Right, the Season Two box set’s arrived, so back to the #DoctorWho marathon with Planet Of Giants.

The oversized sets are very good. For the time and the budget what they achieved is near-miraculous. The DN6 plot feels like something from an early episode of The Avengers.

This is probably the prime example in the Hartnell era where, due to the tiny studio size, actors have to pretend they can’t see something that’s inches away until the camera pans over to reveal it.

“Yes, my report will financially ruin you.

By the way, I’m off on holiday by myself, sailing round France, so if anything happens to me nobody will notice my absence for quite some time and… oh you’ve pulled a gun. Bugger, I walked myself into that, didn’t I?” #DoctorWho

Only in #DoctorWho would you get cliffhangers where the thrilling scary thing that happens is:

A) a cat appearing
B) water going down a plug hole!

😁

The Dalek Invasion Of Earth: Location filming! Aliens invading Earth! Returning villains!

The Daleks coming back is the first tiny step towards broadening the scope of #DoctorWho. Giving it a bigger, more structured, universe. Rather than just aimless wandering.

Ian asks how the Daleks can be here after being destroyed on Skaro. The Doctor replies that was a million years in the future and this is “the middle period of Dalek history”, clearly bullshitting and making it up as he goes along! 😜

So, we get our first cast change as Susan leaves. She always has this huge iconic status as not only the first companion but also, bogglingly, A MEMBER OF THE DOCTOR’S ACTUAL FAMILY. Yet sadly the character as written doesn’t live up to any of that. What a shame.

Also, Jenny was a really good character. Should have had her come on board as the replacement! #DoctorWhoَ

#DoctorWho - The Crusade. They certainly didn’t compromise or dumb down for so-called “kids” telly back then, with dense wordy scripts like this. Richard and Joanna’s intense argument in episode three wouldn’t be out of place in some heavyweight drama.

And Barbara holding a knife while considering having to kill a young girl rather than let her be captured is pretty adult and grim too.

Right, resuming the #DoctorWho marathon after a Xmas break with The
Space Museum.

Due to some timey-wimey shenanigans, the Doctor’s (and companions’) clothes magically change. Well, let’s hope nothing as silly as that ever happens again! 😜

The first episode is great, with all the ‘jumping a time-track’, weirdness and seeing their potential future. Very Twilight Zone. Wouldn’t be out of place to see Rod Serling popping up to give an ominous intro.

Then we get the less exciting stuff with the Xerons and Moroks. The wettest group of oppressors/rebels ever! A bunch of teenagers trying to overthrow some middle-aged men with ‘50s Teddy-Boy haircuts. Thankfully Vicki sorts them out and the revolution’s quickly done. #DoctorWho

Onto ‘The Chase’, and Dr. Who has a huge new space telly (how did he fit that through the doors?!) that he wants to show off to the others.

I like how the Time-Space Visualiser is labelled with names of planets from our solar system. Seems a bit of a small scope! #DoctorWho

Ian’s Dad-dancing. 😆

The whole Beatles sequence would seem fairly silly now if they’d ended up a forgotten, flash-in-the-pan bit of Sixties pop-culture. #DoctorWho

Some unusual Dalek interactions in The Chase, like the hesitant “Err…um…” one, or the one who keeps saying “Yes” to everything until his boss gets irritated and snaps “Well see to it then!” Also, first evidence of Dalek levitation? The one who rises out of the sand.

Kudos to the director for creating an epic final battle sequence out of just a handful of Daleks and Mechanoids in a couple of sets, with lots of quick cuts and double-images and superimposed flame and smoke. #DoctorWho

“London 1965!”

OG OTP MVPs 🫡

#DoctorWhoَ

Galaxy 4: Ah, the old sci-fi trope of warning about the dangers of a society run entirely by… (GASP!)…women!

“We have a small number of men, as many as we need. The rest we kill. They consume valuable food and fulfil no particular function.” Crikey! 😳
#DoctorWho