Gavin WintersThe Special Weapons Dalek! What a lad! Someone bring him back in the modern series, please? And I mean properly back, blowing shit up and being an unstoppable bastard, not just lurking in the background. (side-eyes Moffat š) #DoctorWho
Hands up if you paused your VHS recording at this point to try and copy down every detail.
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The Happiness Patrol: like a lot of fans who were young when this was first broadcast, Iāve grown to appreciate it more as Iāve got older. I couldnāt see past the (deliberately) tacky look to get what it was trying to say. #DoctorWho
Though I still think there were too many of what JNT called āoddballā stories in this era. If this was in a longer season, with more stories in the style of Remembrance, it would have been more obvious what they were trying to do with the unique approach of this one. #DoctorWho
Hmm, the Kandymanā¦š¬ Heās a memorable villain, granted, but even after all this time and all the various defences and justifications Iāve read of it, Iām still not okay with the costume. Wish theyād done the original idea of him looking like a scientist in a lab coat. #DoctorWho
As a teen I got that Helen A was a Thatcher parody, even if I didnāt pick up on the deeper themes.
Her final scene with the Doctor is a highlight, and itās a testament to Sheila Hancockās acting that she manages to wring emotion out of the death of the Fifi puppet. #DoctorWho
Silver Nemesis: not the greatest story ever, but I feel itās been very unfairly maligned. A lot of the usually criticised parts, such as JNTās indulgence in giving that āHollywood starā (š¤·š»āāļø) a cameo, are hardly so bad as to ruin things. #DoctorWho
The Doctor in a fez is an amusingly unintentional link to the modern series.
Moffat must have taken inspiration from this in other ways for the 50th and Day Of The Doctor - the different time zones, an ancient Gallifreyan artefact, a Queen Elizabethā¦ #DoctorWho
There is something quite funny about a bunch of neo-Nazis, fully armed and in camouflage gear, trying to start āthe Fourth Reichā while driving round Windsor in a transit vanā¦ š #DoctorWho
Honestly the Cybermen are the weakest part, being pathetically easy to dodge or kill.
The use of gold against them has lazily declined from how it previously needed to be grated into their chest units. Now it just needs a touch and they practically explode. š#DoctorWho
And their lack of interest in āthe secrets of the Time Lordsā is baffling.
Plus the way their defeat is basically a re-run of Remembrance (acknowledged in the dialogue!) doesnāt help. This would probably be improved a lot with a different alien threat. #DoctorWho
Lady Peinforteās hint that the Doctorās not a Time Lordā¦ added to Pertweeās slip of being āthousandsā of years old, plus the Morbius facesā¦ and you see this idea has been bubbling under for decades.
Anyone who thinks Chibnall āretconnedā #DoctorWho history is talking nonsense.
The Greatest Show In The Galaxy: this is another of the so-called āoddballā stories, with a very comic book sensibility to it. A lot of the characters feel like theyāve stepped straight from the pages of a DWM strip. Itās one of those āonly in #DoctorWho ā type stories.
I like the idea that the Gods of Ragnarok represent the BBC, judging #DoctorWho on how entertaining it still is, with Captain Cook being the alternative, namely Star Trek.
Though I think people who subscribe to that theory are stretching it a bit with āDeadbeat = Blakeās 7ā. Eh?
Aceās fear of clowns was the first time Iād ever seen that portrayed in media, in fact the first time Iād ever heard of the concept! I swear that absolutely nobody had such a phobia before Stephen King wrote āItāā¦ š¤” #DoctorWho
āŖMagsā werewolf transformation is not exactly An American Werewolf In London. More comical than terrifying. Lycanthropy through the medium of interpretive dance. #DoctorWho ā¬
āI know itās not as good as it used to be, but Iām still terribly interested!ā
Subtle. š #DoctorWho
McCoy doing the ācool guys donāt look at explosionsā act at the end is *slightly* spoiled by the fact that he does, barely, flinch at the BOOM moment. #DoctorWho
Battlefield: into the final classic season (šØ), but with an encore for the Brig! By now fans had built him up into this legendary figure, and as such this story thoroughly celebrates him.
And UNIT gets a bit of a makeover, with a more international flavour to it. #DoctorWho
So often in this era you have ambitious new writers with wildly imaginative ideasā¦ that just canāt be effectively conveyed given the available time and budget.
The Target novelisation clarifies everything (especially Morgaine and Mordredās universe) immeasurably. #DoctorWho
Sad to see the reduced circumstances of the classic TARDIS interior in its final appearance. Just the console and a few fake walls in shadow.
āOh shame!ā, as Bambera would say (ah, the momentary shock in 1989 when we all thought she was about to say shit! š) #DoctorWho
Unfortunately not the best story when it comes to Sylvesterās acting skills. Too much shouting, too much gurning, and that final confrontation with Morgaine over the nuclear missileā¦ oh dear. š¬ #DoctorWho
Ace letting slip a couple of racist comments to Shou Yuing when Morgaine gets into their heads is much more shocking now than at the time. Is that really what Ace subconsciously thinks? #DoctorWho
Overall this doesnāt gel as well as Aaronovitchās previous story, but still has a lot of great individual moments, and a surprisingly modern ātimey-wimeyā element, with the references and hints of a future Doctor. No wonder Steven Moffat cites it as a favourite! #DoctorWho
Ghost Light: baffled just about everyone on first broadcast, but after years of rewatches and hearing various explanations, it all makes sense now. Once you get the basic idea of a scientist (Light) experimenting using a control sample and a test sample it all clicks. #DoctorWho
One thing I think canāt be praised highly enough in this story is Mark Ayresā music, which elevates the whole thing and makes every scene drip with atmosphere. It would be a far lesser production without it. #DoctorWho
After years of 1980s stories being lit like Blackpool illuminations, this has the opposite problem of being incredibly dim and murky in parts. You could say it adds to the ambience, but itās *so* bloody dark it affects the quality of the video recording. #DoctorWho
Why wasnāt another police officer sent to investigate Inspector McKenzieās disappearance after he first came to the house two years earlier? Or does Josiah have a whole stack of them in a chest of drawers somewhere? #DoctorWho
I love the streak of black humour running through the story. From the Reverend ādevolvingā into an ape to the Inspector ending up in the soup. āThe cream of Scotland Yard!ā #DoctorWho
The obvious plot hole of course is why Light hasnāt encountered the process of evolution anywhere else, and acts like itās unique to Earth. Maybe heās a Moffat-esque piece of malfunctioning technology. #DoctorWho
The Curse Of Fenric: this has long been a huge favourite of mine, and watching it again after a number of years itās always a worry that something that fondly remembered wonāt live up to expectations, but no, itās still exceptionally good. All time top ten #DoctorWho
Who would have ever thought Nicholas Parsons would be so good in a role like this? Sometimes JNTās āstunt castingā really worked.
Sylvester also gives the best performance of his time in the role. Weāre light years away from the pratfalling of Time And The Rani. #DoctorWho
The psychic paper may speed things up and get around such things as introductions and passes, but itās not as much fun as watching the Doctor quickly type up his own authorisation and sign it in Churchillās handwriting. #DoctorWho
This scene remains embarrassingly clunky though. Least sexy seduction ever. š #DoctorWho
Was anyone ever actually surprised that baby Audrey turns out to be Aceās mother? #DoctorWho
Itās still remarkable that in the twilight of the classic series, at a time when it was unloved and unwatched and seen as well past its prime, it was actually coming out with a run of gems like this, in a late burst of creativity. Well done Cartmel and co. š«” #DoctorWho
Survival: so after 26 years, it all comes full circle as the Doctor brings his teenage companion back to contemporary London. And it really hits you watching this now how much it also foreshadows the 2005 revival, with its tower blocks and ordinary domestic life. #DoctorWho
Theyād worked out by now how to do decent #DoctorWho on the available budget, by making everything mostly earthbound, but still managed to give us one last believable alien planet.
And the Cheetah People makeup is easily equal to the cat nuns from nearly two decades later.
On paper the return of the Ainley Master here could have been a bad idea, as heās more associated with previous eras and more outlandish settings. Like bringing Sil or Sharaz Jek to Perivale. But he surprisingly works very well, giving one of his best performances. #DoctorWho
Look, a future Doctor left all this stuff here for him to land on, okay? Thatās my headcanon and Iām sticking with it. #DoctorWho
As if the feeling of this grasping towards what 21st century #DoctorWho would be wasnāt strong enoughā¦ in the final moments Jackie bloody Tyler turns up (if you squint).
Damnit who opened a window and let all that dust fly into my eyesā¦ at the same moment that someoneās peeling onions under my noseā¦ at the same moment Iām suddenly struck with strong hayfeverā¦ š¢š¢š¢š¢š¢ #DoctorWho
What a season. What an era. What a TARDIS team.
And what a pity so few at the time, either in fandom or in the BBC, could appreciate what they hadā¦ #DoctorWho
As always in #DoctorWho, thereās a never-ending cycle where a ādislikedā era becomes more loved with the passage of time, as the kids who enjoyed it grow up and replace the grumpy adults who slagged it off. It happened before and itāll happen again.
Every Doc has their day. š
Metebelis Two Podcast@gavinwinters And it doesn't hurt for the actor that was the Doctor to record a bunch of Big Finish dramas. Colin's Big Finish work surpasses his time as the Doctor on television, as that goes for McGann too.
Eric_S@gavinwinters @forschungstorte even with grumpy face 12?
@Eric_S @forschungstorte Yes, why not?
#DoctorWho - The TV Movie: I enjoy this more every time I watch it. It was a bit of a mixed-feelings disappointment in 1996, not really what fans wanted or expected, but divorced from that level of expectation it can now be appreciated as a fun adventure in its own right.
McGann is excellent of course. Still the great lost Doctor. And Iām glad Sylvester is there for the regeneration or else this could have been dismissed as a bit of non-canonical ephemera, on a par with the Cushing movies. #DoctorWho
The opening doesnāt make much of a concession to new viewers, launching straight into an info-dump with references to Time Lords, Daleks, Skaro, the Master, regenerationsā¦ helpfully showing RTD what *not* to do!
And whatās with the Daleks having Smurf voices? š#DoctorWho
I always think Graceās whole look and character was designed to echo Scully from The X-Files, which was massive at the time.
And elsewhere they lift from Classic Who - the two hearts X-ray and the new clothes scene are obviously taken from Spearhead From Space. #DoctorWho
How gullible is Chang Lee? When the clearly sinister and evil-looking guy with glowing eyes who dresses like the Terminator and manhandles you tries to say: ā No, Iām the good guy really!ā #DoctorWho
I think at one point the Doctor says heās āAlf Newman on his brotherās sideā or somethingā¦ but I wasnāt really listening, therefore we can ignore it and IT NEVER HAPPENED. #DoctorWho
Itās impressive how, with little over an hour of screen time, Eric Roberts gives us one of the campest Masters ever.
No mean feat, given the competition! #DoctorWho
Night Of The Doctor: Iām now cheating slightly by jumping ahead to this minisode but, well, you have to really, donāt you?
What a brilliant surprise this was. I still remember scaring the shit out of the cat with the yell I let out when McGann appeared. š #DoctorWho
Iād forgotten just how short this is. It crams in a hell of a lot into under seven minutes, with another tantalising glimpse of how McGannās Doctor might have been.
The dialogue is noticeably Moffat. You canāt help but picture Matt saying the ābring me knittingā line. #DoctorWho
The funny thing about the Big Finish companions getting namechecked is it means he forgot to mention any that were/will be created afterwards.
No mention of Grace either! š #DoctorWho
The one minor quibble is the speed with which the Doctor abandons his policy of not getting involved in the war and wants to become a āwarriorā, all over the death of one person. But the short runtime means there just isnāt time for a long character arc. #DoctorWho
Rose: right, here we go into 21st century #DoctorWho. Honestly, going from 1989 to 1996, detouring to 2013 then back to 2005 has given me whiplash.šµāš«
This was aā¦ well, āfantasticā relaunch. Eccleston & Piper both brilliant. Wise to start with Rose as the audience POV character.
One very important point I have to make about this #DoctorWho episode isā¦
**TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAND BY**
ā¦and Iām sure youāll all agree with me on that. #DoctorWho
Riley@gavinwinters very excited to hear your takes on the 2005 era!
@riley Thank you!
@gavinwinters God I am so glad Big Finish picked up McGann and ran with him. He went from the Doctor with the least material in the entire franchise to one with several seasons worth of intricately plotted audio adventures with a strong cast of characters.
Andrew BoostsWithWildAbandon@gavinwinters It doesn't really fit into the original series but seen as a prototype/prologue to the relaunch, the TV movie looks quite prescient.
Female-presenting nipples@gavinwinters that's my tardis team right there
MahagonnyBill@gavinwinters
C'mon Ace, we've got work to do š.
C'mon Ace, we've got work to do š.
@MahagonnyBill āā¦in Vancouver! Well me, at least Ace. Maybe not youā¦ā
SweetAI Belle 
@gavinwinters
Not sure how true it is, but I've heard it said before that Survival was the one time he got to play the Master the way he wanted to...
Not sure how true it is, but I've heard it said before that Survival was the one time he got to play the Master the way he wanted to...