Doctor Who Season 12: Enter the chap with the scarf

Back in the winter of 1980-81, I discovered that the local PBS affiliate had started broadcasting the show. I had caught a few episodes a few years earlier and had been intrigued in a fourth-grade way. Now, as a sixth-grader, I was hooked. I missed the first few stories of the season, picking it up with Genesis of the Daleks (a good place to start, really), but this is definitely where I came in as a fan.

Robot

This is a baton-passing episode. Barry Letts is still the producer. While Robert Holmes is in place as script editor, Terrance Dicks (in an instant bit of tradition as outgoing script editor) crafted the story. It’s set on Earth and UNIT is around for a last Jon-Pertwee-like hurrah.

It’s also clear that this is a new show. Tom Baker’s fresh energy is present from his first upright scene, where he makes some allusions to the past (finding the Tardis key in his shoe, for example, just as Jon Pertwee had done five years before) and sets up the future and he talks rings around the sturdy-if-dim companion Harry Sullivan.

Like a lot of Jon Pertwee serials, the story doesn’t make complete sense and goes off the rails in the fourth episode as a plot about scientists wanting to take over the Earth and create a perfect society (wait, didn’t we do this last season with Invasion of the Dinosaurs?) ends without much resolution and turns into a pure King-King homage as the big Robot becomes a giant 50-foot-tall Robot carrying around a Sarah-Jane-Smith doll.

The Ark in Space

Philip Hinchcliffe starts his three-year reign as producer with a story that features the hallmarks of his era. It’s a bit of outer-space gothic, with a seemingly abandoned space station, an ancient terror that is still present and waiting to strike, and some pre-David-Cronenberg body horror as one of the characters is transformed into a slug and then a super-intelligent space insect thing.

In fact, the first episode is just our three main characters exploring the Nerva Beacon. They solve a couple of crises and discover a bigger one. The remnants of humanity are onboard in deep sleep, waiting for the Earth to be ready for human life again. Our team’s presence means that they start to wake up, but so do the giant space insect things. The effects are a bit dodgy (the show was popular and cheap; a network’s dream), with the slug phase monsters brought to life with bubble wrap that has been painted green, but the sense of unease and horror still come through.

The Sontaran Experiment

As a way to stretch that tiny budget, the producers tried some scheduling experiments. The Ark is Spacewas shot completely in the studio, using the time for a six-episode block. The scheduled location time for those episodes went to this two parter, which – thankfully –moves away from the quarry to the moors. Shot entirely on location, the short piece brings back Kevin Lindsay as a Sontaran – named Styre this time (they’re clones you see). He’s doing some, well, experiments on a hapless crew of humans (the flares only killed life on Earth; the colonies survived and thrived).

It’s pretty dark stuff, with tinges of Nazi-style experiments along the way, but the Doctor is able to solve it all and stop an invasion to boot. Things didn’t go so well for Tom Baker, however. He broke his collarbone on the moors early on in the shoot. He was able to finish (with his scarf hiding his neck brace and providing support for his arm), but his stunt double had to do extra duty for the rest of the filming.

Genesis of the Daleks

With a new Doctor and production team coming in, Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks planned to bring back some classic foes to ease into the new era. It ended up working 50-50. Genesis of the Daleks is rightfully considered at the apex of Tom Baker’s – and the classic program’s – stories. We have six episodes that keep the story going. We have an unrelentingly grim vision of a planet, Skaro, on the brink of complete destruction. By story’s end, only a handful of the characters we’ve met along the way have survived, and they are facing a life on a barren, scarred world.

And we have Davros. Terry Nation refreshed the somewhat tired Dalek concept by providing the maddest of mad scientists as their creator. Michael Wisher was the first, and really the best, actor to sit in Dalek-like chair, acting the hell out by really only using his voice, his lower jaw (the rest of his face was in a mask that also obscured his eyes) and one arm and hand.

Tom Baker also comes into his own here, providing a character who can be charming, fiery, and inquisitive – often all in the same scene. His moments along with Davros are remarkable, while his doubt at destroying the Daleks before they evolve into perfect killing machines.

And while the show was created on a shoestring like the rest of the season, the team was able to mostly hide the limited resources. The film-like lighting gives the show a dark, moody vibe, while the fact that there is only a trio of working Daleks works when you consider that they are at the start of their existence. Even the BBC quarry and BBC corridors work well in this one.

Revenge of the Cybermen

Here’s the yang to Genesis of the Dalek’s yin. This is a terrible story where the cheapness can be seen in the awful effects, the use of obvious showroom dummies instead extras as corpses to the quartet of strutting Cybermen who plan to do – I don’t know, really what the ultimate goal of all the plotting is here. Our favorite humans-turned-cyborgs hadn’t been seen since The Invasion in 1968, and wouldn’t be back until Earthshock in 1982. It’s easy to see why.

While the episode is painful to watch, the DVD version contains an intriguing documentary about what it was like being a British Doctor Who fan at the dawn of the video age. Repeats were rare and fans would latch onto any bit of video they could find, sometimes paying hundreds of pounds to watch a legendary serial of yesteryear. We actually had it a lot better in the Untied States than our British friends, as we got to see all of the existing complete serials during the decade.

Doctor Who Season 11: Another era ends

The new year brings us the last quintet of Jon Pertwee adventures, the beginning of Elisabeth Sladen’s time with the show as Sarah Jane Smith. We also get a new title sequence that is essentially the same as the one I grew up with while watching Tom Baker’s episodes on public TV in the Twin Cities all those decades ago. Instead of the constantly mutating, howl-around effect used in the show’s first decade, the new sequence employed a slit-screen technique like the one used in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It instantly upped the mysterious mood of each episode, even if what followed only brought up questions about how terrible the special effects were (see “Dinosaurs, Invasion of the” below).

The Time Warrior

Elisabeth Sladen makes a strong debut, as do the Robert-Holmes-created Sontarans in this quasi-historical adventure. Holmes’ skills with characters are put to good use here, as we have a set of nicely created characters, from the militaristic alien to the good and bad denizens of the forest to an absent-minded scientist captured from the future to help Linx fix his ship. Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith is tough and feisty here, believing that the Doctor is responsible for all of the bad things until she meets Link. Sladen said in later years that Sarah Jane was never as strong as written as she was here, and it all makes for a grand start to the character and the season.

Invasion of the Dinosaurs

So Malcolm Hulke gets called in and provides a pretty good script about a secret group of scientists and do-gooders who want to bring on a golden age by turning back the clock to the age of dinosaurs and repopulating the planet with folks who think they’ve settled a new world. The guest cast is fine and with plenty of good performances. There are some atmospheric shots of a deserted London in the first few minutes (shot verte style by the director and a single cameraman on a Sunday morning). Then it all gets ruined when the dinosaurs show up. Calling them horrible is an insult to horrible things. Doctor Who, especially in this era, has a reputation for dodgy effects and rubber monsters. Some of it is a bit harsh considering the era and the budget, but here every bad thing comes true. The effects nearly derail the story and have poisoned its reputation through the years.

Death to the Daleks

We’re off the BBC quarry for a tale of humans and Daleks facing off on an alien planet. One where their power is drained, leaving the Dalek guns useless (and the suckers couldn’t do anything except carry messages in those days). It turns out that an ancient city created by the Exxilons, who have since reverted to barbarism. The story gets dodgy in places, and the BBC corridor sets are used quite a bit as well, but there is some good tension among the characters as they try to solve their power troubles, defeat the Daleks and save the human colonies from a deadly “space” plague.

Monster of Peladon

There’s a distinct sense of déjà vu here, as a number of characters, character types and even events from the first Peladon story are employed in the second time around. We also get miners (not Welsh this time, but with badger-looking wigs) who are oppressed by the royal class (who have different, not quite as absurd wigs). Our favorite giant eyeball on legs, Alpha Centauri, is back, as is the furry spirit of the society, Aggedor. The Ice Warriors are here as well, and they’re back to their evil ways, working with a human agent to take the rare made-up mineral for themselves. This leads to a lot of action back and forth that ends up being entertaining, but showcasing some of the Third-Doctor six-part sag by the end.

Planet of the Spiders

Jon Pertwee goes out with a bang in this epic final adventure, which brings a number of ideas from past episodes back. The Doctor’s trip to Metebelis 3 at the beginning of The Green Death comes back to haunt him. As the blue crystal he returned with is essential for the giant spider ruler of the planet to complete her scheme to take over the world. The connection to Earth comes from a Buddhist retreat, where a group has made a psychic connection with the spiders. The leader, Lupton (John Dearth, who voiced the unhinged supercomputer BOSS in The Green Death) wants supreme power, but has bitten off more than he can chew.

All of this gives Jon Pertwee one last chance to do everything that he loves. We have an extended chase that takes up most of episode two. It includes cars, a gyrocopter, a hovercraft, and finally a speed boat. Richard Franklin gets to wrap up the Mike Yates character, redeeming him from his dinosaur betrayal. Behind the scenes, Kismet Delgado – Roger Delgado’s widow – voices one of the spiders.

The Doctor faces his fear, goes face to face with the big bad spider and defeats her. His body is used up, however. Pertwee gets one final moment before turning into Tom Baker – and heading into a brand-new era for the show.

Doctor Who Season 10: Hello old docs, goodbye Jo

It’s time to party! Doctor Who reaches its 10^th anniversary with the first meeting of the proverbial minds behind the show, a whole bunch of Daleks ready to invade and a fond farewell to Jo Grant.

The Three Doctors

After three years mainly marooned on Earth, The Doctor finally gets his chance for freedom – but first he has to travel across the universe to a realm of anti-matter to come face to face with one of the legends of the Time Lords. It takes more than one incaration to do this, as Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell join in on the fun. Hartnell was extremely ill at the time, his memory failing to the point where he couldn’t remember any of his lines. That kept him out of the studio (his segments were pre-filmed, with the lines written out in front of him) and the heavy lifting of the story to Pertwee and Troughton. There are conflicting reports on how well the two got along, but there is a terrific rivalry between the two characters – and even a chance for a quote from the Beatles. It’s really a fun romp that is the early 1970s Doctor Who at its best.

Carnival of Monsters

The Doctor’s good deeds allow him to travel freely through space and time again, which is put to good use through the bulk of the season. Robert Holmes gets us started with a comedic piece that finally showcases the storytelling and character skills that would leave such a mark on the Tom Baker years, when he became script editor. The carnival in question is a banned bit of technology that shrinks its subjects down for all to watch. This includes a ship terrorized on the Indian Ocean in the 1920s (with Ian Marter as a sailor, a couple of years before he became solid and stupid Harry Sullivan) and some nasties called the Drashigs. The Doctor and Jo are trapped inside, trying to get out, while the carnival barkers are faced with some officious officials who political machinations of their own. Good stuff.

Frontier in Space

We move out into the future Earth galactic empire for this six parter, as our heroes are shuttled between planets and star systems while uncovering a plot to set the humans and the Draconians off into a war. Who is behind it? The Master of course. Sadly, this turned out to be Roger Delgado’s final ride in the role, as he was killed in an accident on the way to a film set. He’s good as always here, but it turns out he isn’t the final brains behind the plot. That would belong to: The Daleks!

Planet of the Daleks

While the Doctor is able to wrap up the Earth/Draconian conflict at the end of Frontier in Space, there is still the matter of the massive Dalek army massing on Spiridon. An injured Doctor spends some time in a coma here, leaving Jo to explore and get entangled on her own. We have Thals (returning from the first Dalek adventure from a decade past), a deadly jungle planet and invisible natives, who thankfully wear big furry coats to let us know where they are. As usual, the Terry Nation script is fast paced and crackles with plenty of invention and character. That helps to distract the viewer from some of the dodgier moments, like the massive Dalek army that is obviously a bunch of toys waiting for their close up.

The Green Death

Jo Grant’s era on the show ends with a highlight from the Jon Pertwee years (season finales were often the best during this era). The plot involves: angry Welsh miners, ecological disaster, giant maggots (and a sad looking giant fly thing) and a self-aware supercomputer that is barking mad. Authors Robert Sloman and Barry Letts – also responsible for The Daemons and Planet of the Spiders (and, er, The Time Monster; no one’s perfect) – offer up a strong script that sends Jo off in style. The final scene – as the Doctor quietly slips away from Jo’s engagement party – is rightly considered a series highlight, and one that Mark Gatiss riffed on in a recent Sherlock episode.

Doctor Who Season nine: Hey Daleks, nice to see you again

Considering how strong season eight was, it was likely that the follow up was going to seem like a letdown. Still, there is a considerable drop off here, buoyed mainly when the Master appears in a couple of series later on.

The 1970s presented an interesting point in the show’s history, as two actors played the role over the course of 12 seasons. Apart from Jon Pertwee (5) and Tom Baker (7) no other actor played the Doctor for more than three years. While that gave the show considerable stability during the era, it also meant that the relentless reinvention that has been a hallmark of Doctor Who had to take a back seat. The producers found other ways to freshen the show during these years, from changing companions to exploring season-long story lines to introducing a robot dog – but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Meanwhile, we have Pertwee’s third season here – remember, most often the final season for the actor in the lead role – and there is some fatigue. That’s not so much from the actor’s performance, as Pertwee remained strong in the role throughout, but the concept of the Third Doctor began to show cracks as producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks searched for a more winning formula.

Day of the Daleks

They got off to a solid start with the return, after being sidelined since The Evil of the Daleks, of some familiar foes. Apparently, the gap meant that the voice actors for the roles forgot how to bring life to the characters, as the first one we meet says…his…lines…very…slowly. Daleks are supposed to be relentless, cold-hearted killers, not brain-dead stoners. (Maybe there was a note – the delivery got much closer to the familiar cadence as the serial went along.)

Apart from that, we’ve got a story where time travel actually is the plot. Obviously it’s always been a device on the show, allowing the characters to get to their various points and sometimes even being used as a solution to a problem (see The Claws of Axos). Here, however, the story turns on a paradox: the ruthless-but-rather-incompetent freedom fighters travel from the Dalek-infested future to change history by killing off an overblown diplomat, but instead trigger the events they were attempting to stop.

Sure, it’s not “Blink,” but the intriguing story and fast past – and for once in this season, not stretched over six episodes – makes for a solid start to the season.

The Curse of Peladon

There’s a Troughton back in the house for this adventure, as Patrick’s son David plays a sort of primitive-in-space young Shakespearean ruler, King Peladon, who is leading an effort to have his planet join a galactic federation. It’s quickly evident that elements of his planet, led by his longtime advisor, don’t want any part of it. The Doctor and Jo get sent over by the Time Lords and then improvise their way into being the Earth ambassador and then working to unveil the plot. The Ice Warriors make a return but – in a fun twist – aren’t the bad guys. Some of the costumes – especially that of eyeballed alien Alpha Centauri – are pretty weak by today’s standards, but there is an engaging vibe throughout. So much so, in fact, that we’ll back in season 11 for another round at Peladon.

The Sea Devils

Here’s where the season starts to go pear-shaped. Sometimes you wonder if the scriptwriters actually thought out the storylines from beginning to end. Often, the longer Doctor Who stories would start out like gangbusters and then lose, literally, the plot as it grew into episodes four and five before finding some kind closure. New characters showing up late in the proceedings was usually a good sign that things were off the rails, and here we get an odious civil servant (Martin Broddey, who is really terrific as the annoying and always-hungry Wilson) who makes his appearance in episode five. Plot wise, we get the lizard cousins of the Silurians pretty much doing the same thing as in that storyline – waking up cranky and deciding to take over the world. Roger Delgado has his usual fun as the Master, including a famous moment (reflected in the new series’ scene with the Master and the Teletubbies) as he watches a nonsense children’s show and thinking they are aliens trying to communicate.

The Mutants

The season nine slog-a-thon continues with another piece that would have been considerably sharpened by a shorter length. By the end, it’s clear that the story is just marking time, going over the same plot points over and over again. There is some intrigue here, as the serial attempts to tackle weighty subjects like colonialism and evolution, but makes some ham-fisted decisions along the way that short-circuit the good intentions (such as having the natives mutate from dark complexions to becoming blond). The acting is, at best, variable with poor Rick James (no, not that Rick James) giving perhaps the worst performance in Doctor Who history.

The Time Monster

By almost all standards, The Mutants is better than The Time Monster. The story makes more sense. There is an attempt to actually say something. There isn’t a giant pantomime bird flying around, supposedly the eater of all time. Yet, watching the Time Monster is a lot more fun than slogging through the Mutants. The key to this? Roger Delgado. The chemistry the actor had with Jon Pertwee and the rest of the regular cast was fantastic, while his relish at unleashing his mad plot helps to rough over the poor pacing and plotting of the serial, which is a classic six-parter “one story for the first four episodes, a different-but-connected one” for the last two story. Still, we get baby Sgt. Benton out of the deal.

Next time, old friends return for The Three Doctors, and we finally get free of Earth for a while.