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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 !
"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 !
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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...
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