Gavin WintersJo says they’ve gone “about forty years back in time” after seeing the 1926 newspaper.
Forty?? Either Jo’s maths is terrible or this puts a *whole* new spin on the UNIT dating conundrum! 😵💫 #DoctorWho
The poor old Functionaries. The start of the story gives you the impression it’s going to be about their plight and their struggle for freedom, but by the end they’ve been totally forgotten about and are still slaves. #DoctorWho
Robert Holmes makes great use of his incredibly simple but incredibly effective trick of fleshing out the universe by just… having characters mention stuff.
All these little references to off-screen planets and people and anecdotes of Drashigs eating spaceships… #DoctorWho
The ending is slightly morally dubious though, since it looks as if Vorg is going to turn the gullible Inter Minorans into gambling addicts! #DoctorWho
Frontier In Space: this is another favourite Pertwee of mine. I love the well-thought-out world of the 26th century, with all the political intrigue between the humans and Draconians (another great alien design that stands up well and should be brought back) #DoctorWho
The mind probe they use on the Doctor shows his “memories” from the objective third-person viewpoint of the TV camera that filmed them. Amazing how mind-probes in science-fiction always tend to do that! #DoctorWho
Evening dresses are compulsory for 26th century women to wear at all times. Whether you’re the President or whether it’s your job to torture and interrogate someone. #DoctorWho
The amusing thing about the Doctor telling Jo a melodramatic account of his War Games trial (“I rang rings round that Prosecuting Counsel!”) is because the audience saw it we then realise how much his *other* anecdotes about Nelson, etc, must be exaggerated too. 😄 #DoctorWho
The Master’s stolen ship is seemingly the only one in the galaxy with a CCTV camera on board. If only the others had too, the whole scheme where the crews are hypnotised would be rumbled in no time! #DoctorWho
A rare chance to see the Master teaming up with the other big bad of the Daleks, even if they are the slightly underwhelming tinny-voiced versions here.
I love his disdain and exasperation with both them and the Ogrons. 😅 #DoctorWho
The Ogrons “god” they worship looks like an enormous pair of orange testicles. 😳 No wonder they restricted the sight of this prop to one brief shot. #DoctorWho
Speaking of a big orange bollocks, Trump’s descendants are still being a nuisance in the 26th century apparently. #DoctorWho
And that’s it for Roger Delgado, sadly last seen in a confusing and poorly-directed melee with Ogrons scattering everywhere.
We were denied seeing the proper epic final showdown between him and Pertwee that they deserved… 😕 #DoctorWho
Planet Of The Daleks: or ‘Terry Nation’s Greatest Hits’.
Old Tel was doing cut-&-paste Dalek tales at this stage - Thals, jungles, lethal plants, invisibility, viruses, underground cities, escapes up a shaft… I’m surprised the Daleks aren’t drilling the planet’s core #DoctorWho
We even get a mention of Ian, Barbara and Susan to really ram it home.
The middle part with the ice-cano and the escape up the ventilation shaft is almost entirely filler, albeit with a great cliffhanger of the Daleks burning through the door (another callback!) #DoctorWho
Funny how in the entire Pertwee era we never see beyond the TARDIS console room. Anyone who started watching here would think that’s all there was to the interior.
Even when he needs a bed to lie on it has to extend from the console room wall. #DoctorWho
Pertwee’s Doctor is particularly bossy and arrogant in this one, constantly barking orders at the Thals.
When he’s snapping at them to empty the frozen Daleks in the lake and get the casings back on land I wanted one of them to snap back “WTF DO YOU THINK I’M DOING?!” #DoctorWho
Ruthless office politics from the Daleks, as the middle-manager Dalek hysterically protests how his job has been made impossible by alien interference, which falls on deaf ears as his boss promptly exterminates him. #DoctorWho
Latep offers Jo the chance of a new life on Skaro (having known her for the traditional five minutes before asking). Unsurprisingly she doesn’t want to go with him to a miserable hellhole crawling with Daleks. Better luck next time mate! #DoctorWho
The Green Death: the most famous ‘Friends-style’ title ever applied to a #DoctorWho story, as it’s “The One with the Maggots!”
The environmental concerns this story raises have only become more relevant with every passing year.
If Professor Jones is getting as much coverage in the papers as they say, you’d think one of them would have printed his photo at some point, so Jo would recognise him when they meet. #DoctorWho
The Doctor cockblocking the Professor and practically dragging him out of the room to keep him away from Jo is hysterical. 😄 #DoctorWho
Where did BOSS come from and who built it? (Headcanon: someone made it from leftover bits of Wotan!)
For such a clever computer, it’s clearly unfamiliar with those episodes of Star Trek, The Prisoner, etc, where computers are driven mad by simple logic conundrums. #DoctorWho
So after knowing each other for a matter of days (longer than most #DoctorWho companion romances, to be fair!) Cliff decides he and Jo are getting married, without consulting her(!)
Still, it leads to Jo getting one of the best companion departure scenes ever… 🥲🌅
The Time Warrior: another brilliant little tale from Robert Holmes, and it’s like bits of the Tom Baker era are arriving early - the new titles and diamond logo obviously, but also Sontarans, the naming of Gallifrey (11 years in!) and of course… 👩🏻 😍 #DoctorWho
I quite like this specific version of the titles only seen in this season, even if the sight of full-length flared-trousered Pertwee floating down the time tunnel is a bit unintentionally funny. Not surprising they went for just a face afterwards. 😁#DoctorWho
Pity we don’t get to see Sarah’s first sight of the TARDIS interior (where exactly was she hiding that the Doctor didn’t see her?) #DoctorWho
This is our first historical story in years and Holmes is having fun with the medieval dialogue. “A long-shanked fellow with a mighty nose!” indeed! #DoctorWho
“There is not a galaxy in the universe that our spacecraft have not subjugated!” boasts Lynx.
An early example of Sontarans coming out with *absolute* bullshit. 😄 #DoctorWho
Lis Sladen is instantly a perfect fit for the show. Sarah quickly adjusting to the time period and leading the ‘commando raid’ on Irongron’s castle to nab the Doctor is a level of bravery you couldn’t quite imagine from Jo, at least not in her debut. #DoctorWho
Invasion Of The Dinosaurs: excellent opening episode, nicely building the mystery of what the hell is going on.
That brief shot of the looter with his bloodied mangled face must be one of the most gory things in #DoctorWho so far.
Of course, as everyone says, this is a fantastic story let down by the overambitious dinosaur FX.
Still hoping there’ll be some sort of CGI replacement when they get round to doing the season 11 box set. #DoctorWho
Love the bit where the Doctor’s trying to build that device and is constantly interrupted by everyone coming in asking him the same repetitive questions. 😀 #DoctorWho
I’d like to know how they managed to drag that unconscious dinosaur through the streets and into a warehouse… #DoctorWho
Fab cliffhanger to episode 3 of Invasion Of The Dinosaurs, in which we suddenly go off on a tangent to a different location, where Sarah’s apparently on a spaceship and three months have passed... #DoctorWho
The people on the “spaceship” really are staggeringly thick to have fallen for this ruse. These are supposedly the brightest and the best, chosen to populate a new world, and they’re that gullible? #DoctorWho
Christ, we fans often defend the show from accusations of “wobbly sets”, but this story doesn’t help our argument. A shutter door falls and the *entire* set shakes like it’s in an earthquake. Let’s just pretend we didn’t see that! 😬 #DoctorWho
As the Brig says: “Is everyone in on this conspiracy?”. Seems every single military/government character is, apart from him and Benton!
And crikey, actual character development that shakes up the status quo, as Mike Yates has gone mad. Blame that Metebelis crystal! #DoctorWho
Death To The Daleks: another fairly simplistic Terry Nation tale of adventures and derring-do against the Daleks. It’s all quite adequate I suppose, but there’s not really anything beyond the surface level. #DoctorWho
Even the TARDIS is not immune to 1970s power cuts! #DoctorWho
The Doctor reassures Sarah he won’t go anywhere while she nips back in the TARDIS to get some warmer clothes… then immediately buggers off the split-second her back is turned. 😆 #DoctorWho
The Daleks have been nicely spruced up for this story, with a new coat of silver paint.
However the jolly jaunty music when they first appear kind of undercuts their impact just a bit… #DoctorWho
Gotta love how they test their new machine gun attachment by shooting at a tiny model TARDIS. 😄
And what’s with that one Dalek who goes completely berserk and blows himself up because he lost his prisoner? Chill out pal. #DoctorWho
The Monster Of Peladon: I’m not sure the world was crying out for a sequel to The Curse Of Peladon but okay. 🤷🏻♂️
I suppose having some of the props and costumes in stock must have made it a cost-saving exercise. #DoctorWho
This is just a lot of running around in the same tunnel sets while the same extras playing guards and miners get killed again and again. #DoctorWho
Is Vega Nexos related to the Daemons? #DoctorWho
You’d think by now the Ice Warriors would have a to-do list for whenever they invade anywhere:
1) Find the nearest heating controls.
2) PUT A BLOODY GUARD ON THEM 24/7.
I like Terry Walsh’s cockney guard: “E’s in the frone room wiv the uvvers!”
There’s also the most hilariously obvious example of Walsh doubling for Pertwee in the fight scene in the cave, with his face clearly visible. 😄 #DoctorWho
Planet Of The Spiders: it’s a case of ‘Spot The Returning Actor’, since it’s like the entire guest cast of the Pertwee era have all returned to give him a farewell party as a send-off. #DoctorWho
Should Sarah be so friendly with and trusting of Mike? Given that it’s not been that long since he was quite happy for 99% of the human race to be wiped out and never have existed… 😬 #DoctorWho
Professor Clegg’s psychic powers are so incredibly strong you’d be forgiven for thinking that there’ll be a reveal of an alien having done something to him. But no, apparently humans having such abilities is a natural phenomenon in the #DoctorWho universe…
Episode 2’s chase sequence: okay Jon, you’ve had your fun driving and flying and, er… hoverboating, can we get back to the plot now please? #DoctorWho
Lupton must have the most banal reason ever for becoming a #DoctorWho villain. A salesman forced out of the company he worked for. How dare you! For that I will TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!
The first use of ‘regeneration’ to describe the change of a Time Lord’s body.
And also the first time that they try to build it up into a big moment and give the Doctor some significant final words. “A tear, Sarah Jane…?” 🥲 #DoctorWho
Robot: I don’t think anyone’s ever been so instantly fascinating, magical and appealing as the Doctor in their first episode as Tom Baker is here, in the scene where Harry tries to examine him and ends up jumping with him in the skipping rope… 😃 #DoctorWho
“You may have noticed Miss Smith, I’m a bit old-fashioned myself!”
“Nonsense Brigadier, you’re a swinger!”
Really Sarah Jane, I don’t think we needed to know that about the Brig’s private life. 😳 #DoctorWho
The Robot itself is a fantastic design but bloody hell you can see how it must have been a bastard for the poor actor inside to move around in. #DoctorWho
The guy they put on the reception desk of the SRS is such a swivel-eyed hateful Nazi. You’d think they’d find someone with a bit more charm and people skills to stop the organisation being “misrepresented” the way he says they’ve been. 😄 #DoctorWho
Gaia@gavinwinters Some humans like #JoGrant are particularly susceptible to gaining artron energy and/or psychic powers
i_give_u_worms@gavinwinters
I liked Billal, (sp?) despite his sunken sunglass look. one of the puzzles is reused later in Pyramids of Mars, Sarah quickly but briefly calls them on it; when the Pertwee years weren't played on PBS in the US for years, even a habitual re-watcher didn't see.
I liked Billal, (sp?) despite his sunken sunglass look. one of the puzzles is reused later in Pyramids of Mars, Sarah quickly but briefly calls them on it; when the Pertwee years weren't played on PBS in the US for years, even a habitual re-watcher didn't see.
@i_give_u_worms The maze puzzle is childishly simple. You’d wonder why some of the Exxilons couldn’t figure it out and ended up as skeletons!