]

We've just watched that trailer and the other one that popped up on YouTube a couple of times each. I'd like to think that the other trailer, with all its references to the crack and the silence, means that Moffat's been planning this story from the start. I'm trying not to get my hopes up because it'll only end in disappointment!

What's the "other" trailer?

[davidcotton]

It's a surprise that the end of Trial mostly holds together considering the chaos going on behind the scenes. As with the fifth Doctor era, there was a nice documentary about the sixth's run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUF5EAw63zk

Cheers for that, any more of those for the 7th and rest?

After watching that thank god I wasn't involved in "fandom" in the 80's beyond enjoying the programme and magazine!

[Darren]

Think anything other than that one is fan made?

This great, but another move in giving absolutely nothing away.

What's the "other" trailer?

Ah, seems like it's just a fan made one, hence all the lines from previous series. So much for tying up all the loose ends. Expectations re-lowered.

[Yartek]

Cheers for that, any more of those for the 7th and rest?

After watching that thank god I wasn't involved in "fandom" in the 80's beyond enjoying the programme and magazine!

Here's one covering the McCoy era and ultimately the end of the show and some of what they had hoped to do in Season 27.

I wasn't in deep with fandom at the time, but definitely aware of what was going on and although I didn't enjoy the show much for three years I certainly wasn't wanting to march on the BBC or anything..

Not sure if they've done overview documentaries for Doctors 1-4, most of my DVDs are still in storage so I can't go and check.

[Swainy]

[Mogster]

Bizarre. If it wasn't a BBC video I'd say that was bullshit, especially with the convenient complete destruction of all evidence.

[Swainy]

Bizarre. If it wasn't a BBC video I'd say that was bullshit, especially with the convenient complete destruction of all evidence.

Exactly what I thought when I watched it this morning. Very suspect.

[Sprite Machine]

The Sixth Doctor: Summary + Best Episodes

I gather that Colin Baker's version of the Doctor is not all that popular with fandom. With only two short seasons under his belt, he doesn't get much of a chance to cast a good impression. I understand there are some audio plays featuring the character that paint him in a better light, but that is outside of the scope of this project, so I can only comment on what I've seen in these episodes.

Seasons 22 and 23 and have been, shall we say, "mixed". Although that's perhaps being a tad generous. A change of tone has crept into the show lately, a weird mix of silly and creepy, and my overriding memory of these stories is of some poorly-judged moments and not much else. Generally speaking, the quality of the production has remained consistent, but the writing and performances have not. Early Colin Baker episodes are more focused with convincing us that this change of actor was a good idea, throwing in some classic references, whereas the the latter half is in a more experimental format, with mixed results.

The modern trend of the single female companion possibly began here, as the sixth Doctor travels with one at a time. Firstly, there's Peri, who seems to focus so hard on getting her accent right that she forgets to act convincingly. The Doctor and Peri have a strange relationship, bickering like a married couple. Since Peri rarely seems to be enjoying herself, I have to wonder why she didn't decide to leave sooner. It's not like the sixth Doctor is the person she originally agreed to travel with, and she never seems to get on well with him. That said, her exit is awful and so out of character, as if she was written out on a whim and they couldn't decide how to do it. Then there's Mel, who isn't even introduced, she's just suddenly there. There's not much bickering between them so far, but I don't particularly like her either.

Thoughts on the Sixth Doctor

Unlike Davison, Colin Baker's version of the Doctor seems intent on making you dislike him. Right off the bat, he's arrogant, dismissive, rude and righteously indignant, as if the whole universe has gone mad and blames him for it. This leads to a bit of a one-note performance, best characterised by his repeating the last word someone says to him as a question, in an increasing pitch. "Lost? LOST?!!"

This isn't the first time the Doctor has been played as an arsehole, of course. The first Doctor was rarely friendly, and the less said about the grumpy old third Doctor, the better. However, even Jon Pertwee's take on the character would occasionally mellow and show a more charming side (okay, VERY occasionally). Colin Baker's version tries to do the big ego thing like Tom Baker, only he doesn't have the gravitas for that either. Well, to be fair, I don't think Colin Baker is a bad actor, it's more a case of poor writing and a one-note style. However, in The Trial of a Time Lord (and all of the linking sections from that season), Colin Baker shows that he does have a good performance in him. Ranting about the Time Lords becoming decadent and corrupt is superb, the perfect way to channel all that indignation towards something positive.

Which leads me to my ranking. This is becoming increasingly difficult to decide upon. I don't think Colin Baker was particularly good as the Doctor, but likewise he didn't have very long to become good, either. Jon Pertwee's the better actor, but his character was regularly detestable as well, and he stuck around for far longer than I would have liked, whereas Colin Baker's run was short-lived enough to be tolerable. I also want to try to separate the quality of the character from the quality of the episodes, which isn't always easy. And my thoughts on Hartnell haven't changed much since, either. With that in mind, I would currently settle on the following order (subject to change, terms and conditions apply):

Tom Baker > Patrick Troughton > Peter Davison > Colin Baker > Jon Pertwee > William Hartnell

Episode Highlights

With barely two seasons to pick from, it's no great task to pull out the "best of", although none of these would rank amongst the overall best. The Trial of a Time Lord makes things slightly harder, because it's one story spread across many, and some of the good bits are interspersed with truly awful episodes like Mindwarp. Picking out the three top stories seems appropriate, so here they are:

Vengeance on Varos (2 45-min parts)

Grim and darkly comic, this serial is nevertheless enjoyable and has some memorable moments.

The Mark of the Rani (2 45-min parts)

Daft and lighthearted, the unique setting and the Master/Rani team-up make for some fun scenes.

The Trial of a Time Lord – The Mysterious Planet (4 25-min parts)

A good sci-fi story that would function just as well without the courtroom framing narrative, but opens with its most impressive sequence.

[Davros sock drawer]

William Hartnell is still bottom of your list after Colin Baker?! Boo!

[Sprite Machine]

William Hartnell is still bottom of your list after Colin Baker?! Boo!

Maybe I'll reappraise him in future, but I never liked Hartnell. I didn't find his character in any way convincing.

[Davros sock drawer]

He's not my favourite either, but IMO he still has loads more great moments than Colin Baker, or even Jon Pertwee, who I've come to increasingly dislike over the years.

My order, for the Doctors you've seen so far, would be:

Tom Baker

Patrick Troughton

Peter Davison

William Hartnell

Jon Pertwee

Colin Baker

I don't care what anyone says about audio plays or how badly served he was by the BBC, during his actual televised stint Colin Baker was shit, and the programme was shit. A mockery of the show it was 10 years prior.

[Vespa Alex]

Colin Baker was where I stopped watching. I did see the odd snippet of McCoy and it seemed to have gone down hill even further, so I was entirely unmoved by it's cancellation.

[Mogster]

McCoy started on a low but ended on a pretty big high. The Curse of Fenric is one of my favourite Who serials.

[Teabag]

Agree. Next season for Sprite sucks balls, but then it comes out fighting.

[Professor Puzzles]

McCoy was my doctor. I loved the one with the circus, it was proper spooky.*

*My glasses may be rose tinted.

[Davros sock drawer]

I don't think I've seen Greatest Show in the Galaxy, which I should rectify.

[Zio]

I remember I loved it when it was originally on, but then I was 9 years old back then. I might feel differently about it now.

[Sprite Machine]

Time and the Rani

(Blog has pictures)

It had to happen eventually. CGI has invaded Doctor Who. I'm sure the title and Tardis sequences were absolutely cutting edge in 1987, but that shiny computerised Tardis looks awful compared to the stunning model photography from the previous season. I hope they don't rely too much on these ambitious but dated digital effects. I kinda like the new logo, but the less said about the Doctor's creepy winking face, the better.

[Picture: I wouldn't have thought it was possible to have a regeneration sequence without the original actor being there, but they put Sly McCoy in a wig and did it anyway!]

Doctor Who's downward spiral into misery continues, and 'Time and the Rani' is quite possibly the low point of the whole show up until now. It contains so much badness that I had to keep notes on all of it. Amongst the mind-boggling awfulness is the Rani putting on a wig and pretending to be Mel to fool the amnesiac Doctor. One Mel is bad enough as it is (particularly in this story where she seems to have a screaming addiction), but the Rani pretending to be her is bafflingly stupid and further reinforces the idea that this is barely pantomime level of drama. The only thing that could top it would be somebody shouting "she's behind you!".

[Picture: I mean, where did the Rani even get the wig and clothes from in such short notice? How did she know the Doctor wouldn't remember her clearly? What a bloody stupid plan!]

Pratfalls, slapstick 'comedy', mistaken identity and a bizarre wrestling match between the Doctor and Mel, all make for terrible viewing. The Rani's plan is insane, too. Apparently, amongst other things, she's unhappy with the evolutionary direction that Earth took after the dinosaurs were wiped out, so she wants to erase the worthless humans from history. To do this, she requires genius humans pulled from history. What.

[Picture: Duh, me brain not think so good.]

It's a script that has a lack of thought put into it. It may be nitpicking, but at one point, the Doctor breaks out of his prison cell using a secret code. The code is the Rani's age, which the Doctor knows because it's also his age. Now, a sensible writer would have made it an unchanging number like the year of their birth, not their age, which is entirely relative to the year that it currently is and the timeframe that they’re both from. What are the chances that both time travellers would be operating in sync like this? It's bad enough when villains turn up from any point in time ahead of when they previously appeared, but this is just extra lazy.

[Picture: It's not just Mel who has awful clothes, the Lakertyans' are an eyesore too.]

I'm struggling to find anything of value in this serial. Okay, I suppose some of the music is quite exciting, if a little overbearing. The tripwire exploding ball things are also pretty cool. And those bat-like creatures... yes, they have that "man in a suit" problem and look ridiculous, but I like that they've got eyes all around their head and their vision superimposes all the images together. Nice touch.

[Picture: In such a daft story, the blood-sucking bat-monsters are almost incongruent.]

I suppose the only good thing about all these problems is that any issues with the new Doctor are sidelined. I must say, though, that going from an extroverted loudmouth in a clown costume to a small mumbling Scotsman who looks like a Batman villain is a change that will take some getting used to. At times, I struggled to hear what he was saying. I did enjoy his self-loathing and mixed metaphors, though. I wonder if they'll remain his "thing".

[Yartek]

The beginning of McCoy's era is very difficult to get through, in fact had the first story of the next season not made me believe in the show again, that would have been it for me. Sylvester gets much better in the next two seasons and even though I dislike half his era, by the end I thought they had nailed it and I loved him as the Doctor.

Then they cancelled it.

[Davros sock drawer]

You've arrived Sprite. Rock bottom. It's hard to conceive of this and something like, I dunno, Talons of Weng Chiang as being the same show. Or for an even more stark contrast, Caves of Androzani from a mere 3 years prior to this. I can't imagine any current television show plummeting so much in quality in such a short space of time. It just doesn't happen anymore, and it's the mark of just how little the BBC thought of the show at the time.

This review pretty much agrees with yours:

http://www.shadowlocked.com/201103101593/reviews/doctor-who-complete-reviews-time-and-the-rani.html

[Zio]

It does improve though. Some of McCoy's later stories are terrific.

[Teabag]

Yeah, this is the nadir. Next season is like a completely different show though. It may be impossible to believe but it does get really good again before it ends.

[Davros sock drawer]

It does improve though. Some of McCoy's later stories are terrific.

They're ok. I still think that even stuff like Ghost Light and Fenric have weak elements in production terms. But of course seasons 25 and 26 are much, much better than 24.

I do like McCoy as the Doctor though.

[kensei]

Well they basically killed the budget, so that hits production. Some of the stories are pretty strong though. I watched Rememberance recently, which is the first story I can remember. It basically stood up, if not quite as well as some would have it. It also definitely had "modern" elements - you could see it working for any of the new Doctors.

It really is a shame they killed it when they did.

[El Pibe]

It is mad to think they put it up against Coronation Street. I can clearly remember watching Survival on the black and white portable whilst the rest of the family watched Corrie on the colour TV in the lounge.

[Sprite Machine]

Paradise Towers

(Blog has pictures)

Paradise Towers isn't quite as awful as Time and the Rani, but it has its own set of problems. It's arguably a lot more disappointing, because it has elements that show promise. The cyberpunk-esque setting and hints of war and disaster elsewhere paint a rich science fiction canvas. The enclosed setting of the tower building has allowed for a self-contained culture to develop. Unfortunately, it's been filled with excruciatingly silly cartoon characters.

[Picture: The Doctor shows the 'Kangs' how to use a vending machine. Mmm... fizzade.]

Gangs of kids are never fun to watch singing, chanting and mocking. Admittedly, their use of language and names is somewhat imaginative, but the performances are painful. Then there's Mel's tea break with Tilda and Tabby - oh my word, these scenes are diabolical. It's one part kids' comedy show, one part weird horror (again with the cannibalism; give it rest, writers!). What with the music that frequently sounds like it's from a soap opera, it creates completely the wrong atmosphere (unless the intended atmosphere was of a soap opera version of Dredd / The Raid!). The thing is, it could sort of be weird enough to work, but then someone like Pex turns up and all hope is lost. Not to mention the Chief, played by Richard Briers, who hams it up throughout, putting on a performance that goes from Blakey from On the Buses to a gurning robo-zombie. Just so, so awful.

[Picture: Mel enjoys some tea and crumpets with Tilda and Tabby, who then try to eat her. I can't help but think they'd be better off just eating the crumpets. This whole scene is seriously WEIRD.]

The one element of humour that I think actually works is the rules and regulations that all the caretakers abide by. Panicking patrols having to call out ridiculously long numbers just to report in is the sort of satirical humour that works well in science fiction, but it is completely overplayed, and the Doctor's escape by faking the rulebook is unbelievable.

[Picture: Why does a cleaning robot need a drill and a circular saw?]

Further, the robot cleaners are pathetically unthreatening, looking like a group of Robot Wars rejects, the 'action' is laughable, Mel is excruciating, and the silly tone turns a potentially interesting premise into a joke. This is not Doctor Who's finest tower.