Gavin WintersAnd hello, UNIT dating conundrum! As the previous, vague, “oh, they take place somewhere in the near-future” idea gets totally buggered up by the 1977\1983 setting, giving fans headaches for the next 40 years as they try to make it all make sense. 😄 #DoctorWho
The Brig’s comment about Ibbotson’s fitness and “disgusting” body is something that has… not aged well… 😬
Quite apart from the fact the actor is clearly not the Billy Bunter type the character is written as, it’s a terrible attitude to give the Brig anyway. #DoctorWho
A big welcome to Turlough, who’s brilliant at being sneaky and devious in these early stories. And Strickson is 1000 times the actor Waterhouse was. (Admittedly not difficult!)
You’d be forgiven for missing the brief hints at the character’s alien origins though. #DoctorWho
Another of this era’s lengthy flashback sequences, which actually works well in context to remind the viewers of the Brigadier’s previous appearances.
Although having Davison later say “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow” is particularly gratuitous and silly. #DoctorWho
The timey-wimey nature of the plot, with the two time zones intertwined via the Brigadier recalling to the Doctor what he did six years previously, is well thought out. I bet young Steven Moffat loved this. #DoctorWho
“Who is that person?” asks Nyssa, as the Brig enters the TARDIS.
“Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of course!” replies Tegan.
Yeah Nyssa! I mean, come on, aren’t you a paid-up, card-carrying member of the DWAS, like the audience is expected to be? Honestly! #DoctorWho
Terminus: hard to muster up much enthusiasm for this one, it’s all a bit grey and dull. Only the regulars manage to keep things somewhat interesting.
The first appearance of the Lazars hints at the exciting prospect of a zombie apocalypse story, but no such luck. #DoctorWho
Why does Turlough think Adric’s old room “looks like a kid’s room”, when it’s full of leatherbound books and scientific equipment? Must be pretty advanced kids where he comes from.
And given the size of the TARDIS, why re-use an old bedroom for him anyway? #DoctorWho
I’m greatly enjoying Turlough’s arrival on this rewatch, especially how much his presence is winding up Tegan. 😄
Pity then that they both spend half the story sidelined and crawling around underneath the ship’s flooring. #DoctorWho
“Could you ever kill someone?” he asks Tegan, while stroking an iron bar and gazing into the middle distance.
Yeah, that’s not creepy and terrifying at all, Turlough! Run Tegan, run for your life! #DoctorWho
Even the hyperbolic cliffhanger of part three, with the melodrama of “the universe will be destroyed!” doesn’t really spark much excitement.
Funny that such a hugely significant moment in #DoctorWho lore (the actual creation of the universe!) is in such a forgettable story.
Bye then Nyssa, you were…nice. And pleasant, I suppose. Shame they never really developed much of a character for her beyond her scientific skills.
Davison always felt she was the one who worked best with his Doctor, but I think his relationship with the others makes far better telly.
There’s something to be said after all for JNT’s idea of having “interesting” companions, who don’t always get on perfectly well with the Doctor. #DoctorWho
Enlightenment: love this one. Great premise, great atmosphere, and the Eternals are a brilliant concept (another for the “bring ‘em back!” list). Part One’s cliffhanger reveal is an all-time favourite.
The only one, for me, to rival Androzani for top Davison story. #DoctorWho
Got to love Valentine Dyall giving a full on ‘NYAH-HA-HA!’ several times in this story. Proper panto villain. #DoctorWho
I don’t know if it was really the intention at the time, but from a modern perspective Marriner comes across as a crazy deluded stalker, what with his obsession with Tegan. #DoctorWho
There’s something about shooting physical models on film, against a black backdrop, that captures the cold stark look of real space footage in a way that CGI can never quite manage. #DoctorWho
You’d think Tegan would be a bit more confused about what’s going on at the end, as she didn’t know anything about Turlough working for the Black Guardian until that point. #DoctorWho
The King’s Demons: this is a harmless and mildly diverting little two-parter, which doesn’t outstay its welcome. In fact it seems to end about five minutes early, with an extended TARDIS scene at the end to pad things out. #DoctorWho
The Master’s in another one of his ridiculous disguises. Since he wasn’t expecting the Doctor to turn up, you again wonder why bother with the disguise and silly French accent in the first place? #DoctorWho
“Yoo eensult ze King!”
The entire court witness Sir Gilles revealed as the Master, but then bizarrely act as though he’s a brand new person they’ve just met.
Characters motivations and allegiances seem to change from scene to scene, especially Lord Fitzwilliam. The Master using hypnotism? #DoctorWho
The whole Magna Carta plot is more like the type of petty interference you’d expect from the Monk, rather than the Master.
Maybe he was just bored and twatting about with history, secretly hoping the Doctor would turn up to stop him, just for a bit of amusement. #DoctorWho
Well now Kamelion’s arrived I expect him to be a proper companion and fully active member of the crew over the coming stories/seasons… 👀
I wonder if the prop really could do all the amazing things it was supposed to be able to do, like actually walking? #DoctorWho
The Five Doctors: Pat! Jon! Footage of Tom! Someone who looks like Billy if you were ten years old and didn’t know better! Sarah-Jane! The Brig! K9! Susan!
The plot’s wafer-thin of course but who cares? This is a big dumb grin of a nostalgia fest. What’s not to love? #DoctorWho
In his most recent appearance in Mawdryn Undead the Brigadier had been going on about how UNIT was a super top secret organisation that the public couldn’t possibly know about…
The Time Lords have spent a bit of money giving Gallifrey a makeover for the anniversary. Swanky new sets and better robes. They even have random fountains in corridors now, rather than sofas!
Plus it’s a rare occasion where they hardly wear their big stiff collars. #DoctorWho
Funny how the line “the original, you might say!” is so strongly associated with Hartnell now, when it was actually Hurndall who originates it here. #DoctorWho
There are some fan-pleasing and box-ticking moments such as Pertwee finally getting to be on screen with the Cybermen, or him meeting the Ainley Master.
And of course how could you bring back Susan without her pointlessly falling and twisting her ankle? 😄 #DoctorWho
The script for The Five Doctors by necessity takes a few shortcuts with regards who knows what and when about what exactly is going on. The companions in particular really should have more questions. But Terrance deftly pulls it off in a way that you hardly notice. #DoctorWho
For example, when Ainley bursts in towards the end, how the hell does the Brigadier know that this is the Master, without being told? He just decks him! 😄 #DoctorWho
Is the Guard Commander who shoots the Castellan meant to be a regenerated Maxil, perhaps? He seems as much of a dick.
Anyway, here we go…
“NO, NOT THE MIND PROBE!!” #DoctorWho
I like how Borusa changes into all-black robes when he’s hiding in his secret evil lair and plotting. Just so he can feel like a proper villain. #DoctorWho
Warriors Of The Deep: we haven’t had a good old-fashioned base-under-siege story for what seems like ages. And in spirit at least, this recaptures the feel of those old stories, if not always in execution. The Seabase setting itself is very Troughton-like. #DoctorWho
The Silurians are just plainly introduced in the first few minutes. No attempt to have any kind of mystery or slow build up to a cliffhanger reveal or anything.
And what the hell did they do with those weirdly modulated voices? At least the Sea Devils sound the same. #DoctorWho
“Face it Tegan! He’s drowned!” says Turlough after the Doctor’s been in the water for seconds. Yeah… don’t ever get a job as a lifeguard Turlough!
At least elsewhere he gets a bit of character development and becomes much braver than we’ve ever seen him be before. #DoctorWho
Some prime examples here of characters in #DoctorWho having no peripheral vision. The Doctor steals the uniform of a knocked-out guard, then two others walk across at the end of the corridor and don’t notice the unconscious man lying on the floor in his long johns. 😄
As often happens in this era, random people just wander into the TARDIS for a nose around.
There’s something that just fundamentally feels a bit ‘off’ about the TARDIS not being a separate, safe haven for the regular characters, isolated from the rest of the story. #DoctorWho
Look I think we can all agree that television in the twentieth century peaked at this moment. #DoctorWho
The Awakening: if The Sea Devils is “the one where the monsters come out of the sea” then this is the other #DoctorWho story memorable for being thought of with a Friends-style title - “the one with the giant face in the wall”.
So that’s Tegan’s aunt, cousin and grandfather who’ve all popped up, mostly for no particular reason. Family reunions must be fun, as they swap stories of all the crazy shit the Doctor got them involved in. #DoctorWho
It’s often been said, but this is broadly speaking The Daemons all over again, isn’t it? Right down to the destruction of the church at the end. At least the Malus isn’t defeated by an inability to grasp a person sacrificing themselves for others. #DoctorWho
Once again half the guest cast end up strolling into the TARDIS. Some not even reacting to the interior at all. It’s coming to something when there’s so many people filling the console room that it doesn’t look big *enough* on the inside. #DoctorWho
There’s a particularly “English” quality that comes through strongly in this era, with its medieval castles and cricket pitches. Its sleepy villages and old churches. All in other eras too of course, but it fits Davison well.
This even ends on a line about liking tea! #DoctorWho
Frontios: I’m now well into the era of stories I remember strongly from childhood. At the time, the episode one cliffhanger of the TARDIS apparently being destroyed was the Most. Exciting. Thing. Ever. 😄 #DoctorWho
Why exactly is the Doctor so concerned about the Time Lords discovering his interference here? It’s never bothered him before.
Also the Gravis has heard of the Time Lords, TARDISes, etc. This starts to happen in the 80s - everyone knows everyone else in the #DoctorWho universe.
This is a very strong story for Turlough, who gets to be very proactive and go off investigating with Norna, as well as making some Doctor-like deductions by himself.
Plus all the material about his race memory of the Tractators. #DoctorWho
The TARDIS being found scattered amidst the rocks and tunnels is a striking image, even if it does kind of diminish the idea of it being supposedly indestructible. #DoctorWho
Actual footage of me watching Frontios back in 1984. #DoctorWho
Resurrection Of The Daleks: hmmm, the epitome of Eric Saward’s vision for #DoctorWho - a grittier, nastier version where characters pointlessly snipe at each other and the body count is through the roof.
Even the Doctor starts waving a gun about when hunting the Dalek mutant. 😐
On the plus side it’s at least somewhat successful in restoring the Daleks as an effective threat, with none of the shoddy production values of their last story - new shiny props and a new mask for Davros that makes him more horrific than ever, like a rotting corpse. #DoctorWho
A summary of Resurrection’s plot:
*characters enter a set/location*
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! AARGH! (they all die).
*characters enter a different set/location*
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! AARGH! (they all die).
*characters enter another set/location*
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! AAR…you get the idea.
This is just trying too hard to be big and epic and significant. The Daleks’ scheme is bloated to the point of ridiculousness. Recovering Davros and curing the Movellan virus and invading Gallifrey to kill the High Council AND having human duplicates on Earth… 😵💫 #DoctorWho
And Tegan doesn’t even get much to do in her final story. At least with Nyssa they focused on her and her skills to give her some motivation to leave. This just feels tacked on. #DoctorWho
On top of everything else, Victor Lewis-Smith and TV Offal have ruined this scene for me forever…😆
(If you know, you know…) #DoctorWho
Planet Of Fire: this is like a mixture of Face Of Evil (primitive culture bases a religion on alien visitor and leftover bits of technology) and Brain Of Morbius (volcanic flame channeled into a chamber produces a life-restoring substance that even cures Time Lords) #DoctorWho
The Lanzarote filming all looks great of course, but it was perhaps a mistake to use it as both itself and the planet Sarn. Anyone watching this for the first time would be forgiven for initially thinking it was all supposed to be the same place. #DoctorWho
The guy playing Howard is terrible. Pity Kamelion wasn’t able to replicate some decent acting skills when he takes on his form… 🫤
Ah yes, Kamelion. You’d have almost forgotten he was in it. Brought back just to bump him off as part of a clearout before Davison goes. #DoctorWho
Costume changes for everyone. Davison dispenses with his coat, Turlough finally gets out of that public school uniform and the Ainley Master gets his best ever look wearing a plain black suit. (And the irony that it’s not even really him, it’s Kamelion) #DoctorWho
Turlough’s whole backstory gets revealed at last, just in time for him to leave too. He’s been one of the most interesting companions we’ve had, when Strickson is given the material.
Anyway, hello Peri! Love the bit when she’s chasing the miniaturised Master around. #DoctorWho
“Won’t you even show mercy to your own… AAGH!”
And thus a million fanfics were spawned… #DoctorWho