Earth Story

Now this was different. One was a Doctor Who story I'd never seen before; the other was one I have no memory of watching before.

First story, The Gunfighters. This is a story with a mixed reputation within fan circles. For many years the popular myth that it was one of lowest rated stories of all times and an absolute clanger. Having seen it for the first time, I thought it was pretty good. Donald Cotton's script  is pretty witty with some great one liners (sort of City of Death fifteen years early. And it's a great shame that his first contribution to the series - The Mythmakers - no longer exists in the BBC's archives because the novelisation is hysterical. But I digress). You can certainly see William Hartnell's enjoying himself. The reproduction of Tombstone within the confines of Doctor Who's budget is excellent, even to the extent of using horses within the studio to add to realism. Director Rex Tucker uses the sets to his advantage, employing some high-angle shots to cover the action. The rest of the cast are in good form even if the quality of some of the American accents are all over the place. The one thing I wasn't too sure of was the musical score. Instead of traditional incidental music we get The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon (sung by no less than Lynda Baron - yes, Nurse Gladys from Open All Hours) which virtually narrates the whole show. It's different but it get a bit annoying after a while. Other than that, I think The Gunfighters is one of the better stories of the Hartnell era and terribly underrated.

Then on to The Awakening. I'm sure I must have seen this story at some point, but I have no memories of it. Which is a shame because, like The Gunfighters, I've come to the conclusion it's an undiscovered gem of the Peter Davison era. Again, Eric Pringle's script is excellent and you can sense Peter Davison and the cast enjoying themselves with this story. The story's monster, the Malus, is very convincingly realised being a massive face leering menacingly through a church wall. My only complaint is that the ending is rushed but otherwise it was a great two episodes of Doctor Who.