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Doctor Who The Highlanders: Episode One   The Highlanders is very much The Smugglers’ partner in pastiche. It takes its inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped, and is accordingly told in the spirit of an adventure romp rather than attempting a serious analysis of a historical event. The first episode starts out completely straight-faced and serious; it’s not until Trout’s influence comes to bear that events veer from the expected story shape. In that respect it differs from The Smugglers; the Doctor here is care-free and flippant in the face of danger. This has led some – including About Time which made the rather crass comment

Doctor Who Season 22 – Worst to Best   A season that tends to be thrown on the pyre as over-violent and over-continuity-driven, with an over-acted (and/or miscast, and/or unlikeable) Doctor. Which leaves it as one of the least-loved ’80s seasons, in a decade already least-loved among classic Who. Parts of this are fair. The violence is, at times, gratuitous, but this is as frequently down to the directors attached having no understanding of how to moderate tone as it is the content itself (I’d suggest the greater issue is the script-editor’s brand of ardent nihilism, which lends itself to the

Doctor Who Season 17 – Worst to Best   For a good spell, the seventeenth was surely the most reviled season of Doctor Who. Luckily, Seasons 23 and 24 would come along, in the process vilifying the same producer who’d received so many garlands in the wake of Season 18, purported to have mended all the aberrations inflicted by Graham Williams. You know, Graybags, who just didn’t respect the show sufficiently, didn’t take it seriously, couldn’t control Tom Baker and – worst of all – hadn’t a care for continuity. This was the first full season I recall watching, although

Doctor Who The War Games   The correct take on this story is, of course, that it’s remarkably well sustained for the second/third-longest tale the series has tackled. There’s invariably agreement that The War Games has an episode or so treading water (and/or stuck in a barn) and that it’s prone to including the occasional obvious filler scene or two. I dare say most will disagree with Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood that the final episode’s a bit of a bore. Although, I dohave a few issues with the penultimate one… Would the story be as well regarded if the

Doctor Who The Time Monster   Fifty years of The Time Monster. A cause for celebration? With no prior experience of the story, one might have been conditioned by The Discontinuity Guide’s perverse smackdown: “Like watching paint dry while being whipped with barbed wire: immensely dull and painful at the same time”. Of course, ripping the Pertwee era a new hole circa the mid-90s was very fashionable – Paul Cornell, the movement’s chief architect, was one of the book’s three authors – and you can find similarly jaundiced responses towards stories in the latter four Pertwee seasons, not least its predecessor The Mutants. Both

Doctor Who  Season 24 – Worst to Best   The most unloved original season of Doctor Who, and so of any season of Who old or nu-, aside from anything Chibbers has pooped out on the side of the road, usually comes down to two contenders: Season 23 or Season 24. Now, I actually quite like Season 23, for all that it makes some, er, regrettable choices. I liked it at the time, and I like it now, more or less. Season 24, I did not like then, and more or less, I’m none too keen on it now. It’s a conflation of

Doctor Who An Unearthly Child   Aka The Tribe of Gum. Aka 10,000 BC. Aka where it all began. There’s a line of thought that An Unearthly Child is one blinder of an episode and three of grunting Gum-bies delivering lacklustre stone-age man impressions, without even Raquel Welch or the odd anachronistic dinosaur to alleviate the boredom. It’s definitely the case that, on its own plot merits, this budget-strapped Quest for Fire would be no great shakes. Deposit it any other era, and you’d have sound grounds to complain. What makes it work, though, and work extremely well, is that it serves as a

Doctor Who Revelation of the Daleks   Lovely, lovely, lovely. I can quite see why Revelation of the Daleks doesn’t receive the same acclaim as the absurdly – absurdly, because it’s terrible – overrated Remembrance of the Daleks. It is, after all, grim, grisly and exemplifies most of the virtues for which the Saward era is commonly decried. I’d suggest it’s an all-time classic, however, one of the few times 1980s Who gets everything, or nearly everything, right. If it has a fault, besides Eric’s self-prescribed “Kill everyone” remit, it’s that it tries too much. It’s rich, layered and very funny. It has enough material and ideas

Doctor Who Nightmare of Eden   One of the more maligned stories in a much-maligned era of Doctor Who, Nightmare of Eden nevertheless has its staunch advocates. Outpost Gallifrey’s Shaun Lyon for one, who professed it his “favourite Doctor Who story ever”. It doesn’t quite reach that pinnacle for me, but I’m absolutely on the same page with regard to it being a gem. Tat Wood was also onside in About Time 4, at a stage where the critiques were increasingly divided into Lawrence Miles prosecutions and Wood defences (switching lanes with the subsequent era). For me, it’s one of the series’ very best scripts – even those

Doctor Who Season 8 – Worst to Best   I’m not sure I’d watched Season 8 chronologically before. While I have no hesitation in placing it as the second-best Pertwee season, based on its stories, I’m not sure it pays the same dividends watched as a unit. Simply, there’s too much Master, even as Roger Delgado never gets boring to watch and the stories themselves offer sufficient variety. His presence, turning up like clockwork, is inevitably repetitive. There were no particular revelatory reassessments resulting from this visit, then, except that, taken together – and as The Directing Route extra on the Blu-ray

Doctor Who The Two Doctors   Ah yes, The Two Doctors. It can’t catch a break. If it isn’t in gratuitous, disgusting and in appalling taste, then it’s incredibly, unforgivably racist. And terribly directed besides. Some of these things are fair comment. Having recently rewatched Warriors of the Deep, I can attest there are degrees to the field of bad direction; as uninspired as his work is, Peter Moffat isn’t nearly at the bottom of the heap in this case. Tat Wood even suggests Pennant Roberts could probably have made something of the story, which is illustrative of how incredibly off base his overall

Doctor Who  Warriors of the Deep   There’s an oft-voiced suggestion that, if only it had the benefit of a better class of production, Warriors of the Deep would be acclaimed as a classic. I think we all know this is phooey, but at the same time, it’s undeniable that a better class of production couldn’t have harmed its reputation any. It might still have had paper-thin characters and a desperately uninventive plot (“linear”, as Pennant Roberts put it) along with an entirely perfunctory reintroduction of old monsters, but it could also have claimed some zip, some verve and some drama. The Doctor: How do

Doctor Who The Silurians   No, I’m not going to refer to The Silurians as Doctor Who and the Silurians. I’m going to refer to it as Doctor Who and the Eocenes. The Silurians plays a blinder. Because both this and Inferno know the secret of an extended – some might say overlong – story is to keep the plot moving, they barely drag at all and are consequently much fleeter of foot than many a four parter. Unlike Malcolm Hulke’s sequel The Sea Devils, The Silurians has more than enough plot and deals it out judiciously (the plague, when it comes, kicks the story up a gear at the precarious

Doctor Who Pyramids of Mars   Such was Pyramids of Mars’ unrivalled status up to the mid-1980s, I suspect it became quite easy to see it as not quite all that. The Talons of Weng-Chiang duly eclipsed it in the Hinchliffe & Holmes go-period-gothic stakes. I’ve found myself coming back round to its claim on the title, though. It isn’t as much fun as Talons – Ernie Clements is crushed to death before he has a chance to become a jowl-jangling Henry Gordon Jago – but it boasts a tighter script with a stronger trajectory, much higher stakes, a better villain and a more dramatic climax. Episode

Crack in the World (1965)   Inconceivably, Time Out’s review of Crack in the World attempted to convince the wayward viewer that it was “Infinitely better than the appalling The Day the Earth Caught Fire”. There can be no doubt David Pirie was smoking something potently bamboozling when he came up with that deranged view. Which is not to suggest that Crack in the World is bad per se – as a nipper it had me fretting like nobody’s business over its depicted eventuality – but that The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a bona fide, sweaty mood-piece masterpiece. There are undoubted conceptual similarities between the two

Doctor Who Vengeance on Varos   It would be understandable, given how well written parts of Vengeance on Varos are – superbly written, even – to tend toward the reasoning that those aspects which aren’t must be intentionally bad. You know, as a commentary on the artifice of the medium, in a similar fashion to the way the story is commenting upon the medium generally. Unfortunately, I don’t think that explanation holds up (take a look at the synopsis for Philip Martin’s subsequent and aborted, except by Big Finish for whom nothing is ever aborted but instead an opportunity for a six-part box set, Mission

Doctor Who The Chase   It’s for good reason The Chase is commonly derided. I’m not here to rock that particular boat – or indeed Marie Celeste – although I think by far the worst of it comes early in the proceedings, and the last half, while never amounting to very much essential, is much easier going. One can, if one is lenient of spirit, make all the excuses going for director Richard Martin – in much the same way one might find Pennant Roberts not guilty of Ingrid Pitt karate chopping a Myrka beyond the brink of sanity – but one

Doctor Who The Space Museum   I might not be fully on board with his takes on The X-Files, but Rob Shearman does have a point with his defence of The Space Museum. It has a lot more going for it than its frequently lethargic realisation inclines one to assume. It’s also… Well, I wouldn’t exactly label it dynamic, especially given some the torporous supporting characters and performances therein, but director Mervyn Pinfield gives it far more welly than Richard “When’s-lunch?” Martin in the season’s three big-budget prestige stories. Pinfield may also be partly to blame for its failings, though. Shearman astutely describes the

Doctor Who Season 14 – Worst to Best   The best Doctor Who season? In terms of general recognition and unadulterated celebration, there’s certainly a strong case to be made for 14. The zenith of Robert Holmes and Philip Hinchcliffe’s plans for the series finds it relinquishing the cosy rapport of the Doctor and Sarah in favour of the less-trodden terrain of a solo adventure and underlying conflict with new companion Leela. More especially, it sees the production team finally stretching themselves conceptually after thoroughly exploring their “gothic horror” template over the course of the previous two seasons (well, mostly the previous

Doctor Who Attack of the Cybermen   For some, Attack of the Cybermen is a low point of ’80s Doctor Who, the moment when continuity finally ate itself and heaved up a glob of indigestible, Levinised cyberbile. It’s an entirely reasonable position. As About Time acidly pointed out, it’s a sequel to just about anything you can think of and then some. It also represents Eric Saward – whose influence on the show I don’t, in contrast to the consensus, see as entirely negative – at his most brazenly nihilistic, almost to the point of self-parody. Even with that, there are a numerous things l like in Attack.

Doctor Who Season 23 – Worst to Best   For many, at least those who saw the McCoy years as an uptick, this represents the nadir of classic Doctor Who. To call Season 23 unloved is an understatement, something expressed loud and clear by most of those involved in its making. Colin is particularly vocal in his grouchiness over the trial concept, referencing the “small brains” who must have come up with it; he claims to have no idea, but he remains the bearer of great enmity towards Eric Saward after all these years, so it’s evident who he’s thinking of (it

Doctor Who Season 10 – Worst to Best   Season 10 has the cachet of an anniversary year, one in which two of its stories actively trade on the past and another utilises significant elements. As such, it’s the first indication of the series’ capacity for slavishly indulging the two-edged sword that is nostalgia, rather than simply bringing back ratings winners (the Daleks). It also finds the show at its cosiest, a vibe that had set in during the previous season, which often seemed to be taking things a little too comfortably. Season 10 is rather more cohesive, even as it

Doctor Who Season 19 – Worst to Best   Christopher Bidmead’s guiding hand as a script editor – and Barry Letts looking over producer John Nathan-Turner’s shoulder – had ensured the final Tom Baker season was high on distinctiveness and quality, even if only about half the previous year’s audience had shown up to witness it. But salvation was at hand, ever so briefly. Peter Davison and a twice-weekly slot garnered a burst of publicity and renewed interest in the show. Ratings soared. Unfortunately, the content was less spectacular, with temporary script editor Anthony Root and then permanent replacement Eric

Doctor Who Season 18 – Worst to Best   As the star ratings that follow will attest, I generally rate Season 18 very highly. John Nathan-Turner’s new-broom approach may have been unceremonious towards the old guard, be they actors or production personnel, and was additionally responsible for introducing a slew of bad ideas (bad companions, bad designs, bad directors), but it also saw the arrival of a script editor with commendably strong story-telling instincts – best if you ignore him talking about them, mind – and at least some of the production changes the producer made genuinely served to refresh

Doctor Who Season 12 – Worst to Best   Season 12 isn’t the best season of Doctor Who by any means, but it’s rightly recognised as one of the most iconic, and it’s easily one of the most watchable. Not so much for its returning roster of monsters – arguably, only one of them is in finest of fettle – as its line-up of TARDIS crew members. Who may be fellow travellers, but they definitely aren’t “mates”. Thank goodness. Its popularity – and the small matters of it being the earliest season held in its entirety in original broadcast form, and being quite short –

Doctor Who The Armageddon Factor   Even within a season as unadored as the sixteenth, the grand finale is one marked out by an abject lack of appreciation. Most stories have their champions, even in the Williams era, but The Armageddon Factor‘s are few and far between. The previous outing, the much-derided The Power of Kroll gets more love – significantly more love – due to its glorious B-movie campness. Kroll be praised. Yet I come here to defend The Armageddon Factor and lend my support to its worthy cause. For me, it’s no more than a marginal notch down on the first four (classics)

Doctor Who The Power of Kroll   All baloney? Certainly, The Power of Kroll was and is oft-cited as one of the worst Doctor Who stories evah. Which is probably why there’s now a converse apologia that it isn’t that bad at all, actually, to the extent that a cult of Kroll has grown around it, bathing in its badness, Plan 9 from Outer Space-style. Both the 1998 DWM and 2003 Outpost Gallifrey story polls, way back before there was nu-Who to mess with the purity of the process, had it pegged at 145th out of 160-ish (the exact number depending on which other extraneous inclusions were

Doctor Who The Androids of Tara   Pastiche is often applied to The Androids of Tara as if it’s a dirty word. It’s only a pastiche, wafer thin, of The Prisoner of Zenda. A few names changed, a few science-fiction tropes added, but otherwise, little more than a pastiche. The pastiche of the Hinchcliffe era tends to be heralded, but Tara’s guilty of self-conscious limitation, to a set text and a limited scale; it is, at best, considered slight but amiable. There’s a seeming predisposition towards regarding it as minor because it isn’t dealing with death and destruction. The Robots of Death pastiched Agatha Christie but also slotted

Doctor Who The Stones of Blood   A story of two distinctive parts (albeit, it’s a four-parter), and one with equally diametric views held over which is better, The Stones of Blood’s appeal, I would argue, is that both sections (or segments) support, inform and contrast with each other. It won the DWAS season survey back in 1978, although some would probably argue that’s about as significant as feting the most popular (least unpopular) entry in Season 24. The story returned the series to an increasingly rare (in the Williams era) Earth setting and indulged the “gothic horror” that had become

Doctor Who The Pirate Planet   I doubt Pennant Roberts, popular as he undoubtedly was with the cast, was anyone’s idea of a great Doctor Who director. Introduced to the show by Philip Hinchliffe – a rare less-than-sterling move – he made a classic story on paper (The Face of Evil) just pretty good, and proceeded to translate Robert Holmes’ satirical The Sun Makers merely functionally. When he returned to the show during the ’80s, he was responsible for two entirely notorious productions, in qualitative terms. But The Pirate Planet is the story where his slipshod, rickety, make-do approach actually works… most of the time (look

Doctor Who The Ribos Operation   Season 16 is my favourite season, so I’m inevitably of the view that it gets a bad rap (or a just plain neglected one), is underrated and generally unappreciated. Of its six stories, though, The Ribos Operation is probably the one, on balance, that receives the most relative accolades (on some days, it’s The Pirate Planet; many moons ago, back when DWAS was actually a thing of some relevance, The Stones of Blood won their season poll. There are also those who, rightly, extol the virtues of The Androids of Tara). I’m fully behind that, although truthfully, I don’t think

Doctor Who Revenge of the Cybermen   The popular gospel prescribes that the ’60s Cybermen were where it was at, and anything that arrived subsequently besmirched their memory, to a greater or lesser extent (the lesser extent being a cameo in Carnival of Monsters). And, design-wise, I’ll give you that the pre-Invasion, Troughton models possessed a suitably impersonal, imposing factor. But, crucially, they weren’t interesting. Okay, first time out of the gate they sounded freaky, and in The Moonbase they were given to the occasional winning bout of sarcasm (“Clever, clever clever”), but the reason I favour the subsequent Telosians is the same reason

Doctor Who The Leisure Hive   The polarising positions of those pushing Season 18 (or JN-T/Bidmead) over Season 17 (Williams/Adams), or vice versa, have never really resonated with me. Probably because I rate them both. If push came to shove, I’d probably assert that the latter achieves what it’s aiming for more successfully than the former, stymied as the Fourth Doctor’s final year is by some unfortunate choices of companions and a lack of rapport between leads, but I have little time for the hand grenades at dawn lobbed about in About Time 4. One of the big failings of the

Doctor Who The Enemy of the World   It might have the whiff of sacrilege, particularly since it’s the one complete offering to result from all that frothing anticipation over untold legions of potentially returned missing episodes, but I almost think The Enemy of the World works better on audio. Of course, being a Bazza Letts’ directorial effort, that shouldn’t have been altogether surprising. And, it might just be that the more you entertain the story, what was initially surprising, different and engaging by comparison with its peer (or season) group becomes less so. Namely, its monster-free, relatively character-led script, courtesy of

Doctor Who The Keys of Marinus   Most of the criticisms levelled at The Keys of Marinus over the past fifty years have been fair play, and yet it’s a story I return to as one of the more effortlessly watchable of the Hartnell era. Consequently, the one complaint I can’t really countenance is that it’s boring. While many a foray during this fledgling period drags its heels, even ones of undeniable quality in other areas, Marinus’ shifting soils and weekly adventures-in-miniature sustain interest, however inelegant the actual construction of those narratives may be. The quest premise also makes it a winner; it’s a format

Doctor Who The Mutants   I don’t think anyone out there is lauding The Mutants as an unsung classic, except perhaps those invoking The Daleks by one of its working titles (but let’s not go there), or possibly those with fond memories of the Target novelisation (Terrance Dicks at his most spartan, but what a cover!), but I do feel it’s on the receiving end of more than its fair share of disdain. Sure, it’s threadbare, slipshod, with some terrible casting decisions, ropey design work (and effects), and – despite a typically idea-laden script from the Bristol Boys – unable to sustain its six-episode

Doctor Who The Daemons   The Daemons, once heralded as an all-time classic, now languishes somewhat, tarnished by the kind of reappraisal that rendered the once-lost The Tomb of the Cybermen not, after all, all that. This may be fair enough – an unassailable status is always ripe for toppling – although I rest firmly in the defender camp for both. While The Daemons undoubtedly has its issues, it’s a story I enjoy in spite of and sometimes for the things it gets criticised over, be it the “cosy” UNIT family vibe, or just being “not really very good” (pretty much the party line

Doctor Who The Invisible Enemy   It’s a common and understandable refrain that, barring The Horror of Fang Rock, Season 15 is a bit of a dog’s dinner. Image of the Fendahl and The Sun Makers have their defenders, but the rest are frequently labelled failures or disastrously unfulfilled in their ambitions. Certainly, particularly antipathy is reserved for the pair of Bob Baker and Dave Martin-scripted contributions, The Invisible Enemy and Underworld. In the case of the latter, I get it. I mean, Underworld commits the worst of sins, in that it’s unconscionably dull (after the first episode, which is quite good). The Invisible Enemy, though, could hardly be considered boring.

Doctor Who The Evil of the Daleks: Episode Seven   The Doctor: No, you can’t make me do it. You can’t. The Doctor’s reaction to a cliffhanging ultimatum is fairly standard stuff, but Whitaker structures the final episode so that, while there’s the prerequisite “blow things up” climax, it hinges on twists and turns and cunning shown by both the Daleks and the Doctor. The Doctor: You see, there isn’t a persuasion strong enough. Not even the offer of all the lives in this room. Five lives, against a whole planet. That’s not a choice, is it? The series generally cops out

Doctor Who The Evil of the Daleks: Episode Six   The penultimate episode doesn’t hang about. At a crucial moment, in terms of keeping up the plot momentum of the previous episode, Whitaker switches locations and reveals us in the true epic scale of the story. He also makes exemplary use of that old Terry Nation standby; the countdown clock. The startling and atypical climax of Episode Five feeds into the events of the first five minutes here. No one will use the Daleks this inventively again, and no one had before. Sure, Terry Nation had a Dalek mistaking a

Doctor Who The Evil of the Daleks: Episode Five   The episode kicks off with another destroyed Dalek (crashing over the bannisters). Not only are these incredibly easy to overcome (a far cry from the Doctor’s warning that one Dalek could take over the entire Vulcan colony), but also the Daleks don’t seem remotely concerned by the destruction of their fellows. Are they purposefully weedy cannon fodder Daleks, engineered purely for the test? Victoria’s very pleased to see her silent guardian, who is presumably so noble that he has a purely platonic interest in response. Victoria’s okay when she’s not

Doctor Who The Evil of the Daleks: Episode Four   So this is the “I’m a Doctor Who Companion Get Me Out of Here” episode, as Jamie endures Dalek trials observed by an attentive audience. It’s an extended trifle, without much substance. Jamie wins out through showing mercy to his foe, Kemel; he saves him, and then they ally to overcome the Daleks and rescue Victoria (there appear to be no consequences for the Dalek destruction derby they embark upon). Aside from Kemel, various axes and spikey objects block his path. There isn’t much in the way of tension to

Doctor Who The Evil of the Daleks: Episode Three   While Jamie’s excursion in search of Victoria is but an episode away, there’s a massive upside this padding (I hasten to add that I don’t think this section of the story is bad, it’s just not of the same standard as the rest of it); it puts the companion’s relationship with the Doctor under the spotlight. Not in the banal, “I wuv you, Doctor” manner of nu-Who, but in a compelling way that believably sees one of the Doctor’s most devoted sidekicks questioning everything he thinks he knows about his

Doctor Who The Evil of the Daleks: Episode Two   It’s possible that the audio of Evil might be claimed to mask a crushing disappointment should the physical articles ever be happened upon. Except that we have a solitary physical article, and Episode Two ends up only supporting the case that this deserves its classic reputation. Derek Martinus is one of the series’ most underappreciated directors, and if anyone could make Galaxy 4 more vital than its pedestrian script would allow it’s him (so it will be interesting to see that recovered episode… one day). Episode One is revealed to have employed the old

Doctor Who The Faceless Ones: Episode Six   The final part unfurls its Malcolm Hulke colours more clearly than anything that has gone before. Now the characters can engage in conversations and, to some extent, reason. The villains are not allowed to be total villains, and justice is not served through their destruction. Indeed, it’s arguable that Blade and Spencer get off extraordinarily lightly by the standards of any era of the show. The Director: What do you hope to achieve? The Doctor: The chance to plead with you for the lives of 50,000 young people. The Director: They’re only human beings. The Doctor: What are

Doctor Who The Faceless Ones: Episode Five   The sudden galvanisation into activity during this episode reemphasises all the padding around the story’s midriff that has occurred. Ben and Polly might not have been so obviously short-changed if they’d be absent for one and a half episodes of a four-parter rather than three. The Faceless Ones opens up at last, both in terms of locations and interactions. The Chameleons were previously limited to Blade issuing guarded instructions to Spencer. But now boastful Blade is willing to hold forth, so there’s a bit more colour to the character and alien race.

Doctor Who The Faceless Ones: Episode Four   Another spy yarn device makes an appearance in this instalment, the weakest of the six. Spencer disables Jamie and Sam and they awake with the Doctor, immobilised with a deadly laser beam inching towards them. Crumbs. This sequence is reasonable, if uninspired (Jamie deflects the beam with a mirror provided by the Doctor). The Doctor’s conclusion that they were to die because “We were too dangerous” covers for the inconsistency with Ben and Polly being duplicated, but not very well. He asserts that this means the Chameleons’ plans are almost complete, but

Doctor Who The Faceless Ones: Episode Three   The second surviving episode is of noticeably inferior picture quality to part one. This is a curious story, filled with witty dialogue but with a curiously B-movie attitude to its science fiction content (down to referring to humans as Earthmen). It might almost be self-conscious about it, if the script were stronger and clearer. The Brit upper lip response to the aliens definitely comes across as knowing, though. The opening sequence is very well-staged and niftily performed by Troughton, as the Doctor blocks up the outlets chilling the room and drapes his

Doctor Who The Faceless Ones: Episode Two   Wills’ inability to approximate a Swiss accent is explained away (“I had an English governess”) in unconvincing fashion. And the Doctor and Jamie become illegal-entrant fugitives. The Doctor: Jamie, I don’t think we’re very welcome here. When I say run, run. The reveal of the full facelessness of the Chameleons occurs quite early on; I suppose the title was too big a promise to hold back on. The process is played out as one adopts the visage of George Meadows, an air traffic controller. He doesn’t look between 18 and 25. Some effort

Doctor Who The Macra Terror: Episode Four   The Doctor’s measures to save Jamie involve him making a bit of a pun, at least I assume it’s intended. Officia: Stop it! You’ve no idea what you’re doing. The Doctor: Oh yes, I am. I can stand an operation on its head quicker than anyone. There. I think you’ll find I’ve revolutionised the entire gas flow of the colony. His revolutionary activity seems basically to involve reversing the flow. During all this Polly is disappointingly whimpery. When they escape into what looks “rather like a cupboard with a lot of pipes”, Polly asks

Doctor Who The Macra Terror: Episode Three   The post-cliffhanger events at least resolve one question from the previous episode. With the Doctor, Polly and Jamie dragged off to work in the Danger Gang (“They’re condemned to the pit!”) and Ben agreeing to spy on them, order is reasserted. Control: You will forget all that happened. Pilot: Yes, Control. This is a particularly good episode fro Troughton, and he has a couple of encounters that lift what would be otherwise a rather run-of-the-mill instalment. He’s on witty form, reacting with disdain to a particularly poor rhyme (“The man who wrote that should

Doctor Who The Macra Terror: Episode Two   There are two elements that let this episode down. The first is the titular monster as, thanks to surviving footage, we can see that it’s absolute shit. The second is the scene leading up to the cliffhanger, from which one can only conclude that the Macra are incompetent bunglers (how likely is that, when they have an encompassing system of mind control?) or just not very on-the-ball when it comes to spontaneous responses. It’s been suggested that the Macra, as a parasite, aren’t actually smart at all, and that that controlled humans

Doctor Who The Macra Terror: Episode One   After the B-movie antics of The Moonbase, on the surface The Macra Terror looks to be delivering more of the same (Attack of the Crab Monsters?). The title is as crudely attention-grabbing as a Roger Corman flick, and the “monster first” approach seems to be evidence of the dumbing down that the series would be accused of during the Troughton era. It’s up for debate whether the story is using a monster hook on which to drape a commentary on social conformity and acceptance of totalitarianism, or it’s one with started out with such themes

Doctor Who The Moonbase: Episode Four   About the only thing this story has going for it is Troughton and the redesign of the Cybermen. I suspect it’s been treated with kid gloves for so long because of the latter. In the opening scene there seems an attempt to qualify why the Cybermen haven’t full-on invaded the base yet, but like everything else it lacks coherence. Hobson tells the Doctor that they can’t just march in as he discovered how they got in last episode (if by “discovered” he means that a Cyberman volunteered the information, I guess he’s right).

Doctor Who The Moonbase: Episode Three   Bob is shot dead (“You devils! You killed him!” – the dialogue emphasises that these are horror movie monsters, not science fiction ones) and we see not one but two Telosians (apparently Telos was referenced in the script although it didn’t make the televised programme). When the Cybermen actually start talking it does nothing to make their plan sound any more convincing. The men they have been abducting are alive. Cyberman: No, they are not dead. They are altered… They are now controlled.  I’ve been wondering how many crewmen have been stricken, since every

Doctor Who The Moonbase: Episode Two   If Enid Blyton tried her hand at science fiction, it would probably turn out something like a Kit Pedler script. But with fewer foreigners. Episode Two is now the third-earliest surviving Troughton instalment, and visually it’s as shoddy as the script. The best you can say about this story is that it’s fairly pacey. Even though this is crap of the first order it zips along. But pretty much every scene features a groan-inducing moment(s) of disbelief at a character beat, a line of dialogue or a ridiculous plot point. The bizarre antics

Doctor Who The Moonbase: Episode One   So Troughton’s had a pretty good run so far, and you’d have thought his status would only be cemented by the reintroduction of the foe his previous incarnation encountered at the South Pole. Which it was… at the time. The Moonbase was the highest rated of his stories (every episode attracted more than eight million viewers, still significantly less than Hartnell at his peak) and introduced the most iconic design of the Cybermen. It also reinforced the template for Season Five (by using the one set by The Tenth Planet). Troughton’s Doctor also seems tempered, his

Doctor Who The Underwater Menace: Episode Four   It’s probably not too surprising that Thous survives being shot, as Zaroff wasn’t exactly taking careful aim. Ben: He doesn’t look too good, though. The Doctor: Neither would you, with a bullet in you. Episode Four, even though it suffers as most of the season so far does from being action-orientated and missing from the archives, works well as a fast-moving mini-disaster movie told over 25 minutes. One which is initiated by the Doctor, another in a run of extreme measures the new incarnation has enacted in order to resolve what he considers to

Doctor Who The Underwater Menace: Episode Three   Episode Three is pretty much 25 minutes of filler, revolving around a kidnap attempt on Zaroff and Sean encouraging the fish people to engage in industrial action. But, laughable (intentional or otherwise) as the plot mechanics may be, this is never dull. Smith keeps the action zipping along. She has limited space at her disposal, but ensures the action scenes are tightly shot and well-edited. This means that, even when the staging isn’t especially convincing (the crowded market square, all thirty feet of it, the fight between Jamie and Zaroff), it’s a

Doctor Who The Underwater Menace: Episode Two   Any thoughts that TUM might be aiming high in any way other than budget are dashed with Episode Two. We slip into a groove of escapes, captures and attempts at reasoning with various authority figures. In its favour are Julia Smith’s ability to keep the momentum up and the performances of Troughton and Furst. What could become ponderous drivel is never allowed to fall into a rut, partly because there’s a director who cares and partly because there are performances and dialogue to keep it never less than entertaining. Zaroff: You er like my

Doctor Who The Underwater Menace: Episode One   A much-maligned story, and one look at the design of the Fish People – in particular their water ballet – seems to confirm that its lowly reputation is justified. The premise, too, is seemingly brazenly pulp sci-fi, so it really requires the viewer to be on board with its absurdity to get the most out of it. TUM was originally intended to be the second Trout story, swapped around because Hugh David didn’t fancy directing. He thought it couldn’t be realised convincingly (astute man) and it fell to Julia Smith to take up

Doctor Who The Highlanders: Episode Four   Like its predecessor, The Power of the Daleks, the final episode is very much an action affair, so we can only guess at how well-staged the centre-piece take-over of The Annabel is. But, even without being able to eyewitness its effectiveness, we’re offered an immensely satisfying resolution to easily the most underrated Troughton story. Ben’s escape through the “old Houdini trick” gives him another creditable act following tearing up the contracts; after being a bit dense in the first two episodes he pulls through during the last half of the story. But this isn’t

Doctor Who The Highlanders: Episode Two   Episode Two is near-perfectly choreographed dance of comedy plotting. And it scores on that front with not just the Doctor’s antics but in Polly and Kirsty’s interaction with F-finch. There’s certainly a strange mix here, as the perils facing Ben and Jamie (and, at first, the Doctor) are very real, but the energy and brio that tear through what was initially a sombre setting are infectious. The Doctor isn’t remotely dispirited by being imprisoned, unlike ever-cheerful Ben. Ben: Why’d we ever get mixed up in this, Doctor? The Doctor: I’m glad we did. I’m just

Doctor Who The Power of the Daleks: Episode Six   Like the final episode of The Smugglers, the absence of the last part of Power from the archives is felt more strongly due to being so action-orientated. It’s a bit of a slaughter, actually, with only two supporting characters surviving the carnage. There are a couple of points where I scratched my head over plot developments, the first of which involved the rebellion. Early on, Janley appears before Bragen, a gun slung over her shoulder (a bit proto-Patty Hearst) and announces that the rebels are victorious. Janley: We’ve won. The revolution is over. But

Doctor Who The Power of the Daleks: Episode Five   I’ve been praising Robert James’ performance in this story, and I’m going to have to continue repeating myself. His escalating hysteria is utterly gripping, particularly when faced with those who are actively seeking to undermine his credibility. James’ voice increasingly resembles a deranged Gussie Finknottle. Lesterson: I know what I’m going to do. Laser torches. Melt them down. I’m going to melt the Daleks down to pools of metal! Janley: You won’t, Lesterson. Lesterson: Do you think I care what you can do? Go on! Tell everybody I was responsible for Resner’s death.

Doctor Who The Power of the Daleks: Episode Four   It’s quite a surprise that, after three episodes of increasing blinkeredness and self-deception, Lesterson makes such a volte-face in the fourth part. James plays the character with the same nervy consistency, but now with an increasingly cracked aspect. The doors of Lesterson’s perception buckle as the truth begins to break in on his reality. This is very much his episode, as the inevitable Doctor Who standby of locking up the central character(s) is called upon to mark time. Ben and the Doctor are captured/arrested and there’s no sign of Polly (Wills on

Doctor Who  The Power of the Daleks: Episode Three   The third episode is essentially the battle of wits between the Doctor and the Daleks, the former attempting to out them or do for them at every opportunity while they gain ground by taking the path of least resistance. The Doctor first tries to gain the upper hand through logic. If they are their servants, they will respond to any command. The Doctor: Very well, immobilise yourself. Which the Dalek apparently does, with a drooping eyestalk. Later, he attempts to dupe Lesterson (“I’d like to be friends”) in order to deactivate

Doctor Who The Power of the Daleks: Episode Two   Episode Two maintains the high quality of the first instalment, and it also continues to present us with a Doctor who is by turns indulgently playful and insightful and deadly serious. I particularly like Troughton’s performances in these early stories; his whackiness doesn’t undermine the seriousness of the story, or his character. On the contrary. And his behaviour doesn’t come across as whimsical, rather it seems to present us with a character whose mind is so quick that any given moment’s preoccupation is just that; a moment later his focus will

Doctor Who The Power of the Daleks: Episode One   There’s so much “business” in the early Troughtons that the audios (and reconstructions) can’t hope to approximate them. You can only assume that, however good some of them are, the addition of the mighty Trout on screen would increase the respect for them. Apparently, the messing around of early stories resulted in a request to rein things in a bit (a chair remaining attached to Pat when he got up to walk across the room inciting the directive). Even on audio, the energy Troughton infuses his early episodes is palpable,

Doctor Who The Tenth Planet: Episode Four   Ben has prevented the lift-off which results in the ever-so clumsy “It didn’t work and now we’ve all got a chance of life!” Cutler wants the Doctor in the control room sharpish. But he’s turned into some maroon under a blanket. There’s not a chance. Polly: But he’s ill. Cutler: He’s gonna get worse. Get him up! The Doctor: No need! Yay! Hartnell’s back, and seems to have assimilated what’s been going on in his unconscious state. He knows that the plan to detonate the Z-Bomb has failed. He’s less sure of his own well-being,

Doctor Who The Tenth Planet: Episode Three   Episode Three lets the side down somewhat, after a very strong first half. A man wearing William Hartnell’s wig collapses, and that’s it for the lead character until Episode Four. Ben: It’s the Doctor. He’s passed out. He’s ill. Cutler: Look, I’ve got enough on my plate without worrying about him. Get him down to one of the cabins and look after him. Which likely reflected Innes Lloyd’s position on Hartnell; get him out of the way, he’s a pain in the arse. This sets up the regeneration, of course. Ben: He seems all right.

Doctor Who The Tenth Planet: Episode Two   Martinus deserves enormous credit for his direction of this story, ensuring that if feels vital even when the script’s grasp of logic is at its most tenuous. General Cutler isn’t mellowing out at all during the episode. And the rather unnecessary addition of a subplot concerning his son, who has embarked on a rescue mission of the doomed astronauts, is just another cliché for Beatty to act out. Beatty’s not bad, but Cutler is never more than a one-note caricature. To some extent this renders criticism pointless, but it’s worth noting that

Doctor Who The Tenth Planet: Episode One   If The War Machines was the first dawn of the more straightforward approach of Lloyd and Davis, The Tenth Planet forms something of a template for the next couple of years; base under siege storyline, memorable monsters, a ’60s vision of the near future and an (at times) endearing indifference to plot logic and scientific principles. TPP remains arresting for a number of reasons. In part, it came first so it has aspirations that its more stir-and-repeat successors lack. It also stands out for throwing Hartnell into a milieu that is foreign to his Doctor. Then there’s

Doctor Who The Smugglers: Episode Four   This episode probably suffers the most from being audio/reconstruction-only, as it’s much more action-orientated. It’s also more orientated towards the supporting cast than the crew; Ben and Polly mess about in and out of tunnels while the Doctor stands firm as he faces up to Cherub then Pike. The Squire is curiously rehabilitated. He claims he “was a fool and ill-led” after being shot by Cherub, and comments later that the Doctor has showed him the error of his ways. The Doctor insists on remaining to help the injured Squire rather than heading

Doctor Who The Smugglers: Episode Three   Hartnell’s on towering form in this episode. There’s no sign of an actor being forced to leave a role because he’s no longer up to the challenge. Of course, there are fluffs, just as there have been throughout his era, but mostly there’s a sense of an actor having a blast with a script that allows him to have a lot of fun. The focal scene for this is his fortune-telling with Kewper, observed by a gullible Jamaica. It has to be said that surviving footage of Elroy Josephs suggests an actor essaying

Doctor Who The Smugglers: Episode Two   Despite Pike’s entrance being fairly undramatic, it turns out that giving him a bit of panache works. His dynamic with Cherub provides contrast between pirates, and also gives the Doctor lively characters to play off. It’s particularly fun to see how unintimidated he is by Cherub, who threatens him with his “Tommy tickler” to get him to talk (“I’ll have the words spilling out of him like blubber from a whale”). The Doctor: Oh, I find your friend rather a bore. His deft playing on Pike’s aspiration to be regarded as a gentleman amusingly

Doctor Who The Smugglers: Episode One   The latter historicals, more exercises in pastiche than setting out to explore historical events, are some of my favourites, and tend to be rather neglected. That can’t just be laid at the door of their absence from the archives; The Massacre is generally held up as a lost masterpiece. Probably the lack of esteem for The Smugglers and The Highlanders is down to seeing them as lightweight and disposable. Certainly, there’s little in the way of depth or serious drama here. But for me it’s the sense of playfulness and energy that makes it so enjoyable. To some extent,

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2020)   One might reasonably suggest the recourse of the ailing or desperate franchise is to resort, seemingly out of nowhere, to space aliens. Even Police Academy didn’t go that far (to Moscow, yes, but not to space). Perhaps animators think kids have no skills of discernment and will swallow any old sugar-coated crap. Perhaps they don’t, and they will. Ice Age had been enjoying absurd success until Collision Course sent Scrat spinning into the cosmos and grosses tumbled. Shaun the Sheep has been around for a quarter of a century, but this is only his second movie outing and already he’s