Things To Come...

Originally I had planned that I would update this blog on a weekly basis. Yeah, right...

There are draft's of various things on the go, which are all moving incrementally forward, but nothing that's really ready to share.

Rather than publishing nothing at all, I thought I'd give a sneak peek of things to come over the next few weeks / months.

Now I was going to post just a list of titles under each of my "section headings" (and I even typed it all up) but then I thought maybe that's too easy. Part of the fun is picking things at random depending on my mood.

So, with that in mind, here are some somewhat ambiguous images to wet the appetite (maybe / hopefully / who knows - you may all care less).

As always contents are subject to adjustment due to work / life pressures, changing my mind, yadda yadda yadda:

Collector's Dream:

 

 

 

View From The Fifth Row:

 

 

The Book Tower:

The Idiot's Lantern (TV):

Tape Loading Error (video games):

Flight Fantastic (music):

If anyone can work out what the different subjects will be from those pictures, you win a Mighty Marvel No-Prize for being a clever-clogs and for having far too much time on your hands.

 I'm going to continue with plundering the dark recesses of my DVD library, my comic collection and what's left of my childhood memories until I run out of time / space / interest.

Normal service should be resumed soon...

View From The Fifth Row 3 - Casshern

This week I am turning the spotlight on a live action adaptation of a Japanese anime television series.

It's the 2004 'tokusatsu' *  film "Casshern".

* a Japanese term that applies to any live action film that features considerable use of special effects. Literally translated it means "special filming" (thanks Wikipedia).

I have never been one to shy away from watching a movie just because it is in a foreign language. If I had I would have missed classics like "The Seventh Seal", "The Bicycle Thief" and "Cinema Paradiso" - and more recently "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Oldboy" and "The Raid". In fact one of my most vivid early school memories is the number of times we watched "The Red Balloon" (not much dialogue in that I grant you but still...).

I have also always been partial to the occasional Japanese movie. I think it started with seeing the Godzilla series when I was a kid, followed by the cult animation Akira in the 1980's (which I first came across via the Epic Comics reprints of the Katsuhiro Otomo manga). There is a whole separate blog post to be had from the effect of the English version of the "Gatchaman" series (better known as "Battle Of The Planets") on kids growing up in the UK in the early '80's...

But when it came to "Casshern", I knew nothing about it. I'm not even sure that the original anime had made it to these shores during the explosion of video releases after the success of "Akira". I just came across the DVD while browsing in my local HMV. That cover leapt out at me and when I read the synopsis on the back, it was an instant impulse purchase.

The basic plot is this:

In an alternate future, the end of an apocalyptic war between Eurasia and the victorious Eastern Federation results in the Earth being devastated and polluted by the effect of the weapons unleashed. Many of the population are diseased and dying.

Leading geneticist Dr. Azuma has developed a "neo-cell" technique that he claims can repair bodies and regenerate mankind. Turned down by the government, Azuma accepts an offer from a secret branch of the military, but his efforts are only minimally successful. Meanwhile his son Tetsuya is killed while hunting down resistance fighters.

After an incident occurs in Dr. Azuma's lab, the organs produced by the research somehow rapidly reconstitute into a number of mutants. Calling themselves "Neo-Sapiens" they escape into the wastelands of Zone 7 and there discover a derelict robot army, which they plan to use to destroy the ruling human race.

Using the same technique that created the Neo-Sapiens, Azuma resurrects his son and places him in a suit of prototype battle armour to stabilise his condition. Battling the military and the Neo-Sapiens, Tetsuya takes on the name of a mythical local deity - Casshern.

And that only begins to scratch the surface. The full story is far more detailed that that brief summary. Furthermore, despite the seemingly clichéd ideas - robot armies, a hero raised Frankenstein-like from the grave, an evil empire enslaving the population - it's not what this ambitious film is really about. Why do we fight wars? What would you do for love? For family? For your nation? What is good and evil ? What does it mean to be alive? Even if you win the battle, do you lose - because the war turns you into something you hate? At it's heart, Casshern really has an strong anti-war message.

It's also visually stunning and is particularly notable as one of the first live action films to be shot entirely on green screen, with just about everything else added digitally afterwards (like, for example, Sin City). The production design is hyper stylised with a Metropolis meets steampunk meets fascist Orwellian nightmare vibe that works beautifully to create an otherworldly experience. Anything is possible in this nightmare world.

Every scene is composed like a painting with imaginative use of colour and grading. During some of the longer slower stretches it's a real stunning feast for the eyes. If writer, cinematographer, editor and director Kazuaki Kiria wanted to conjure the feeling of bringing an anime / manga to life, he certainly succeeded. He has moulded the film into his own unique vision.

Backing this up is a fantastic score from Shirou Sagisu. At times it evokes the electronic ambient work of Vangelis or Brian Eno, while elsewhere it use more sweeping orchestrations including elements of Beethoven. It's definitely one of those soundtracks you can listen to separate from the film itself.

For some reason Casshern was marketed in the West as an action movie - and while there are some brilliantly eye popping fight scenes, they only make up a small percentage of the running time. In point of fact most of the film is given over to monologues and stillness and evocative imagery -  servicing mood and character rather than high octane thrills. It's a thoughtful movie not an action-packed one and far from 'traditional'.

Of course this does mean that it's not going to be for everyone. The multi-stranded plot may not be the easiest to follow without concentration and some things are meant to by symbolic rather than literal. Not everything will be explained, because life's like that - there are not always answers, or at least not the one's you want. At times it's deliberately slow. There are also subliminal effects used such as flashing symbols and phrases repeated by unseen voices that might be off-putting.

However if you a fan of anime or eastern movies, or are open minded when it comes to film styles and want to submerge yourself in the escapism, then it will be very rewarding to you. My wife was very sceptical about the film before we watched it  - and she absolutely loved it.

Casshern is a beautiful, strange, complex and intricate movie wrapped in an SF setting that should be experienced as a refreshing change from the norm. It may be challenging to watch but it's definitely worthy of your time.

The 800 Day Project - Day 454 to 461 - Contrasts

Horror of Fang Rock through to The Invisible Enemy

Just a quick post here to cover these two stories. I want to keep the next batch separate for a specific theme. That doesn't mean that these episodes are not worthwhile. Well some of them anyway...

Horror of Fang Rock
It's the start of the Graham Williams era of the program as he steps into the producer role, but due to the continued presence of Robert Holmes, this feels very much as if it is part of the previous season. This serial keeps up the quality level laid down by 'Robots' and 'Talons'. Indeed it's one of the very best tales in the 26 year run of Classic Who.

We all know the tale. Isolated lighthouse. Thick fog. Unexplained deaths. Bickering shipwreck survivors. A green jelly fish monster from outer space.
Oh, and Everybody Dies.

It's also comparable to the Troughton base-under-siege stories, but with oodles more atmosphere. By confining the action to just a few moodily lit rooms in the lighthouse - plus the treacherous rocks outside -  it heightens the sense of claustrophobia. Nowhere is safe. Those sets are also dressed really well, adding enormously to the authenticity of the location.

I'm less convinced that the supporting characters are so well served - at least initially. I know I might be in the minority here, but despite some nice opening dialogue and attempts at creating personalities for our bunch of lighthouse keepers, Reuben seems a combination of every salty sea dog cliché - Vince is a bit of a young, naïve drip - and Ben isn't around long enough to make an impression, although his facial topiary is quite something.

Things do pick up once the toffs from the yacht arrive though. Palmerdale, Skinsale and Miss Adelaide are a trio of thoroughly unlikeable bankers. The Doctor is instantly hostile towards them and rightly so - Palmerdale in particular is an odious little over-privileged halfwit more concerned about his portfolio than the lives of his companions. No wonder the Doctor treats him with barely concealed contempt. Adelaide is not much better, looking down her nose at everything and expecting to be waited on hand and foot. It's immensely gratifying when Leela threatens Palmerdale with a knife and then slaps the incredibly annoying 'secretary' in the face. To be honest, the only minor let-down is that the Palmerdale-Skinsale subplot is totally superfluous and goes nowhere, but I guess it does give the characters some interesting motivations.

The Doctor and Leela shine here as a great contrasts to each other. An allegedly very grumpy Tom (was it really all about being dragged up to Birmingham?)  gives us a Time Lord who's every bit the alien. His performance is hard to pin down, veering from bright playfulness to aloof indifference to brooding despondency and scowling anger. He's also slightly manic, stating that "this lighthouse is under attack and by morning we might all be dead" with a big grin on face. It's Baker at perhaps his most mercurial, and all the better for it.

Leela gets the best outing of her whole time on the show. Louise Jameson gives us multiple facets of the character who has developed a lot through her association with the Doctor. She is intensely passionate and curious and open to new ideas. However the savage is still there under the surface when she insists "Slay me Doctor, it is the fate of the old and crippled" after she is blinded and she also she gloats over the death of the Rutan.

Personally I don't mind the Rutan as a green blob. It's hardly the worst monster we've seen in the series. It's very effective as a hidden presence and when it's imitating Rueben (that smile is incredibly sinister). In it's true form it's perhaps a little lacklustre and the Doctor isn't scared of it in the slightest - in fact, he basically takes the mickey out of it.

The resolution to the threat of the Rutan and it's mothership is just over a bit too quickly to my mind and although it was nice to use the lighthouse itself as the high-energy laser, it feels ever so slightly contrived. The Doctor desperately needs a diamond to defeat his enemy and look - there just happens to be a shipwrecked banker with a gemstone about his person. It's forgivable though because it's all done so well.

Director Paddy Russell should get a lot of the credit for this. She makes the most of a limited budget and resources and by ramping up the tension and atmosphere and getting the best from her difficult star, she turns 'Fang Rock' into something very special indeed. It's definitely in my list of top stories.

But then, in complete contrast, we come to:

The Invisible Enemy
Hmmm. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Doctor Who rips off Fantastic Voyage with a dash of biological body possession - all standard Hinchcliffe  / Holmes tropes. A script from the reliable Bristol Boys featuring two versions of the main leads, a guest villain appearance from Who stalwart Michael Sheard and a robot dog to attract the Star Wars fans. It should have been tremendous.

But I recall this one as being well below par. Surely it can't be as terrible as I remember? Can it ? Sadly, in this case, the memory doesn't cheat. It's a great idea for a drama badly executed in almost every way. Most of the production values are just horrendous, the direction is workmanlike at best and the titular monster - well we'll come to that.The fact that it follows two well regarded stories just highlights its shortcomings even more.

Before you think that I'm going to just be negative, it's not all bad. A lot of part one is pretty reasonable. The opening model shots of the spacecraft in flight, the takeover over by the Swarm and the arrival at Titan base are all very impressive. The BBC VFX department has always been excellent  at this sort of thing.

Once inside the base it's possession-a-go-go as everyone gets a turn at delivering the "Contact Has Been Made" catchphrase. Of course they also develop the crazy tin-foil eye make-up, like they’ve grown the weirdest uni-brow in the universe. If you want to infiltrate and take over the universe, be a bit more subtle about it. Even the Doctor’s has a go at the tagline, although of course Tom Baker’s very good at acting the bad guy - all blank stares and disturbing intonation.

It's when we move to the Bi-Al Foundation that things all fall apart. Firstly it's the emptiest medical research facility in the galaxy, seemingly staffed by just one crazy doctor with an iffy accent and a couple of his orderlies wandering around in squeaky green outfits with bored looks in their faces. There's no sense of scale, and therefore no sense of threat to anyone when things heat up.

By now Michael Sheard's got in on the eyebrow act but even he can't make a silk purse out of the risible dialogue he is given to work with. All Lowe gets to do is to strut around barking angry threats at everyone he comes into contact with at ever increasing levels of anger, to the point where you expect him to burst a blood vessel any minute. He'll destroy the base will he? Go ahead - I doubt there is anyone around to notice.

By the time we get to the cloning / miniaturisation / injected into the Doctor's brain scenes the budget has well and truly been used up. It's time for bad science, shoddy effects and dreadfully poor realisation to dump the intriguing concepts by the wayside, as the story drags itself further into the mire. Let's face it - classic Doctor Who was never going to compete with Star Wars and the like -  but there are times here when things are truly cringe-worthy, as CSO and unconvincing sets try to pose as the Doctor's innards. Leela and Lowe being attacked by giant balls of cotton wool isn't exactly a resounding success either. Only the bridge between the two halves of the Doctor's mind looks anywhere near acceptable.

The biggest crime is of course the Nucleus itself. Not content with being first depicted as a black sack with silver googly eyes and a wobbly claw (about as terrifying as a sock puppet), it then escapes the Doctor's body and grows to become the Giant Space Prawn of Doom. A wobbly disco dancing space prawn at that. It's hilarious - and not in a good way. To make matters worse the creature can't even move by itself, needing the aid of two burly converts to drag it down the brightly lit corridors. My wife happened to walk in at that point, and her face just said it all. Far from Who's finest moment.

After some gobbledygook about Leela's immunity factor, the Doctor and Marius are cured and the cast rush back to Titan base to halt the birth of the macro-sized Swarm by their laughable leader. It all ends in a jolly big methane explosion to finish them all off and resolve the plot. I think. It's so badly edited I can't be sure exactly what happened. To be fair by this point I had kind of switched off. I have tried to pay attention all the way through the project no matter the quality of the adventure, but finally I had to admit defeat. I'm struggling to recall the details about the final episode even now. Maybe I should force myself to watch it again? Nonetheless there is that wonderful moment where the Doctor takes off leaving Leela behind, realises his mistake, lands again and she jumps in. That I liked.

Of course the big thing I haven't mentioned is the debut of everyone's favourite (or not) Tin Dog, Introducing a robot character is a refreshing idea, clearly aimed at the kiddies - but a worthwhile one, as demonstrated by the fact that K9 is still fondly remembered to this day. It also helps that John Leeson gives him just the right kind of prissy, smug, know-it all voice. K-9's definitely a useful thing to have around in a gunfight (he can seemingly shoot round corners too) - but boy oh boy, isn't he noisy ? There's no way in the world you wouldn't hear him coming. If my car made that kind of racket I'd be straight down to the mechanic.

I can see why the production team wanted to keep K-9 around. There's a certain charm about the metal mutt -  yet I'm not entirely persuaded that the Doctor is that enamoured of him at the start. Actually, I'm not that sure the Doctor likes *anyone* at this point. At times he's been quite rude and almost abrasive to Leela. The way he dispatches Lowe to the hatching Swarm is quite brutal too.

So in conclusion - full marks for being brave and thinking outside the box. Minus several hundred for over-reaching, thinking "that'll do" and delivering something that's slightly embarrassing.

Onwards...

View From The Fifth Row 2 - 7 Faces Of Doctor Lao

For this second instalment looking at lesser known genre films, I'm turning my attention to a 1964 'fantasy western', which may have been heard of but rarely seen in the UK.

'7 Faces Of Doctor Lao' stars Tony Randall, an American actor who is perhaps best known for appearing alongside Quincy MD himself - Jack Klugman - in 'The Odd Couple' TV show. In this film he plays not one but seven roles (eight if you count an out of make-up cameo as a townsperson), each unrecognisable from the last.

It was directed by George Pal (of 'The Time Machine' fame) and features Oscar winning make-up, plus stop-motion animation from Ray Harryhausen stablemate, Jim Danforth.

The basic plot may seem traditional or even corny - in a nineteenth century frontier town, wealthy businessman Clinton Stark has inside knowledge of the arrival of the rail-road, and wants to con the landowners into selling up cheap. The newspaper proprietor has suspicions but it seems that greed and self interest will win. That is until the arrival of the enigmatic Chinaman Doctor Lao (and his goldfish)...

Lao is in the town to present his travelling circus of wonders (which is billed as the greatest show on this or another other planet, materialises from nowhere overnight and is bigger on the inside). The Doctor himself is (he says) thousands of years old and comes from a place that no longer exists, - and appears to be very interested in the small lives of the townsfolk and their dilemma's. Certainly he manages to keep everyone off balance and gives the impression that he is far more than he first appears. Hmmm, that sounds familiar...

Incidentally, there is an scene in the town hall meeting to discuss Stark's proposal to buy everyone out where Lao interrupts by scraping his chair loudly across the floor. It's very reminiscent of the scene in 'Jaws' where Quint scrapes his fingernails down the blackboard. I wonder if a young Spielberg saw this film?

When the mysterious circus opens, the locals flock to see what they think will be a bit of a freak show. Instead, Doctor Lao uses each of his seven faces (himself plus the prophet Appollonius, Merlin the magician, the god Pan, the Abominable Snowman, the snake headed Medusa and the 'Great Serpent') to teach them some valuable lessons about their own vanities and small-mindedness. Lao also uses his 'magic' to disrupt damage to the town caused by Stark's bully boy enforcers.

For his grand finale on the second night Lao shows the people of the town an apocalyptic vision that causes them to think about what they are doing. Will the residents ever be the same again? In retaliation. Stark's henchmen decide to trash the circus, but knocking over the goldfish bowl they accidentally release...? Well that would be telling.

Apologies for being a bit vague there but I want to keep some of the mystery of what happens intact.

When I first saw this film nearly forty years ago, I was utterly captivated. I had never seen anything like it and the strength of its images and its magic has stayed with me. It's been one of my all time favourite films ever since. A heart-warming, funny mythological fantasy western adventure /  fable for all the family with great creatures? What's not to love? I don't care if the effects now look dated or that some of the supporting characters are a bit clichéd. Tony Randall is just superb in all his various guises - some have said that it's the role of his long career. Certainly he gives Robin Williams a run for his money in the multiple accent stakes. Is Doctor Lao really Chinese at all?

I also love the fact that no-one seems sure about how to pronounce the good Doctor's name - not even the man himself!

At it's heart, '7 Faces Of Doctor Lao' is a film about morals, looking inside yourself and doing the right thing. The wonder of life itself. The plot may be simple but the film is filled with a sense of enchantment and awe and fascination .It's a minor masterpiece.

The travesty is that this delightful, magical film has only been shown on British TV a handful of times (and possibly not at all in my recent memory). Other George Pal classics such as 'The Time Machine' and 'War of the Worlds' have been repeated many times, yet this gem seems to get overlooked. What makes things worse is that it's only available on DVD via the 'burn on demand' Warner Archive scheme in the USA. There seems to have never been a full commercial release in the UK and certainly not a Blu-Ray restored version. It's a real shame because if you are not already aware of the film, there is no way to come across it.

I really hope that somehow it gets a proper release at some point. In the meantime, take a chance - watch it on your local streaming service (if available), catch it on one of it's increasingly rare TV appearances or buy a DVD-R copy from the Archive collection. You won't regret it.

"The whole world is a circus if you look at it in the right way. Every time you pick up a handful of dust and see not the dust but a mystery -  a marvel there in your hand. Every time you stop and think 'I'm alive and being alive is fantastic'. Every time such a thing happens, you are part of the circus of Doctor Lao".

The 800 Day Project - Day 414 - ??? - The Favourite (Classic Edition)

The Android Invasion through to...

Everyone has one. A favourite Doctor Who story that is. If you asked 100 fans what theirs was, you would probably get (almost) 100 different answers. Do a Google search for "favourite Doctor Who story" and you will get 35 million hits and almost as many opinions, stating that "this one is the *definitive* list" - not to mention the fact that there is a big difference between 'Best' and 'Favourite'.

There are tons of stories I love that really are not very good. Conversely there are those I dislike that I can still see as having merit and have been made with love and care and quality. . Is older better because it's stood the test of time and has that universal appeal? Maybe, but it still doesn't mean I like them (all).

The whole question is subjective and intensely personal. No one ever set out to make a bad Doctor Who story after all. I wouldn't dream of telling another fan that they are wrong for loving "The Dominators", just as I would expect them to respect the fact that I don't find "The Sensorites" quite as mind numbingly dull as they do.

The point is, we have now reached the point in this marathon rewatch where we get to mine. My number one. My favourite (and yes I am aware that sounds a bit Gollum-like).

Okay, I'll admit I'm going to cheat a little here and have my cake  *and * eat it. This is my Classic Series favourite. As much as we class the last 50+ years as one huge marvellous continuous tapestry, there are two distinct era's of the show separated by a 16 year gap. So I'm going to have two favourites - one Classic and one New (no it is *not* "Nu"). The second one is a long way off, so firstly let's look the stories I have watched - since the last post - that led me to this point.

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And what a run of stories it's been ! We are firmly in the grip of Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes here - wildly taking influences from every fiction genre imaginable and infusing the SF stories with their own heady mix of gothic horror, comedy and wit. Although there is...

The Android Invasion:
This story is a bit like that part in "Sesame Street" when the Muppets sing "One of these things is not like the other..." Although screened at the very end of 1975, it feels like a leftover from the Pertwee era. The most obvious influences here are Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (the 1956 original)  and possibly The Stepford Wives (although the film version only came out earlier in 1975).

It's also boasts a script with more holes than a moth eaten jumper. Why does Styggron create a fake Earth in the first place, only to then go and blow it up?  What was the point of all the little details in the fake Devesham if there are no real humans there? If they are so powerful why don't they just invade? How can Crayford not realise that he can see under that eye patch?

Despite it's backwards looking feel though, the story does succeed in conjuring up an eerie oddball atmosphere and the big reveal at the end of Part Two is one of the best cliffhangers of the lot.

I do have a bit of a soft spot for the Kraal as well, with their funny little rhino noses, the bickering between Syggron and Chedaki and their insistence on the most convoluted plans possible. All this and they were considered important enough to be on a Doctor Who jigsaw!

The Brain of Morbius:
Number three on my favourites list. Blatantly ripping off Frankenstein (especially the James Whale movie) with lightning, a mad scientist, a hideous monster, a humped back assistant and a final chase over a cliff at the hands of torch-carrying villagers. What more could you want? A brain in a jar you say? Oh why not.

If that wasn't enough, what you also get is a tour de force performance from Philip Madoc, visually inventive sets dripping with atmosphere, some tantalising details about the history of the Doctor’s people, a fantastic creature design (shades of 1953's Robot Monster anyone?) and of course the mind bending contest.

Robert Holmes' changes to Mr Dicks' original script once again bring characters to the fore, and allow them to breathe while still keeping the plot flowing. Solon and Condo have some lovely little exchanges and Condo is a deeply sympathetic character (albeit one with a violent streak). Holmes even makes a disembodied Morbius work as a personality through the right voice casting and great dialogue.

As a youngster that mish-mash monster was just paralysing. Flailing around with that giant claw it's both extremely ugly yet strangely mesmerising. It's a triumph of design. Even now, a Morbius creature figurine takes pride of place on my bookshelf.

I really can't fault this story. Just brilliant.


The Seeds of Doom:
So, 'Thing From Another World' via 'Day Of The Triffids' in a country mansion with a green painted Axon? Well, yes - but this is so much more than that. It's a real gem in the Doctor Who crown.

It's also surprisingly adult and violent. There are deaths aplenty - where else do you have someone being fed into a fertiliser mulching machine? - and fisticuffs galore - with even the Doctor getting in on the action and punching someone in the face. The Doctor is also very angry here, practically snarling at everyone.

Plus who would have thought that John Challis would turn in a career best performance as the multi-layered Scorby?

Funnily enough as I'm writing this I've just listened to an episode of "Toby Hadoke's Whos Round" where he interviews John Challis. What a lovely man. Have a listen for yourself here.


The Masque of Mandragora:
Hmmm. I've always been in two minds about this story. Certainly it looks marvellous, with the Portmerion location (I've been there you know!) and the BBC's usual flair for period costumes. The supporting cast all do their best at chewing the scenery and Hieronymus's mask scared the willies out of me as a kid.

But beyond that it's all just a bit...dull? I know it's cribbing from 'The Masque Of Red Death' and I know that Tom is oozing charm, charisma and confidence, but I just couldn't get excited about the plots. Neither the evil uncle or the dark cult of Demnos strands really excite and the less said about the ending the better (just *how* did the Doctor defeat the Mandragora-possesed Hieronymus?).

Still we get do get the lovely little opening scenes with the Doctor and Sarah plus the fantastic new TARDIS control room, so it's not all bad!


The Hand of Fear:
As good as this story is, for me it's always suffused with an tone of sadness that it's the last story for my favourite Who companion. Influences? Well, 1940's "The Mummy's Hand" would be an obvious one but I'd pick "The Beast With Five Fingers" from six years later, or even 'Thing' from "The Addams Family". Beyond the horror trope though this starts off as a great little SF tale with some neat twists and a couple of excellent performances from Glyn Houston as Professor Watson and Judith Paris as the icy yet seemingly vulnerable female Eldrad.

It's a shame that the great set up is wasted somewhat once we get to Kastria. Eldrad turns into a one-dimensional shouty villain. The excellent sets of the nuclear plant become uninspiring and dull. Plus what were they thinking replacing the beautiful design of female Eldrad with the hideous Toblerone inspired creation for Stephen Thorne's incarnation? . All this and Eldrad is defeated by tripping over the Doctor's scarf? It's such a shame.

Still, the final scenes with Sarah Jane make up for it. Both Tom and Elisabeth are at the top of their game and it's all the more emotional for it. All in all I'd say this story is 75% wonderful.

“Till we meet again Sarah”...


The Deadly Assassin:
In which, while creating a story paying deference to "The Manchurian Candidate, "Robert Holmes rewrites the portrayal of the Timelords - simultaneously *really* annoying some fans who have been with the show since 1963, yet inspiring others so much that his vision of the Doctor's race has lasted to this day...

I have very strong memories of watching this as an nine year-old. The emaciated Master with his googly eyes did terrify me - but not as much as the drivers of the trains in the nightmarish Matrix scenes. Maybe it's those brown gauze masks and the goggles - once again confirming that for child-me the scariest monsters are the ones where you can't see their eyes. Even cackling clown faces weren't as horrible.

All this and a fantastic performance as Goth from one of my favourite guest actors, Bernard Horsfall. I love listening to his voice. So rich and deep and a perfect compliment to Tom. Pretty handy in the action scenes too.

The Face of Evil:

So instead of a talking cabbage (shades of Robert Rankin's Barry the Time-sprout), Tom gets one of the most interesting and engaging companions in the history of the show. Louise Jameson inhabits the role perfectly from the first moment, making Leela far more than a female Tarzan knock-off.

Add to that we get a plot contrasting faith and science and how things can get distorted across hundreds of years  - and a homicidal computer with a child's voice manipulating it all.

I clearly remember that cliffhanger from episode one with the giant head of the Doctor. It blew my little nine year old mind. What? How? When?....

The Face of Evil is a lot of fun. In what other show would your hero threatens to kill a Sevateem tribesman with a jelly baby? Baker is on top form, cheerfully spouting nonsense while in the midst of danger from poison darts, crossbows and flesh munching Horda. There is a lovely performance as well from the high priest Neeva, who desperately clings to his faith even when it's revealed it is all a sham.

Yes the Tesh are a bit one dimensional and their costumes don't keep up with the quality of those for the Sevateen. The constant bowing gets dull very quickly too. But these things are minor irritants in an otherwise great story.

***

And so we reach the whole point of this post - The Favourite. You have probably guessed what it is....

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The Robots of Death /  The Talons of Weng-Chiang:
Yes I am afraid I've cheated again. You see, when it came down to it, I just couldn't choose between these two stories. I watched 'Robots' and thought "...it's as magnificent as I remember it always being", and then watched 'Talons' and thought "bloody hell I love this story so much...".

In the whole canon of Doctor Who these are probably the two stories I have rewatched the most. Both have beautifully written plots, memorable well rounded characters, and are stunning to look at. So in the end -  they are both number one.

***

Now I was a voracious reader at this time in my young life and was beginning to encounter a number of the SF classics. The Panther SF edition of 'I, Robot' with it's cover depicting a slightly blurry silver robot head is particularly memorable - although it would be a few years later before I fully appreciated Asimov's genius.

'Robots of Death' freely takes elements from Asimov and fuses them with the murder mysteries of Agatha Christie. In fact references to these two literary giants abound in the names of the characters and the unfolding of the plot (along with a nice nod to the man who coined the term robot, Karel Capek).

There is also a valid attempt at depicting a living breathing culture in this story. The costumes, set design, sets and casting all come together to convince us that this is a real society with a logic and history behind it  - albeit a decadent one with an overreliance on robots. The excellent script also means that just about all of the characters have a clear distinctive personality and positive and negative relationships with each other. Perhaps Toos and Uvanov's headgear is a tad overblown for operating a sandminer, but they still look tremendous - and I wear a suit to work so why shouldn't they get to dress up too? I think the eye makeup might be a bit much for me though.

As for the robots, well what can be said apart from - amazing! The art-deco designs are just so perfect and beautiful and memorable that I never tire of looking at them. In fact, one of the probable reasons why I cherish this story so much is down to the Target novelisation.

I only have to glimpse that cover and I'm a child of twelve again. In 96 pages Uncle Terrance captures the essence of the story and makes it live and breathe. That cover by John Geary is so much a part of my formative years that I can still picture the deep crease in the top right corner where I bent it by accident. When I recently obtained another copy of the book (having idiotically given away all my Target novels during the fallow years of my fandom - what a fool!), the cover just looked *odd* somehow because the crease is not there.

We also have the "fizzing" red eyes of the corrupted robots (yet again reinforcing that childhood fear) and those lovely emotionless yet soothing voices. Spy robot D84 has a nice line in dry humour too. "Please do not throw hands at me". Indeed.

In home media terms this is also the only Who story I have bought four times (two on VHS, two on DVD). If they released it on Blu-Ray tomorrow I'd still buy it again.

***

As for 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang', well it's difficult to know where to start with the superlatives.

Doctor Who has always had a soft spot for the Victorians. It's an era the show has returned to again and again throughout it's history. It's also a time that has seeped into the British consciousness through the popularity of the literature of the time - Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, the tales of Sherlock Holmes, the list goes on.

Of course another reason is that the BBC is exceptional good at producing drama set in this period. Set designers and costumers know the era like the backs of their hands and the BBC seems to have a natural affinity for material set during the late 1800's.

'Talons' is the high watermark for Doctor Who Victoriana. The Doctor acting as Sherlock Holmes, Leela as a prototype Eliza Doolittle, a hint of Jack The Ripper with mysterious murders in foggy alleys, music hall theatre, the "yellow peril" of Chinese immigrants - it's a melting pot of all the touch points the public knows so well. In Magnus Greel and his alter ego of Weng-Chiang, you have shades of the Phantom of the Opera and even Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu with his use of a fanatical cult to do his dirty work.

In my view it's Robert Holmes' masterpiece. The culmination of his and Hinchcliffe's time on the series. Not only does Holmes pile on the gothic sensibilities and dark humour, he also gives us perhaps the most well remembered supporting character double act in the whole history of the series. Jago and Litefoot are just superb. The dialogue for everyone is smart and witty but for the showman and the surgeon it just *sings*. Henry Gordon Jago in particular gets so many great lines it's difficult to keep count -

"I'd of propelled him onto the pavement with a punt up the posterior"

"I announce the acts, I count the tickets, I smile at people. You've no idea of the strain it puts on a fellow"

- are just two of my personal favourites. I'm an avid accumulator of amazingly affecting alliterations (sorry I couldn't resist).

Although they only seem to share a few scenes together in the whole story, by the end of it you can sense that Jago and Litefoot are going to become friends. At the point where they are held captive in the House of the Dragon, Litefoot shows a real warmth towards his fellow prisoner. It's lovely stuff and beautifully acted by Benjamin and Baxter. I really must check out the series of Jago & Litefoot audio stories from Big Finish now.

Again the world building is strong. Just through hints and short lines of dialogue we are given a tantalising peek into the world of the 51st century. The Icelandic Alliance. World War 6. The Butcher of Brisbane. Time Agents. The Filipino final advance on Reykjavik. It's enough to base a series of spin off novels and audio's on - oh wait....

I almost forgot - Mr Sin, the Peking Homonculus. Bloody hell he was scary. Far more than the reveal of Weng-Chiang's disfigured face. I'm sure I had a couple of nasty dreams featuring the homicidal midget.

Like with 'Robots', I can honestly say that this is a story that never drags (even at 6 parts). It's the best of an extremely high quality run for Doctor Who. I think I may watch it again now !

***

So there you have it, my joint favourite Classic Doctor Who stories. Apologies for waffling on for so long. I'd said that I wasn't going to do real reviews during the "800 Day Project", but I felt that this run deserved a little bit more. It's onwards to the Graham Williams era next and in a few short weeks I'll talk about another important milestone - the one's I missed...