Aaahh....the quest to find the 5 most criminally underrated stories in the whole of Doctor Who....
I hope to bring some much needed & long awaited attention to some neglected gems that have fallen on hard times. These gems, through no fault of their own, have found themselves trolling the dives & seedy bars at the lower end of critical opinion & 'favourite story' lists.
On occasion they have found themselves in the unsavory company of the likes of 'Delta & The Bannermen', 'Nightmare Of Eden' & 'The Twin Dilemma' (shudder) having to resort to lewd acts of Xoanan knows what to get by in the vicious, unforgiving world of Doctor Who fandom. I was propositioned by 'Death To The Daleks' in a dark alley just last night! Death has fallen on the hardest of times. Times that will change if I have owt to do about it!! "Death" said I, "you need not offer me that, I would be glad to take you home for a viewing!"......
First up (chronologically), from 1968, another hungry undernourished slice of 'Death'!
1) 'Seeds of Death' (Troughton/1968)
Granted it's no 'Evil' or 'Web', but what it is is jolly good. There is a grand sense of adventure in this eminently enjoyable tale. The rocket trip to the moon & T-Mat stuff are a little kitsch, but still fabulous fun. The character of Fewsham I find most intriguing; his struggles with his guilt & his conscience are beautifully written & quite gripping to watch.
The Ice Warriors are genuinely frightening in the claustrophobic confines & shadowy corridors of the Moonbase & the Weather Control Station. The shots of the Ice Warrior stalking through the foam covered park are creepy & superb. I would argue this is their finest showing from four starts. Alan Bennion as Slaar is particularly wonderful, bringing depth & great menace to a character stuck in a stiff plastic suit, daft helmet & silly cape & having to rely mostly on his sinister voice & heavily made up lips to do it.
Seeds never drags as badly as some of its six part counterparts do (though it is often criticised for padding) & it has some truly great moments of suspense & dialouge. The line "your leader will be angry if you kill me, I'm a genius" is one of the most oft quoted in the history of the show & deservedly so. It is a marvellous synthesis of the 2nd Doctor's manner & wits into one small moment.
The 'T-Mat nerve centre' prop & daft costumes are the obvious cons, but they are just cosmetic. The Pat, Frazer & Wendy team are in smashing form & Seeds is a big cut above the underachieving drabness of the 'The Dominators' & 'The Krotons' from early in the uneven 6th season. Dudley Simpson's frantic, percussive incidental music is stunning; it adds hugely to the tension & drama. Perhaps the finest of the Troughton era bar the marvellous score for 'The Invasion'.
Seeds is a great pulpy romp, certainly lacking the depth & finesse of a true classic, but a super example of 'monster invasion/ base under seige' Doctor Who. Never self importantly absorbed in excessive exploration of characters or sci-fi/fantasy wank, it purely sets out to be entertaining action/ adventure. The 'wrong signal' ploy to see of the Ice Warriors is a simple & charming conclusion. Nice one Seeds!
2) 'Death To The Daleks' (Pertwee/1974)
Sure it looks a tad shabby at times, but it has a palpably tense & sinister feel to it. That's what I'm after in Doctor Who dammit! Part one is superb; the promise of sunny, effervescent 'Florana', the TARDIS being drained of all power & then the Doctor & Sarah both wandering alone in the darkness…shivers & tingles! The unnerving stillness & sense of impending trouble in these scenes & in the moments before the Exxilon arrow attack is fantastic.
The startling incidental music in 'Death' probably bows only to the 'Sea Devils' in the whole of the Pertwee era. It is marvellously evocative & has been unfairly maligned by some over the years. The sound the city beacon makes & the moment Sarah first sees it are indelibly stamped on my memory. The Doctor's 'wonders of the world' line as the city crumbles at the end is a lovely touch.
The Daleks losing power renders them vulnerable & allows us to see their true resourcefulness & cunning; perhaps more than ever before. The sweet Bellal is sensitively played & quite charming. He has a touching rapport with Jon as they explore the city. Dr #3 is marvellous when he meets new beings such as Bellal for the first time. He shows great sensitivity & respect. His first meeting with a Silurian in the cottage in 'The Silurians' is another fine example.
There is clearly more inspiration & effort in this script than 'Planet Of The Daleks'. 'Death' is gritty, atmospheric, involving, tightly plotted & full of wonderful moments. A few flat guest performances & lack of overall production polish aside, criminally underrated.
3) 'Leisure Hive' (T. Baker/ 1980)
'Leisure Hive' marks the brilliant beginning of the greatest re-invigoration of Doctor Who in the show's history. Only 'Spearhead' comes close, though it's 'new stylings' were foreshadowed by 'Web Of Fear' & 'Invasion'. The new series you might say? Well that only really hit its stride with 'Unquiet Dead'. This amazing about-turn in Leisure was surely a huge shock on the heels of Season 17 dross like 'Nightmare' & 'Nimon'. It was an immediate & self assured creative success (if not a success in the ratings up against 'The A-Team').
The new title credits & Peter Howell's new version of the theme tune are striking. One can only imagine how exciting it must have been for long term fans to have seen them for the first time back in 1980. After 6 seasons with unchanging credits, it must have been a wonderful surprise, up there with the unheralded revelation of the Cybermen after a 7 year absence in 'Earthshock'. These credits still excite nearly 30 years on.
All of a sudden the show seems to have become 'adult' again. It has an invigorating urgency about it & has regained the earnestness it had so palpably lacked through the Williams reign. The new production team seems to be hungry & eager. There is innovation & ambition evident in every department. JNT is widely criticised for the way the show developed (some say degraded) during his reign, but at first & throughout the whole of season 18 he got it mostly right.
The design & production polish throughout season S18 are so far superior to S17 it is mind boggling. The scripts generally were several cuts above as well. JNT also pulled off the seemingly impossible & pulled the by now almost unquestioned & dictatorial TB back from the lazy self parody & excessive humour that had contributing hugely to eroding all the credibility the show had. In 'NOE' & 'CFTP' I would go so far as to say it had none.
JNT's team gave the Doctor a sumptuous new look & his vision of the Doctor is that of a quite grave & world weary man with a sparing dry & melancholy humour about him. This major shift in the Doctor's mood & manner gave us back a true sense of his long history; hundreds of years of experiences, littered with more than his share of death & loss. You wouldn't have known it from the scene chewing silliness that prevailed from '77 to '79. Good riddance to the casual flippance that had no relation to the Doctor we knew! Tom is a brilliant & charismatic actor & he was using his full range once again.
Leisure has many evocative & memorable moments. The Doctor ageing in the Tachyon machine...all the Pangols marching out...The story itself is merely good, but the whole of 'Leisure' is executed with such style, swagger & joy that I can forgive its minor shortcomings & silly plot holes. The guest cast are generally strong too; no more of the season 17 cardboard extras! The incidental music is absolutely gobsmacking; at turns marvellously rousing & at others tender & almost tear inducing.
Lalla & Tom are absolutely wonderful together. With the lead duo taking things seriously again, the sense of drama & our interest return with full force. 'Leisure' is a bold & wonderful first step by the JNT regime.
4) 'Mysterious Planet' (C. Baker/ 1986)
This story will always have a special place in my heart. For a long time it was the only Dr Who story that I had on tape (I'm mystified as to why that happened?) & for an even longer time it was the only Colin Baker story I had in my collection full stop. Colin's stories were not repeated in Australia until 1993 & even then were on at 4.30am!! Despite the nostalgia factor, I actually would pick this story if I could only have one Colin Baker story in my collection now. I honestly believe it is the best Colin Baker story of all. Better even than the patchy & flawed 'Revelation OTD' (more on that another time) It is also the only story that my sister, a devout non-fan, actually asked if we could watch one day! Go figure!
There are flaws certainly, the Humker & Tandrell silliness, the mystery of the planet being all but solved in the first 10 minutes, some sketchy design choices; but on the whole it looks polished & is pulled of with a fair amount of style. The story barrels along at a cracking pace & never forgets it primary duty to entertain. Robert Holmes script gives Colin some lovely passages that he delivers well; "planets come and go, stars perish, matter disperses, coalesces & reforms into other patterns, other worlds, nothing can be eternal" etc. There are also lovely touches such as the sacred texts. I thought the 'UK habitats of the Canadian Goose' scene blushingly daft as a child, but now I think it is brilliantly quirky & inspired.
The shifty double act of Glitz & Dibber are a treat. I adore their casually sinister banter as they peice together their guns in the first episode. It is a shame though that Glitz is rapidly softened from unconscionable thug at the start of the story to (almost) loveable rogue by the end (& in subsequent appearances). The season 23 'more comedy' mandate seems to have come into effect HALF WAY THROUGH the first story. This change is most evident in the court scenes, initially unsettling & credible, they rapidly degenerate into panto-ish silliness & repetition despite the valiant efforts of Jayston & Bellingham.
I can't state strongly enough how wonderful the first few minutes are, in fact most of the first episode. It is genuinely mysterious & engrossing & there is very little to fault. The stupendous first shot of the spacecraft & the time scoop, the TARDIS being dragged down the beam, the Doctor's first chilly exchanges with Michael Jayston's exquisitely malevolent Valeyard in the half light. All wonderful stuff that could stand proudly against any era of the show. I couldn't say that about many other episodes from season 22 or 23 sadly.
A crucial factor in the ultimate success of the story is that Colin is the most 'Doctor-ish' we have seen him to this point & more sympathetic & likeable than ever before. He is genuinely concerned for others, endearingly curious & generally dry humoured rather than the often cringeworthy buffon of prior stories. Colin gives the most relaxed, assured & natural performance of his reign. The same can be said for Nicola. Even when Col does slip back into mugging arrogance; "this is my best side", (delivered to Drathro's security camera), it is mercifully brief.
The rapport between Colin & Nicola has vastly improved from season 22. Their scenes together wandering through the forest & exploring Marble Arch are their finest bar none. There is genuine affection & SUBTELTY in the performances! It is such a shame that just as they were finally building a mature & believable rapport, they struck the craggy 'shitberg' that was 'Mindwarp' & that was that. In this though, albeit briefly, most of the the childish bickering & over acting is gone.
Gone too are the indescribably bad stabs of synthesizer incidental music that had made their wretched tiffs seem even more forced & painful ('Timelash' & 'Attack Of The Cybermen' being just two of many examples). In fact, the incidental music is the finest of Colin's era. It is generally tasteful & suitably dramatic at the right points. It responds appropriately to the mood of each scene. Genius! You'd think it was rocket science looking at its forebears.
Of the other support cast, Joan Sims gives the most uneven performance; wavering from tender & subtle in her scenes with Peri in the hut to awkward & OTT in her 'rousing' battle speeches. Probably she was miscast. It was almost another 'Beryl Reid', but she actually copes pretty well in comparison. Tom Chadbon as Merdeen is very laid back (some might say too laid back), but I would say his performance is dry & laconic rather than wooden. Merdeen lives a shitty existence in underground tunnels ruled by an megalomaniac robot, so I think his performance is quite apt. The naive, dorky Balazar is also quite well realised.
'Mysterious Planet' is a qualified success & began 'Trial Of A Timelord' with great promise that was all too quickly squandered. As Robert Holmes last contribution to the show, it is a solid if not spectacular farewell, with Colin & Nicola at their all too brief peak.
5) 'Happiness Patrol' (McCoy/ 1988)
Why does this divide people so? I am happy (& glad!) to see some champions for it amongst the Gallifrey One reviews, but a hell of a lot of people still seem to think it is embarrassing rubbish & the finest (or worst?) example of the daft camp & pantoesque leanings of the late JNT era.
The best way I can tackle reviewing this story is to first mention the way I saw it on first viewing as an 11 year old kid. I thought it was horribly gaudy, woefully overacted, painfully unbelievable & much too bizarre. The way I saw it then is pretty much the way a lot of people still see it now. It has taken several further viewings, several years more experience & an understanding of Graeme Curry's intent to change my perspective. I now feel it is an unfairly maligned (by some) & widely misunderstood minor classic. I should also point out that I am no push-over for the mid to late McCoy era. I feel that amongst its contemporaries, 'Rememberance' is very good, but overrated (thanks Keff!) & 'Silver Nemesis'is absolute rubbish.
There is much to applaud in 'Happiness'. There are lovely (gulp) 'Kafka-esque' touches such as the 'Waiting Zone'; where pointless, head spinning beauracracy prevails ("You're not under arrest but... step over that line & you're a dead man") & also in the impersonal & dehumanising doling out of letters to denote rank & worth (the icy, iron fisted Helen 'A' & the ambitious 'heavy' Priscilla 'P' for example). The scene where Silas P attempts to grovel his way up the alphabet is fantastic, as is Helen A's swift, clipped retort "Not quite, the very top, I hope, Silas P?". In this society, your worth ultimately comes down to your letter. Climbs up & slides down the alphabet ladder are desperately desired & fearfully dreaded respectively. As an 11 year old I had no idea what beauracracy was let alone being able to tell when someone was satirising it. I just thought it was all far too odd. Several years on though, I feel the 'clever social satire' credentials are in good order & I enjoy the story very much on this level.
Although the McCoy/ Aldred team is on fine form & has some lovely moments (could have done without McCoy's singing & "laughing" victory though!) I find the Doctor & Ace to be the least fascinating players in this most curious grotesque. They are sidelined somewhat by a wealth of intriguing, well written & finely textured support characters. The troubled, melancholy Susan Q, the droll, theatrical & shifty Gilbert M, the seemingly dotty & submissive but ultimately duplicitous Joseph C. Were he & Gilbert M on together for years? They seem to have had a lot of practice with their little barbs at one another. All three characters are beautifully played with nuance & delicacy. The distinction between the artifice that each character is forced to maintain under Helen A's regime & their true inner selves is intriguing to watch played out in these & many other characters.
What I read as over-acting as a young whippersnapper, I now see as characters either valiantly struggling with the artifice & fearing death for failure in maintaining it (Susan Q) or on the other hand, so practiced at it that they have forgotten how sickeningly false they appear (Priscilla P, Daisy K). The same goes for the design. Yes, clearly it is hideously colourful & garish. Surely that's the point though? The artifice of the design is ugly because all true emotion has been sucked out & it is presenting what is really fake, uninspired happiness.
The Kandyman is a joy to watch "It's all in there somewhere; caramel, sherbet, toffee, marsipan". Never did a list of sugary sweeties sound so terrifying. He is genuinely intimidating & his voice drips with malice. His demented nursery rhyme 'theme' adds to his impact too. All the "Fondant Supreme" stuff is marvellous. The Co-Pilot & I are big suckers for it. It makes us giggly school girls. I also really like the overhead pipe design in the Kandy Kitchen.
Sheila Hancock is just superb. I hang on every poisonous word that falls from her pursed lips. She can change gears in half a blink. Her rants about the miserable drones & such are masterfully delivered & perfectly cold & callous. Helen A sets the tone for the whole story. Hancock has the gravitas in this central performance to give the whole thing a big shot of credibility. If she hadn't taken it seriously & played for laughs, the whole thing could have fallen apart. The rest of the cast follow her lead & thankfully for the most part play it straight. Helen A is no cardboard villain. She has incredible depth & mystery to her. The final scene of her cradling her beloved Fifi in her arms as the incidental music swells is a gem & I genuinely feel for the twisted, misguided old bitch.
A fourth episode could have allowed for fleshing out of the Pipe People side-story a little, but in three parts it may have been wiser ultimately to excise them all together. With the brisk way they are brushed over & their drab design & muffled voices it is hard to engage with them in their plight. Despite a few dubious design choices (not all of them can be excused as 'for effect') & mercifully brief silly moments, this is captivating & intriguing to watch. Intelligent & innovative Doctor Who that is stretching for new ideas & new frontiers.
So that's it, thanks for reading!
The Lucozer
Showing posts with label Death To The Daleks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death To The Daleks. Show all posts
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
THE JON PERTWEE YEARS 1970-1974
Some excerpts from our thoughts on every Jon Pertwee era Doctor Who story.
SEASON 7
'Spearhead From Space'
Co-Pilot – The scariest Doctor Who story ever?...Hugh Burden as Channing is on a different plane all together – he only has the stand in the background of a shot to be creepy & unsettling.
Lucozer – It looks superb, the use of grainy film is very effective. Pertwee is great from the outset as is Caroline John. Best first story for a Doctor ever…full stop.
'The Silurians'
Co-Pilot - The Silurian eye view we see as a Silurian ascends, with tremendous deep reptilian breathing, & as he staggers towards the farm, is up there with the series greatest ever moments…Having a few of the characters driven mad by the events in the caves adds greatly to the claustrophobic menace. I can certainly remember many lunch & recess times full of Silurian inspired mimicry!
Lucozer – The Silurians are brilliantly realised; their appearance & movements, their society, their ethics & interrelations…everything. It contains two all-time classic cliffhangers; the Doctor's first meeting with a Silurian in the farmhouse & then when a couple of Silurians burn through the wall behind him while he is frantically trying to find an antidote to the virus. So many superb childhood memories…creepy & atmospheric.
'Ambassadors of Death'
Co-Pilot – Nothing too exciting happens over 7 long episodes & the guy with the dodgy French (?) accent undermines the whole thing…full of padding.
Lucozer – Slow, but it certainly has decent production values. It could have been done in 5 or 6 eps… I would even go so far as to say 'Dominator Rago' is a highlight; subtle & believable & much more convincing in this… the most graphically violent UNIT story ever; the scene in the warehouse with all the close up bullet deaths a case in point. UNIT Doctor Who by numbers, but still worth a look.
'Inferno'
Co-Pilot - …Inferno is more like a film than a TV show – the gritty oppressive quality Douglas Camfield evokes contributes a huge amount to the story's success. The parallel world stuff is highly effective & frightening. The cliff-hanger ending to part 6 is still unbearably dramatic…It maintains its quality over 7 episodes – something most four parters can't come close to emulating…
Lucozer – Fantastic! So tense and claustrophobic, it's almost unbearable. The ambient noise becomes increasingly unsettling. We are forced to relate to the Doctor more than ever in this 'fish out of water' plight because the companion is largely absent (Ditto 'Deadly Assassin'). Perhaps a good story to show non-fans if they can endure its length….So many potent childhood memories from Jon's first season. Season 7 is vastly underrated. It should be regarded as a classic up there with seasons 5, 13 & 14.
SEASON 8
'Terror Of The Autons'
Co-Pilot – The first & best Master story. This could have been even better if the Autons were as menacing as they were in Spearhead. There are many terrific & frightening moments...the suffocating chair, the master's eerie theme music, the Doctor pulling off the policeman's mask, the Auton being driven off the cliff then getting up and walking away…the Master in general!
Lucozer – This story makes the padding in other stories look all the more obvious. Almost as much happens in this as happens in Planet of the Spiders/ Daleks etc. A tight script & well paced. Classy Doctor Who that made the best of limited resources… That said, I just don't feel the urge to watch it that much. I don't know why.
'Mind Of Evil'
Co-Pilot – It has some excellent moments; the master smoking the cigar & the Keller machine bringing out all of the fearful images in the Doctor's mind (Cybermen & the fire) but it is also very bland and overlong. The Keller machine itself begins to get a little tedious after a while.
Lucozer – The Keller machine really freaked me out as a kid; a machine that could materialise anywhere & attack your brain! The sound effect & wobbly visuals I thought were great… Delgado is wonderfully malevolent…I love the 'Mao Tse Tung' scene, a nice touch...It's B&W status probably works in its favour. Creepy & tense.
'Claws Of Axos'
Co-Pilot – This is utter shite! Never can understand why this is rated a minor classic. The acting is forced & the special effects in the Axon spaceship are woeful. A great pity, as a kid I remember being very scared by the red tentacled Axon…Complete tosh!
Lucozer – Hugely overrated! The incidental music & direction are abominably ham fisted …seems like a bad student sci-fi film…The plot & concept are quite good but many departments let it down. If Dougie Camfield has directed this it could have been far superior.
'Colony In Space'
Co-Pilot - Pretty uninspiring. Dent is so boring, his hair is the most interesting thing about him – & that is really saying something. I prefer my villains to be dashing looking; not craggy po-paced old bores! Give me Soldeed or even the Nimon itself over Dent any day of the week!
Lucozer – Crap At Snails Pace! An endless procession of captures, escapes & tiresome politicking between unsympathetic & dull characters. Groan! I do like the scene where the Master offers the Doctor half-rulership of the universe though...I still have not watched this all the way through since 1986. Come to think of it, maybe I didn't even then?
'The Daemons'
Co-Pilot – Much better when viewed in grainy black & white. The Daemons is fabulous in lots of ways, although not as great as it was once reputed to be…Part one is a real humdinger…very atmospheric…Without doubt one of Pertwee's best, but just not THE BEST, as some influential critics used to maintain.
Lucozer – Bok is well realised & Mr Thorne is less painful here than in the 'Three Doctors'…. Part One is very sinister; the wild weather & the signs spinning around. However, this story is a perfect example of a sad & painfully common phenomenon in Doctor Who; good directors establishing wonderful tension & suspense early in a story, then being let down by budget restrictions which render the evil, when revealed, as laughable (see also 'Image Of Fendahl', 'Horror Of Fang Rock' & Nessie in 'Terror Of The Zygons') It must have galled directors when their fine work reached a dramatic zenith of silly CSO & poxy bubble wrap! No hands down classic but very good with some classic moments.
SEASON 9
'Day Of The Daleks'
Co-Pilot – A Minor classic? Sort of…Aubrey Woods who plays the Controller is brilliant, continuing the tradition of fantastic characters working for the Daleks (Mavic Chen, Nyder, Lytton, Tasambeker! (just kidding)) I remember being very captivated by the time tunnel stuff. The Doctor & Jo staying at Stiles' house & sampling his wine & cheese – great stuff!
Lucozer –…A clever little script & the Controller is superbly creepy. It is very polished production wise & it's shortness (four parts among many sixes), lack of obvious padding & its "playing with time" plot make it probably the closest to the new series of all the Pertwee era stories. Shame though that the Daleks are underused & their voices are so appalling.
'Curse Of Peladon'
Co-Pilot – The real Curse Of Peladon is Alpha Centauri! What or who is this most dodgy alien supposed to be a pastiche of? Is Alpha a raging queen? A feminist avenger gone wrong? A pre-pubescent boy whose voice hasn't broken yet? Ms/Mr Centauri stands out as woefully & memorably bad in an otherwise excellent adventure. The other aliens work well; Arcturus somehow overcomes design limitations to be an interesting & menacing character. The Ice Warriors are also superb. The whole idea of the Dr & Jo becoming emotionally involved in proceedings is very well handled…Naroon narooon naroon!!
Lucozer – Delegate Arcturus is a scream! I love him/ her/ it? Probably one of Ms Manning's better showings, even though she still over emphasises every gesture & emotion. The scene of the TARDIS landing on the windy cliff-face & the Doctor singing to Aggedor in the catacombs are vivid childhood memories. A strong & involving script presenting a well rounded view of a troubled society. A modest charmer.
'The Sea Devils'
Co-Pilot – …Owes much of its impact to an incredible soundtrack. Perhaps it is overlong, but the Sea Devils has an atmosphere of gloom throughout that is very enthralling. I still think a child these days would find some Dr Who stories to be chillingly frightening & this would be one of them. I love how the Dr goes to visit the Master – their relationship typifies the kind of dignity the Delgado Master had that the Ainley Master never came close to.
Lucozer – As a child it was a pinnacle, but memory has cheated a little. The Sea Devils base is far too colourful & bright, suffering in comparison with the gloomy, shadowy Silurian caves. Also, the Sea Devils look awkward & clunky when compared to the Silurians. This may be the fault of direction though; too many undramatic long shots. The Silurians were brilliantly revealed & realised with close ups on parts of them & using their strange vision & close miked breathing. Not so with the Sea Devils. They do look great rising from the water though…The Master/ Doctor banter is superb, well scripted & played. The memorable incidental music is perhaps a little overdone; almost as if they were excited at how (undeniably) great & strange it was & put it in too many places, often too loud & occasionally very jarring. Despite my criticisms, still marvelously entertaining.
'The Mutants'
Co-Pilot – Very sad to admit how crap this actually is, because I loved the atmosphere of it in 1986. Episode one is actually pretty good but, from there on in it all gets very bland. The acting is probably the most notable thing about it. The fat warlord guy with the dodgy Slade haircut is wooden & horrible. The Marshal over-acts through the whole thing. Did Cotton actually audition for the part?!
Lucozer – Certainly not diabolical in the way 'Twin Dilemma' & 'Delta' are, just deathly dull with a few excruciatingly bad moments for good measure. Cotton & the Captain are particularly dreadful, but Jon is solid as usual though & George 'Shaboogans' Pravda is always worth a moment of ones times.
'The Time Monster'
Co-Pilot – zzzzzzzzzz!
Lucozer – I have less childhood memories of this Pertwee story than any other, so a recent viewing held a curious interest for me & the panning it gets in 'received Dr Who Wisdom' led me to expect nothing. So its relative 'freshness' & my low expectations meant I quite enjoyed this frivolous & tacky runaround, despite some poor direction, woeful acting & the otherwise masterful Delgado straying the closest he ever came to lame eyebrow-arching-&-maniacal-laughing charicature (though through no fault of his own)
SEASON 10
'Three Doctors'
Co-Pilot – The goodness in this story is obvious. Part one is brilliant, as is part two. The ending with the whole of UNIT being sucked into the black hole is wonderful. Pat & William are fabulous. Jon fighting the dark side of Omega's mind is intense. Generally the story has the aura of an absolute classic. …Where it falls down though is the d-grade set design of Omega's Palace, the frankly ridiculous gel guards & the amateur bellowing of Stephen Thorne. All of these factors rob Omega & his world of the menace they might otherwise have had. A real pity as in every other respect this is possibly the best story of Pertwee's reign.
Lucozer - …Notably disappointing. It could/ should have been so much better. The Pat & Jon bickering scenes are largely clunky & childish (the scripts fault, not theirs) & the recorder sub plot is utter crap. The Brigadier is reduced to a blundering imbecile & the whole thing looks garish and panto-esque. I must concur with the Co-Pilot, the "amateur bellowing" of Mr Thorne is awful & renders the final moments of the story anti-climactic. It is still a lot of fun & has some great moments, but (rant alert!!) why do multi-doctor stories always have to be frivolous run-arounds? Why can't they be dark & compelling & blow our fucking minds! Three Doctors!!! Fan boys everywhere should be creaming themselves in unison! Three Doctors should mean thrice the tension, thrice the fear & thrice the brilliance. All these things seem to have been divided in this! Once again, why wasn't Mr Camfield brought in. Although, even he would have struggled to salvage something credible from the likes of the appalling gel guards & their hideous chorus of 'wob, wob, wob'.
'Carnival Of Monsters'
Co-Pilot - Like 'Claws Of Axos' this is always overrated. The circus duo with the Projector are really crap, they aren't funny at all. Michael Wisher is always really good & some of the bits inside the machine are effective, but overall it's pretty ordinary fare. Perhaps I'm missing something?
Lucozer – Classic my b*&^bag! What are the critics on about? This is drivel. The Drashigs are woeful & wouldn't scare a blind spielsnape. The 'fruit loop' duo are god-awful. Maybe there are one or two memorable moments; the 'big hand', the cruise ship with the 'sea dinosaur'. It has brevity in its favour & not much more. This is very average if not quite 'Mutants' level awful.
'Frontier In Space'
Co-Pilot – I remember being very impressed with the Draconians (even as an adult). The shock ending with the Daleks arrival & then the Master shooting the Doctor was very exciting. I like the idea that the Doctor travels across space & that the action takes place on several fronts, much like 'Genesis Of the Daleks'. Not too many bad moments off the top of my head.
Lucozer – An ambitious space opera on a shoe-string; impressive despite the usual meagre budget. The politics of the story are a little forced & creaky, but it is a polished production without too much padding & the different locations & strands of the story are juggled well. The marvellous John Friedlander again excels with his fantastic looking Draconian design. Roger Delgado is as exquisitely shady & textured as ever in his last story. Katy is actually pretty good in this, Delgado lifts her in their scenes together & they are surprisingly effective. It has flaws, but the Pertwee/ Letts & Dicks team seems well oiled here & they play to their strengths on this one.
'Planet Of The Daleks'
Co-Pilot – Could have been great, but on every level this is just a copy of Terry Nation's previous efforts with hardly an inspiring or original idea anywhere. I loved this when we were kids, but as adults, it just looks tacky & full of padding.
Lucozer – Part One with Jo trying to help the ailing Doctor & exploring the jungle & the Thal ship is quite unsettling. The 'air duct escape' is a gripping moment & Part 3 benefits from the moodiness of B &W (the scenes in the ice tunnels are particularly effective). Sadly though, the Gold Dalek in the final episode, so grand in memory, now looks like a tatty, oversized Christmas bauble & is depressingly symbolic of how the whole story appears to me now. Episodic & padded, it doesn't hang together very well & is a lazy-ass rehash as the Co-Pilot points out. Still, it is eminently watchable.
'Green Death'
Co-Pilot – Probably better in memory than reality. The special effects are pretty crap apart from a few terrific maggot moments (such as Jo being menaced late at night in the lounge). The ending with the Doctor driving off is surprisingly emotional & overall I like the theme; humans messing up the environment & causing things to get out of control.
Lucozer – Shame about the dodgy CSO special effects. An involving romp & probably the most 'Pertwee' Pertwee story; UNIT, Bessie, ecological/ political themes, misguided humans, chase scenes, action sequences, caves etc etc. BOSS is quite entertaining even though it looks like a crap 'Goodies' prop. Jo's final scene I thought very sad as a kid & it still holds up now. A bit padded & silly in parts, but still most enjoyable.
SEASON 11
'Time Warrior'
Co-Pilot – Linx is terrific, his costume is superb. When he pulls off the helmet for the first time…very memorable. The rest of the story is a bit tired though. It has potential but overall nothing better than an average run-around.
Lucozer – Linx is superb, Kevin Lindsay is the definitive Sontaran & the Friedlander mask is masterful. Why did the Sontaron masks deteriorate so much after this? They looked dreadful in 'Invasion Of Time' & 'Two Doctors'. Anyway, I digress, 'Time' succeeds on its own modest terms & is fairly well executed. A great first showing for the smashing Ms Sladen too. It just lacks classic moments beyond Linx removing his mask for the first time & later copping an arrow in the Probic vent. Forgetting all serious credibility briefly (not that I lay claim to a great amount) if Irongron had a haircut, a shave & a damn good scrub, he'd be HOT, I shit you not! The 'Lucozer Award' for 'Sexiest Pertwee Guest Star' goes to…Mr David Daker!
'Invasion Of The Dinosaurs'
Co-Pilot – Not since 'Unearthly Child' has such a cracking first episode been let down so badly by what follows it. The rest of the story is actually not too bad I suppose - the intrigue is really good & Yates turning bad is also very dramatic & memorable. Grover tricking Sarah, Sarah waking up on the spaceship, the Whomobile…all great stuff….but so much padding! And of course the Petrodacktyl is something else altogether…Klack Klack!
Lucozer – The diabolical dinosaurs aside, this is not really that far removed from some of the Pertwee classics like 'Green Death' in many ways. I find it quite entertaining despite the usual could-a-done-it-in-four padding. The space ship scenes are fairly well handled & The 'Golden Age' team of Peter Miles & Martin Jarvis are very effective. Part one is wonderfully creepy & this is by no means the unmitigated disaster of repute.
'Death To The Daleks'
Co-Pilot – An often-overlooked gem. The TARDIS being drained of energy, the Doctor being attacked outside in the darkness, Sarah finding blood on the Doctor' candlestick, the voodoo chanting of the Exillons, the Exillon city, the Dalek machine gun being tested on the model TARDIS, the root killing a poor Exillon who can't escape in time, the antibodies that materialise to protect the city…. a series of extraordinarily effective moments – all punctuated by some of the most amazing incidental music the series ever had. 'Death' is a hidden classic. Riveting.
Lucozer – It looks a tad shabby at times, but it has a tense & sinister feel to it. Part one is superb; the lights going out in the TARDIS & then the Doctor & Sarah both wandering alone in the darkness…shivers & tingles! The incidental music probably bows only to the 'Sea Devils' in the whole of the Pertwee era. The sound the city makes & the moment Sarah first sees it are indelibly stamped on my memory. The Daleks losing power renders them vulnerable & allows us to see their true resourcefulness & cunning; perhaps more than ever before. Bellal is sensitively played & quite charming. There is clearly more inspiration & effort in this script than 'Planet Of The Daleks' (which I feel I was a little too hard on by the by). I too will stick my neck out; this is gritty, atmospheric, involving, tightly scripted & full of evocative moments. A few flat guest performances aside, criminally underrated.
'Monster Of Peladon'
Co-Pilot – This tired old mess vies with 'The Web Planet' for the title of worst ever 6 parter. If only the production team had skived two parts off this, Invasion Of The Dinosaurs & Planet Of Spiders – & made a really decent six parter – Jon's final season might be remembered in a better light. Also a shame that after giving the Ice Warrior race a bit of dignity in Curse Of Peladon, Brian Hayles goes & turns them back into boring old thugs again…
Lucozer – Dire indeed; it looks tired & cheap & if you can feel any sympathy for the mineworkers who basically just grunt & chant 'strawberries, strawberries, strawberries' (and fail to do that with any real conviction) then you're seeing something I can't. Jon & Lis are great, but it's sloppy, excruciatingly padded & fatally dull & uninvolving.
'Planet Of Spiders'
Co-Pilot – Unfortunately this is an uninspired end to JP's reign. The spiders look ok at best & Lupton's inability to deliver even the simplest lines with conviction is grating. The less said about the "oh my husband, my husband" fiasco the better. How can something be so wonderful when you are 7 & so bollocks when you are 27? Not the absolute, no holds barred classic it once seemed. There are some good bits though. The stuff with K'anpo & Cho'Je is pretty good – the Buddhist stuff is pretty good too – the idea of the Doctor getting too big for his boots and having to face his deepest fears is a nice prelude to his regeneration.
Lucozer – Despite the padding & proverbial dogs bollocks woeful bits, it has a suitably foreboding tone & I have so many vivid childhood memories. The Metebelis crystal, the professor looking into it, the spider on Sarah's back, the creepy chanting, Omm mane padme hum? Tommy, the voices of the spiders...Nostalgia just gets this past my critical razor wire. Ultimately it wins kudos for thrilling me as a child as it was only ever designed to do.
THE END
So that's it. What a hefty undertaking! Stay tuned for the Co-Pilot's incisive Pertwee era summary coming soon.....
SEASON 7
'Spearhead From Space'
Co-Pilot – The scariest Doctor Who story ever?...Hugh Burden as Channing is on a different plane all together – he only has the stand in the background of a shot to be creepy & unsettling.
Lucozer – It looks superb, the use of grainy film is very effective. Pertwee is great from the outset as is Caroline John. Best first story for a Doctor ever…full stop.
'The Silurians'
Co-Pilot - The Silurian eye view we see as a Silurian ascends, with tremendous deep reptilian breathing, & as he staggers towards the farm, is up there with the series greatest ever moments…Having a few of the characters driven mad by the events in the caves adds greatly to the claustrophobic menace. I can certainly remember many lunch & recess times full of Silurian inspired mimicry!
Lucozer – The Silurians are brilliantly realised; their appearance & movements, their society, their ethics & interrelations…everything. It contains two all-time classic cliffhangers; the Doctor's first meeting with a Silurian in the farmhouse & then when a couple of Silurians burn through the wall behind him while he is frantically trying to find an antidote to the virus. So many superb childhood memories…creepy & atmospheric.
'Ambassadors of Death'
Co-Pilot – Nothing too exciting happens over 7 long episodes & the guy with the dodgy French (?) accent undermines the whole thing…full of padding.
Lucozer – Slow, but it certainly has decent production values. It could have been done in 5 or 6 eps… I would even go so far as to say 'Dominator Rago' is a highlight; subtle & believable & much more convincing in this… the most graphically violent UNIT story ever; the scene in the warehouse with all the close up bullet deaths a case in point. UNIT Doctor Who by numbers, but still worth a look.
'Inferno'
Co-Pilot - …Inferno is more like a film than a TV show – the gritty oppressive quality Douglas Camfield evokes contributes a huge amount to the story's success. The parallel world stuff is highly effective & frightening. The cliff-hanger ending to part 6 is still unbearably dramatic…It maintains its quality over 7 episodes – something most four parters can't come close to emulating…
Lucozer – Fantastic! So tense and claustrophobic, it's almost unbearable. The ambient noise becomes increasingly unsettling. We are forced to relate to the Doctor more than ever in this 'fish out of water' plight because the companion is largely absent (Ditto 'Deadly Assassin'). Perhaps a good story to show non-fans if they can endure its length….So many potent childhood memories from Jon's first season. Season 7 is vastly underrated. It should be regarded as a classic up there with seasons 5, 13 & 14.
SEASON 8
'Terror Of The Autons'
Co-Pilot – The first & best Master story. This could have been even better if the Autons were as menacing as they were in Spearhead. There are many terrific & frightening moments...the suffocating chair, the master's eerie theme music, the Doctor pulling off the policeman's mask, the Auton being driven off the cliff then getting up and walking away…the Master in general!
Lucozer – This story makes the padding in other stories look all the more obvious. Almost as much happens in this as happens in Planet of the Spiders/ Daleks etc. A tight script & well paced. Classy Doctor Who that made the best of limited resources… That said, I just don't feel the urge to watch it that much. I don't know why.
'Mind Of Evil'
Co-Pilot – It has some excellent moments; the master smoking the cigar & the Keller machine bringing out all of the fearful images in the Doctor's mind (Cybermen & the fire) but it is also very bland and overlong. The Keller machine itself begins to get a little tedious after a while.
Lucozer – The Keller machine really freaked me out as a kid; a machine that could materialise anywhere & attack your brain! The sound effect & wobbly visuals I thought were great… Delgado is wonderfully malevolent…I love the 'Mao Tse Tung' scene, a nice touch...It's B&W status probably works in its favour. Creepy & tense.
'Claws Of Axos'
Co-Pilot – This is utter shite! Never can understand why this is rated a minor classic. The acting is forced & the special effects in the Axon spaceship are woeful. A great pity, as a kid I remember being very scared by the red tentacled Axon…Complete tosh!
Lucozer – Hugely overrated! The incidental music & direction are abominably ham fisted …seems like a bad student sci-fi film…The plot & concept are quite good but many departments let it down. If Dougie Camfield has directed this it could have been far superior.
'Colony In Space'
Co-Pilot - Pretty uninspiring. Dent is so boring, his hair is the most interesting thing about him – & that is really saying something. I prefer my villains to be dashing looking; not craggy po-paced old bores! Give me Soldeed or even the Nimon itself over Dent any day of the week!
Lucozer – Crap At Snails Pace! An endless procession of captures, escapes & tiresome politicking between unsympathetic & dull characters. Groan! I do like the scene where the Master offers the Doctor half-rulership of the universe though...I still have not watched this all the way through since 1986. Come to think of it, maybe I didn't even then?
'The Daemons'
Co-Pilot – Much better when viewed in grainy black & white. The Daemons is fabulous in lots of ways, although not as great as it was once reputed to be…Part one is a real humdinger…very atmospheric…Without doubt one of Pertwee's best, but just not THE BEST, as some influential critics used to maintain.
Lucozer – Bok is well realised & Mr Thorne is less painful here than in the 'Three Doctors'…. Part One is very sinister; the wild weather & the signs spinning around. However, this story is a perfect example of a sad & painfully common phenomenon in Doctor Who; good directors establishing wonderful tension & suspense early in a story, then being let down by budget restrictions which render the evil, when revealed, as laughable (see also 'Image Of Fendahl', 'Horror Of Fang Rock' & Nessie in 'Terror Of The Zygons') It must have galled directors when their fine work reached a dramatic zenith of silly CSO & poxy bubble wrap! No hands down classic but very good with some classic moments.
SEASON 9
'Day Of The Daleks'
Co-Pilot – A Minor classic? Sort of…Aubrey Woods who plays the Controller is brilliant, continuing the tradition of fantastic characters working for the Daleks (Mavic Chen, Nyder, Lytton, Tasambeker! (just kidding)) I remember being very captivated by the time tunnel stuff. The Doctor & Jo staying at Stiles' house & sampling his wine & cheese – great stuff!
Lucozer –…A clever little script & the Controller is superbly creepy. It is very polished production wise & it's shortness (four parts among many sixes), lack of obvious padding & its "playing with time" plot make it probably the closest to the new series of all the Pertwee era stories. Shame though that the Daleks are underused & their voices are so appalling.
'Curse Of Peladon'
Co-Pilot – The real Curse Of Peladon is Alpha Centauri! What or who is this most dodgy alien supposed to be a pastiche of? Is Alpha a raging queen? A feminist avenger gone wrong? A pre-pubescent boy whose voice hasn't broken yet? Ms/Mr Centauri stands out as woefully & memorably bad in an otherwise excellent adventure. The other aliens work well; Arcturus somehow overcomes design limitations to be an interesting & menacing character. The Ice Warriors are also superb. The whole idea of the Dr & Jo becoming emotionally involved in proceedings is very well handled…Naroon narooon naroon!!
Lucozer – Delegate Arcturus is a scream! I love him/ her/ it? Probably one of Ms Manning's better showings, even though she still over emphasises every gesture & emotion. The scene of the TARDIS landing on the windy cliff-face & the Doctor singing to Aggedor in the catacombs are vivid childhood memories. A strong & involving script presenting a well rounded view of a troubled society. A modest charmer.
'The Sea Devils'
Co-Pilot – …Owes much of its impact to an incredible soundtrack. Perhaps it is overlong, but the Sea Devils has an atmosphere of gloom throughout that is very enthralling. I still think a child these days would find some Dr Who stories to be chillingly frightening & this would be one of them. I love how the Dr goes to visit the Master – their relationship typifies the kind of dignity the Delgado Master had that the Ainley Master never came close to.
Lucozer – As a child it was a pinnacle, but memory has cheated a little. The Sea Devils base is far too colourful & bright, suffering in comparison with the gloomy, shadowy Silurian caves. Also, the Sea Devils look awkward & clunky when compared to the Silurians. This may be the fault of direction though; too many undramatic long shots. The Silurians were brilliantly revealed & realised with close ups on parts of them & using their strange vision & close miked breathing. Not so with the Sea Devils. They do look great rising from the water though…The Master/ Doctor banter is superb, well scripted & played. The memorable incidental music is perhaps a little overdone; almost as if they were excited at how (undeniably) great & strange it was & put it in too many places, often too loud & occasionally very jarring. Despite my criticisms, still marvelously entertaining.
'The Mutants'
Co-Pilot – Very sad to admit how crap this actually is, because I loved the atmosphere of it in 1986. Episode one is actually pretty good but, from there on in it all gets very bland. The acting is probably the most notable thing about it. The fat warlord guy with the dodgy Slade haircut is wooden & horrible. The Marshal over-acts through the whole thing. Did Cotton actually audition for the part?!
Lucozer – Certainly not diabolical in the way 'Twin Dilemma' & 'Delta' are, just deathly dull with a few excruciatingly bad moments for good measure. Cotton & the Captain are particularly dreadful, but Jon is solid as usual though & George 'Shaboogans' Pravda is always worth a moment of ones times.
'The Time Monster'
Co-Pilot – zzzzzzzzzz!
Lucozer – I have less childhood memories of this Pertwee story than any other, so a recent viewing held a curious interest for me & the panning it gets in 'received Dr Who Wisdom' led me to expect nothing. So its relative 'freshness' & my low expectations meant I quite enjoyed this frivolous & tacky runaround, despite some poor direction, woeful acting & the otherwise masterful Delgado straying the closest he ever came to lame eyebrow-arching-&-maniacal-laughing charicature (though through no fault of his own)
SEASON 10
'Three Doctors'
Co-Pilot – The goodness in this story is obvious. Part one is brilliant, as is part two. The ending with the whole of UNIT being sucked into the black hole is wonderful. Pat & William are fabulous. Jon fighting the dark side of Omega's mind is intense. Generally the story has the aura of an absolute classic. …Where it falls down though is the d-grade set design of Omega's Palace, the frankly ridiculous gel guards & the amateur bellowing of Stephen Thorne. All of these factors rob Omega & his world of the menace they might otherwise have had. A real pity as in every other respect this is possibly the best story of Pertwee's reign.
Lucozer - …Notably disappointing. It could/ should have been so much better. The Pat & Jon bickering scenes are largely clunky & childish (the scripts fault, not theirs) & the recorder sub plot is utter crap. The Brigadier is reduced to a blundering imbecile & the whole thing looks garish and panto-esque. I must concur with the Co-Pilot, the "amateur bellowing" of Mr Thorne is awful & renders the final moments of the story anti-climactic. It is still a lot of fun & has some great moments, but (rant alert!!) why do multi-doctor stories always have to be frivolous run-arounds? Why can't they be dark & compelling & blow our fucking minds! Three Doctors!!! Fan boys everywhere should be creaming themselves in unison! Three Doctors should mean thrice the tension, thrice the fear & thrice the brilliance. All these things seem to have been divided in this! Once again, why wasn't Mr Camfield brought in. Although, even he would have struggled to salvage something credible from the likes of the appalling gel guards & their hideous chorus of 'wob, wob, wob'.
'Carnival Of Monsters'
Co-Pilot - Like 'Claws Of Axos' this is always overrated. The circus duo with the Projector are really crap, they aren't funny at all. Michael Wisher is always really good & some of the bits inside the machine are effective, but overall it's pretty ordinary fare. Perhaps I'm missing something?
Lucozer – Classic my b*&^bag! What are the critics on about? This is drivel. The Drashigs are woeful & wouldn't scare a blind spielsnape. The 'fruit loop' duo are god-awful. Maybe there are one or two memorable moments; the 'big hand', the cruise ship with the 'sea dinosaur'. It has brevity in its favour & not much more. This is very average if not quite 'Mutants' level awful.
'Frontier In Space'
Co-Pilot – I remember being very impressed with the Draconians (even as an adult). The shock ending with the Daleks arrival & then the Master shooting the Doctor was very exciting. I like the idea that the Doctor travels across space & that the action takes place on several fronts, much like 'Genesis Of the Daleks'. Not too many bad moments off the top of my head.
Lucozer – An ambitious space opera on a shoe-string; impressive despite the usual meagre budget. The politics of the story are a little forced & creaky, but it is a polished production without too much padding & the different locations & strands of the story are juggled well. The marvellous John Friedlander again excels with his fantastic looking Draconian design. Roger Delgado is as exquisitely shady & textured as ever in his last story. Katy is actually pretty good in this, Delgado lifts her in their scenes together & they are surprisingly effective. It has flaws, but the Pertwee/ Letts & Dicks team seems well oiled here & they play to their strengths on this one.
'Planet Of The Daleks'
Co-Pilot – Could have been great, but on every level this is just a copy of Terry Nation's previous efforts with hardly an inspiring or original idea anywhere. I loved this when we were kids, but as adults, it just looks tacky & full of padding.
Lucozer – Part One with Jo trying to help the ailing Doctor & exploring the jungle & the Thal ship is quite unsettling. The 'air duct escape' is a gripping moment & Part 3 benefits from the moodiness of B &W (the scenes in the ice tunnels are particularly effective). Sadly though, the Gold Dalek in the final episode, so grand in memory, now looks like a tatty, oversized Christmas bauble & is depressingly symbolic of how the whole story appears to me now. Episodic & padded, it doesn't hang together very well & is a lazy-ass rehash as the Co-Pilot points out. Still, it is eminently watchable.
'Green Death'
Co-Pilot – Probably better in memory than reality. The special effects are pretty crap apart from a few terrific maggot moments (such as Jo being menaced late at night in the lounge). The ending with the Doctor driving off is surprisingly emotional & overall I like the theme; humans messing up the environment & causing things to get out of control.
Lucozer – Shame about the dodgy CSO special effects. An involving romp & probably the most 'Pertwee' Pertwee story; UNIT, Bessie, ecological/ political themes, misguided humans, chase scenes, action sequences, caves etc etc. BOSS is quite entertaining even though it looks like a crap 'Goodies' prop. Jo's final scene I thought very sad as a kid & it still holds up now. A bit padded & silly in parts, but still most enjoyable.
SEASON 11
'Time Warrior'
Co-Pilot – Linx is terrific, his costume is superb. When he pulls off the helmet for the first time…very memorable. The rest of the story is a bit tired though. It has potential but overall nothing better than an average run-around.
Lucozer – Linx is superb, Kevin Lindsay is the definitive Sontaran & the Friedlander mask is masterful. Why did the Sontaron masks deteriorate so much after this? They looked dreadful in 'Invasion Of Time' & 'Two Doctors'. Anyway, I digress, 'Time' succeeds on its own modest terms & is fairly well executed. A great first showing for the smashing Ms Sladen too. It just lacks classic moments beyond Linx removing his mask for the first time & later copping an arrow in the Probic vent. Forgetting all serious credibility briefly (not that I lay claim to a great amount) if Irongron had a haircut, a shave & a damn good scrub, he'd be HOT, I shit you not! The 'Lucozer Award' for 'Sexiest Pertwee Guest Star' goes to…Mr David Daker!
'Invasion Of The Dinosaurs'
Co-Pilot – Not since 'Unearthly Child' has such a cracking first episode been let down so badly by what follows it. The rest of the story is actually not too bad I suppose - the intrigue is really good & Yates turning bad is also very dramatic & memorable. Grover tricking Sarah, Sarah waking up on the spaceship, the Whomobile…all great stuff….but so much padding! And of course the Petrodacktyl is something else altogether…Klack Klack!
Lucozer – The diabolical dinosaurs aside, this is not really that far removed from some of the Pertwee classics like 'Green Death' in many ways. I find it quite entertaining despite the usual could-a-done-it-in-four padding. The space ship scenes are fairly well handled & The 'Golden Age' team of Peter Miles & Martin Jarvis are very effective. Part one is wonderfully creepy & this is by no means the unmitigated disaster of repute.
'Death To The Daleks'
Co-Pilot – An often-overlooked gem. The TARDIS being drained of energy, the Doctor being attacked outside in the darkness, Sarah finding blood on the Doctor' candlestick, the voodoo chanting of the Exillons, the Exillon city, the Dalek machine gun being tested on the model TARDIS, the root killing a poor Exillon who can't escape in time, the antibodies that materialise to protect the city…. a series of extraordinarily effective moments – all punctuated by some of the most amazing incidental music the series ever had. 'Death' is a hidden classic. Riveting.
Lucozer – It looks a tad shabby at times, but it has a tense & sinister feel to it. Part one is superb; the lights going out in the TARDIS & then the Doctor & Sarah both wandering alone in the darkness…shivers & tingles! The incidental music probably bows only to the 'Sea Devils' in the whole of the Pertwee era. The sound the city makes & the moment Sarah first sees it are indelibly stamped on my memory. The Daleks losing power renders them vulnerable & allows us to see their true resourcefulness & cunning; perhaps more than ever before. Bellal is sensitively played & quite charming. There is clearly more inspiration & effort in this script than 'Planet Of The Daleks' (which I feel I was a little too hard on by the by). I too will stick my neck out; this is gritty, atmospheric, involving, tightly scripted & full of evocative moments. A few flat guest performances aside, criminally underrated.
'Monster Of Peladon'
Co-Pilot – This tired old mess vies with 'The Web Planet' for the title of worst ever 6 parter. If only the production team had skived two parts off this, Invasion Of The Dinosaurs & Planet Of Spiders – & made a really decent six parter – Jon's final season might be remembered in a better light. Also a shame that after giving the Ice Warrior race a bit of dignity in Curse Of Peladon, Brian Hayles goes & turns them back into boring old thugs again…
Lucozer – Dire indeed; it looks tired & cheap & if you can feel any sympathy for the mineworkers who basically just grunt & chant 'strawberries, strawberries, strawberries' (and fail to do that with any real conviction) then you're seeing something I can't. Jon & Lis are great, but it's sloppy, excruciatingly padded & fatally dull & uninvolving.
'Planet Of Spiders'
Co-Pilot – Unfortunately this is an uninspired end to JP's reign. The spiders look ok at best & Lupton's inability to deliver even the simplest lines with conviction is grating. The less said about the "oh my husband, my husband" fiasco the better. How can something be so wonderful when you are 7 & so bollocks when you are 27? Not the absolute, no holds barred classic it once seemed. There are some good bits though. The stuff with K'anpo & Cho'Je is pretty good – the Buddhist stuff is pretty good too – the idea of the Doctor getting too big for his boots and having to face his deepest fears is a nice prelude to his regeneration.
Lucozer – Despite the padding & proverbial dogs bollocks woeful bits, it has a suitably foreboding tone & I have so many vivid childhood memories. The Metebelis crystal, the professor looking into it, the spider on Sarah's back, the creepy chanting, Omm mane padme hum? Tommy, the voices of the spiders...Nostalgia just gets this past my critical razor wire. Ultimately it wins kudos for thrilling me as a child as it was only ever designed to do.
THE END
So that's it. What a hefty undertaking! Stay tuned for the Co-Pilot's incisive Pertwee era summary coming soon.....
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